Tbilisi cyclists unite for children in need

Cyclists gathering in Georgia's capital this week for the latest monthly street ride are supporting charity while raising awareness of bicycles on the roads.

This month’s Critical Mass Tbilisi cycle will take place on December 25, and participants are encouraged to decorate their bicycles, dress up like Santa Claus and enjoy the festive season.

This month’s event – named Christ-Mass Tbilisi – goes beyond the event’s typical aim of raising awareness of bicycle users on local roads. The ride has a charity focus and will see participants collect toys, clothing and other donated items from citizens and bring them to youngsters at the Tbilisi Children’s House shelter.

Organisers of the monthly ride announced the charity focus of this month’s ride on social media. They said they would organise groups of cyclists to collect donated items in the run-up to the December 25 event and deliver them to the shelter on the actual day.

Critical Mass Tbilisi is organised by members of the Tbilisi Bicycle Group and also involves citizens looking to join the monthly event. Photo from Critical Mass Tbilisi/Facebook.

The cyclists will make the December 25 ride special not only in meaning but also in appearance; riders will adorn their bicycles with colourful lights and dress up in Santa Claus costumes for the evening ride, similar to last year's December city ride.

Friday’s ride will see cyclists follow the usual loop around the city's central streets, starting near the large bicycle monument at the top of Rustaveli Ave and finishing some 14km later at the same spot.

Organised by and featuring many members of the Tbilisi Bicycle Group community, the Critical Mass Tbilisi ride aimed to remind drivers of other road users – be it pedestrians, cyclists or motorbike users – by bearing the motto: "We’re not blocking traffic – we are traffic!”

Critical Mass is a monthly global demonstration that was established in San Francisco, United States in the 1990s. It gained popularity in the US then spread to more than 300 cities around the world by 2003, with monthly rides now held in New York, London, Calgary and Hamburg.

The Tbilisi ride is held on the last Friday of each month. The November 27 edition of the ride attracted more than 100 cyclists in Tbilisi.