On the last Friday of each month, it is common to see a large group of bicyclists riding together in downtown Knoxville. Called Critical Mass, it is an event in which cyclists come together to ride and promote bicycle awareness.

Typically it will draw around 50 participants, said Philip Gray, a student at the University of Tennessee who has attended every Critical Mass since 2006. He also works for the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization, which encourages forms of transportation other than motor vehicles.

"When you have so many cyclists riding together, people notice you," Gray said. "The point is to promote riding and to try and get motorists to share the road.""The point is to promote riding and to try and get motorists to share the road."
-Philip Gray, Critical Mass participant


Critical Mass meets throughout the United States and abroad. There is no official website for Critical Mass, but there are online resources for anyone interested in finding where participants meet up.

"It's nice to be able to bring people together who ride and want to make Knoxville a more bike-friendly place," Gray said. "At any rate, it's a lot of fun."

 A senior in civil engineering, Gray hopes Critical Mass' message will also reach UT's campus.

 "I usually walk to campus, because it's not really a good place for bikes," he said. "People fly around curbs in their cars and don't really have much regard for cyclists."