Celebrating the New Year, bicyclists of all ages (including little boys and girls!) gathered at Union Square December 31 for a special New Year's Eve Critical Mass. With popular 70's music blaring through boom boxes bungeed to the racks of bicycles and the sound of hand percussion on the handlebars of another bicycle, the crowd took off at 11:00pm, winding through Park and Madison Avenues. About 75 bikers cheered, much to the delight of thousands of partygoers and noisemakers, but not to the delight of the already crowded auto traffic. We entered Central Park around 59th street and took to the main thoroughfare, eventually ending at Belvedere Castle (79th Street and mid-Central Park) for the fireworks show at midnight. Except for the 25 or so people already there, it was very quiet at the best vantage point in Central Park. We had fire spinning sticks and flames, but no jugglers or spinners. Oh well. Around 12:45am, after some drinking, drumming and dancing, about 15 of us decided to bond together and head back downtown towards Washington Square Park. Minus a fender scratching a rider's tire and causing a spill, we all made it safely, ending a surprisingly all-ages ride. Don't forget Critical Mass, the last Friday of every month that now in its 10th year, has 325 rides on 6 continents. Go to www.critical-mass.org to find the closest ride to you. www.madhattersimc.org