Tuesday, April 10, 2007

BYOBW Race 2007!




What do these two things have in common? Well, they came together on a beautiful, sunny, warm City afternoon this Easter in the form of a RACE! The 7th Annual Bring Your Own Big Wheel Race down Lombard Street in San Francisco was a sight to see. Lombard Street is the crookedest street in the world and one of the many tourist attractions here in the City.

Skippy and I were there as BAYA representatives to scout it out in order to make this a BAYA Annual Easter Event. It was so entertaining! Hundreds of Big Wheels and other random plastic toys, including a recycling bin, lined up at the entrance to the famous crookedest street at approximately 4pm. We maneuvered our way to the midway point of the curvy street and settled in behind a cement wall (for our protection) while the last of the tourist cars drove down. The race began with some excellent skaters (skateboards, not ice) flying down to "clear the path" then came the Big Wheelers. They wore helmets, knee pads, and face masks. Most wore some sort of costume like Mario and Luigi , the Easter Bunny, a couple of Beekers , Lego Man, or just something random found at the Salvation Army. For this race, like other famous races here in SF, the goal is not to win, but just to get to the bottom/finish in one piece.

I have to say, in the past 6 years I've lived here in San Francisco, this ranks on the top of my list of things to see. If you are planning a trip to the Bay around Easter Sunday, be sure to catch this Race! So, BAYA members, 2008 here we come! For a video of BYOBW click here. - Look closely in the first 25 sec, and you'll see even Jesus was there!

2 comments:

Mr. B said...

If I can find a "Green Machine" like I had 29 years ago, then I'm in for next year.

Mike said...

Thanks for sharing this. Having left the bay area over 20 years ago, I find that the simple crazy things like that are what I miss the most. Thanks for sharing the experience.