Wheel Zeal

The first rule of the Denver Cruisers? You do not talk about the Denver Cruisers. Second rule? You DO NOT talk about the Denver Cruisers. According to DC founder Brad K. Evans, there’s a good reason for that — many of them, actually — all of which mostly have to do with keeping control of the movement.

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More About

• Brad Evans
• The Beach Boys

The fun-loving Cruisers, who ride bikes through the city en masse, in costume, every Wednesday night from May to September, just want to have their fun without stepping on the toes of the police, business owners or anyone who’s sharing the road with them. They believe in equipping their cycles with lights, obeying traffic signals and trying (if not always succeeding) to park their bikes properly at tavern stops along the way. And, as Evans is quick to note, the most serious issue they want to deal with is that of choosing a weekly theme, which might be anything from “Bubble Wrap, Duct Tape and Cardboard” and “Beach Boys & Girls in Bikinis” to this week’s “Mustaches and Ugly Sweaters.”

The cruisers aren’t road machos in bike shorts or Critical Mass anarchists-on-wheels. “While some of the other rides are notorious for attracting hooligans, we’re the people who wear suits during the week,” Evans says. “And then,” he adds facetiously, “we let our inner hooligans out on Wednesday nights.” Though Evans admits his role with the Cruisers has become uncomfortably managerial (he once had to confront a police officer while dressed in a red prom dress and lipstick), he still calls Cruiser season “twenty weeks of fun.”

“Mustaches and Ugly Sweaters” commences from the Cruisers’ home away from home, the Ginn Mill (2041 Larimer Street), tonight at 7 p.m. — and remember, the costume is de rigueur, so don’t show up without one. For details, log on to www.denvercruisers.com.
Wed., Sept. 10, 2008