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Biking And Boozing Event Questioned
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jul 21, 2009
Modified Jul 21, 2009
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Jul 21, 2009
Modified Jul 21, 2009
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Summer is upon us, and Mayor Bloomberg has declared July to be Good Beer Month. And there's nothing quite like riding ones bike to a bar and imbibing in some cold ones, right? Actually that sounds like a dangerous idea, but it still didn't stop some folks from putting together a Bike to the Bars event.
Today CityRoom questioned the decision of organizers encouraging riding under the influence (a topic that was discussed earlier this year), and organizer/owner of Jimmy's 43, Jimmy Carbone, told them, “We’re not saying go to 10 bars and get drunk. Europeans get it. After a good bike ride or a run, people have a beer somewhere.”
However, the tour de beer seems to include more than 10 bars across 2 boroughs. It takes place this Saturday and the leader of the pack, Slow Food USA's Cecily Upton, promises, “This is about good people coming together and sharing a ride and a good beer." But should biking under the influence be touted as innocent and promoted as the centerpiece of an event? Maybe we should loosen up, but, this seems way more dangerous than sand and tomatoes combined!
In fact, there have been plenty of accidents because of the combination of boozing and biking, and the site notes that a recent report found that 21% of New York cyclists involved in a fatal accident had alcohol in their blood. And plenty others have suffered minor injuries, even David Byrne isn't immune!
Tagged
beer
bicycle
bike
Bike to the Bars
event
Good Beer Month
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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