Click into First Gear

When you hop onto your bicycle with a beer in one hand and an erect middle finger in the other, your friends think you’re nuts. “Watch out for open car doors!” and “Obey traffic lights!” they scream, but your hair is already blowing in the wind. You’re hell on two wheels, and there’s no stopping momentum like that. If you’re looking for a crew, a mob, a posse to roll with, today and every first Wednesday join the Loose Cannons on the Run bike race. Sir Lance Armstrong might rely on water and carbs to win races, but when the cavalry takes off from Sweat Records (5501 NE Second Ave., Miami) at 10 p.m., riders are required to either slam a beer or eat two bananas. This ain’t the Tour de France, folks.

“What I wanted was to get people out together riding bikes — racing other bike heads and just opening up the community,” says event organizer Joel Meinholz of IAmYourVillain. And the prize awaiting you at the finish line, a.k.a. PS14 (28 NE 14th St., Miami): dollar beers till midnight (you must have your bike to earn the discount), five-dollar all-you-can-eat barbecue, and of course, pool and table tennis. By the way, ladies drink free till midnight, Hannah Montana Huffy in hand or not.
First Wednesday of every month, 2008