Answering call from his Minneapolis bike shop, Critical Mass will ride for Alex Pretti Friday + Alki and 9 other WA communities ride Saturday

Image from the Critical Mass Seattle Instagram account. Original poster design is from Angry Catfish bike shop, who invited people in other cities to ride in solidarity.

At least 10 communities across Washington State will answer the call to ride in honor of Alex Pretti, the VA nurse and bicycle adventurer federal agents murdered in Minneapolis.

Critical Mass's monthly ride Friday will be to honor Alex Pretti, according to the the Critical Mass Seattle Instagram account. As always, the ride meets up 6:30 p.m. at Westlake Park on the last Friday of the month, which is this week. Alki Bike & Board is hosting another ride 11 a.m. Saturday to coincide with the Minneapolis ride that started the now-global event. Saturday's event may be one of the largest coordinated bike rides in history.

Cascade Bicycle Club boosted the ride on their social media, and Ed Ewing, Executive Director of Bike Works, said many of the org's staff and board members plan to participate.

What's been happening in Minneapolis has been hitting me hard," said Ewing.I grew up blocks away from where Renee Good was murdered, know exactly where Alex Pretti was assassinated, and have several childhood and high school friends in Minneapolis [who are] in the fight. I am hurting, and I am proud."

Angry Catfish, Pretti's bike shop in Minneapolis, announced earlier this week that they would be hosting a memorial bike ride for him Saturday at 1 p.m. Central Time, and then they invited other communities to host their own rides in solidarity:

Alex was one of us, could've been any of us, so as we mourn, all of us can come together in unity to remember Alex for what he was. A kind and caring soul put on this earth to be the light for others. Although his light has been extinguished by this fascist regime, it hasn't been lost. If anything, those sparks fell and ignited something in us that's been hiding all along. We are stronger together, and they can't take us all. We've gathered together a community of cyclists to remember Alex Pretti [...]

We're asking folks to host rides and come together. Bike shops and non-profits, cycling orgs and alt cycling collectives, city and rural. We are many but we stand together as one.

Bike riders across the state have answered the call and are planning Saturday rides, including:

• Bellingham (11am Elizabeth Park)
• Galbraith Mountain (MTB ride, 11am South Galbraith Mountain parking lot)
• Lopez Island (3pm at Village Park)
• North Kitsap (11:30 at Port Gamble Heritage Park)
• Olympia (2pm Heritage Park Fountain)
• Spokane (12pm Shadle Park Public Library)
• Tacoma (11am at 2nd Cycle)
• Winthrop (11:30am Lloyds Fatbike Trails)

If you know of more, please let us know and we will update this post. Bikepacking.com is also maintaining a map of Alex Pretti rides across the nation and even some international rides. As of press time, there are well more than 100 rides on their map, and there are surely more planned that aren't listed. If you are organizing a ride, download the design files for the poster to create your local version and then tag @angrycatfish on Instagram. You should also post a link in the comments on bikepacking.com so they can add it to the map.

It's been amazing to see people who love biking rally together behind the people of Minneapolis and against fascists murdering people in the streets. Alex Pretti was standing up for his community, and his last act before being tackled was to try to help someone up. His actions provide an example of how people with privilege, especially white U.S. citizens who have a far lower risk of violence from ICE and Border Patrol agents, are called in this moment to protect our neighbors. As the mechanics who used to wrench on his bike put it, We are stronger together, and they can't take us all."