Photo courtesy of Airen Bijou

WOO!  Thanks to all y'all that came out on this ride.  I counted almost 40 riders at one point, and about HALF were Babes rookies! Special thanks to my co-captains Ginny the Caped Keg-Transporter and Lauren Rad Riding Hood.

We started out with some Lucid beer, and a sharing circle where vets shared inspiration and tips on how to enjoy Babes to the fullest.  Rookies shared what they were nervous about, or what they wanted to get out of the race.  It was a beautiful moment.

We did a short ride from the Babes in Bikeland starting location to the after-party location.  We ended up in downtown, outside, with pizza and beer and tunes, all delivered by bike.  Pure magic.  I met a lot of cool people, and I know that some people found their riding partners for the race the next day.

When I rolled in to the finish at Babes in Bikeland the next day, I heard a group of people yell, "LOOOOWWWW!" and my spirits were lifted!  A group of people I met at the group ride that arrived before me were hollering at me, and it felt awesome.  I tried to cheer for as many people as I could as they rolled in, I hope their spirits were similarly lifted through the roof.

Needless to say, based on how much fun y'all had, we are going to do this again next year!  We knew some things worked well, and we also brainstormed some ways that we could make it better.  Do you have anything to add?

Our goals for the ride were to be extra kind to rookies and newbies, and make everyone feel like they were amongst friends.  It's all about supporting the people that come together for Babes so that we don't only live in "Babeland" for one day a year.  Let's start something!

Begin the ride with a potluck for women & transgender & femme (WTF) cyclists and friends

A WTF-only, no-drop ride that starts from the Babes starting location, and stops at the after party location, with the final stop being some place where we can party down

More beer

End at a place where WTF and allies are invited, with the emphasis being on celebrating all of the racers that will be participating in Babes the next day!

Thanks again for coming, all you WTF Babes.  I hope you had as much fun as I did!

Ginny summed up how important this event is, for all of us:

Something I heard the most from Rookies Pre-Race? "I ride my bike everyday & don't have friends that ride." Post-Race: "I had no idea this community existed. I'm going to ride everywhere!" MPLS BIKING COMMUNITY! Ride your Bike, Do Group Ride, Say Howdy on the Greenway, Be Kind & Have a Good Time, All the Time! Let's grow & include & keep building this city into the bestest of the best. YOU are IMPORTANT & making this happen!

Those are words to live/ bike by.

Photo courtesy of Airen Bijou

If you missed the Babes in Bikeland 6 race on Saturday, here are some photos, taken by Eric Shoultz.  There was also a photo booth at the after party, manned by Grease Rag friend, Ellie Kingsbury.  Just like the after party, these photos are NSFW.