Riding the Mardi Gras Parade with the Top Krewe: the Banana Bike Brigade

The most-overrated athletes, if playing offense, are called poachers. They hang around, work very little, but show up in a flash when things get interesting, scoring goals or the like, without putting in the grunt labor. They are awful, awful people.

For the purposes of the last three Soulard Mardi Gras, I’ve been a poacher of krewes, patiently awaiting my moment to ask to join in on the fun, without doing a lick of work. A couple years back, that meant walking along with the Mystic Knights of the Purple Haze, an organization of very, erm, interesting folks. Last year meant a stroll down Seventh Street with the Banana Bike Brigade; for the second year in a row, I also got to reprise the role on Fat Tuesday night, following along and snapping some pics.

This year, the Banana Bike Brigade let me ride along. What fun!

On Saturday, the action began around 8:30 a.m. at the home of principal BBB organizers Chris and Bonita. (As with a slew of other members, they’re first-name folks to me. Yikes, what a cad! I’m the absolute worst person in the world!) The members flitted about, finishing up both bikes and costumes; this year, the Banana Bikers took on the theme “The Birds & The Bees,” with everyone in some form of dress matching that theme. As a zookeeper, I simply had to don a pith helmet pulled from the depths of the BBB costume closet.

My bike sported a hornet’s head, complete with stinger. The tail was painted with the group’s name, the length of the whole contraption maybe eight or nine feet. Taking a ride around Russell and 11th before everyone completed their last-second tasks allowed me a sense of confidence going into the experience. Having crashed a bike last fall, causing two broken bones in my right arm, I was a tad nervous riding this customized set of wheels, though with each block ridden, a sense of calm slowly settled in. By the time the whole group rode to Busch Stadium’s southern parking lot, home of a huge roundup of floats and krewes, I was feeling that I could get through the ride intact. Even if doing loops on a street congested with parade marshals and policemen.

That said, the experience of riding is A LOT different than that of walking along. In addition to the dozen-or-so cyclists, the BBB features a golf cart and a team of Dobermans riding in a train. (You’d kinda have to see it to fully appreciate it; those who do see it respond as if seeing the greatest thing they’ve ever seen.) Around a half-dozen walkers pitch beads, too, adding to the celebration and chants and cheers. And on either side of you, there’s another krewe cruising along; this year, a traditional, flatbed truck float was ahead, while a team of Shriner go-kart drivers were just behind. Bonita rides last; rather than circling in a huge loop as all the others, she provides the backline. Once you’re behind her, you’re into the danger zone, as I found out when I zipped through the Shriners in my day’s squirreliest moment.

(Quick aside on human behavior. While I called myself the world’s worst person earlier, I might come in third on that list. While BBB members are discouraged from hand-slapping, it’s a natural impulse to toss a right out there as people yell for you, extending their own hands for a very human interaction. In one case, a guy slapped me so hard, my whole bike shook and wobbled; another rider told me of the same act happening to her, doubtless by another bystander. Another did the old “move my hand” act, which lurched me as badly as I reached her and missed his hand. Stopping to have a chat with him caused me to drop behind Bonita, which, of course, lead to the inevitability of a Shriner yelling obscenities at me. This is why hand-slapping is discouraged. Lesson learned. And: sorry, Shriner.)

As the krewe rolled down the road, the key point, of course, came near Soulard Market, where the judges’ stand awaited every krewe, there for judgment on each group’s worthiness to advance to the Fat Tuesday parade. Apparently, the Banana Bike Brigade’s months of work paid off: the krewe won first place among all krewes, guaranteeing a spot in the Fat Tuesday Parade in downtown on Tuesday night. Oh, heck, yeah!

After the ride, the group hung out at the edge of the A-B brewery, though members were more prone to enjoying PBR than the home brew. Then, a ride was undertaken back to the BBB’s home hive (nest?), near McGurk’s. Multiple members hung out on the corner of 11th and Russell, though, soaking in the praise for the bikes and posing in multiple selfies. Back at the ranch, members stretched out in Chris and Bonita’s house, where a band tuned up for an afternoon, private gig. A few members then stole away on cycles to hit house parties, called a “walkabout,” which allowed more folks an up-close glance at the bikes.

By that point, the freely-passed PBRs had taken a toll, so a slow ride was taken back to my crib in South City, which seemed a lot farther away on the ride home than the ride down, just a few hours earlier.

Folks, it was cold on those bikes on Saturday morning. But the goodwill of BBB members is a strong thing, indeed. When added to the cheers of the crowd and, yes, those cans of beer stowed away in the heads-and-tails of those bee cycles, the spirit was strong and the body was somehow warmed.

The Banana Bike Brigade is a St. Louis treasure, straight up. As of press time, local weather was still iffy for the next day/two, so the group may ride on Tuesday; it may not, too. If not, that’d be a shame for the crowds, who’ll be denied a chance to see a whimsical cross-section of St. Louisans taking to the streets in some of best, customized cycles anywhere in the US. It’ll be a shame for me, too, since I’m already scamming my way into the action.

The way poachers do. Grimy, shoddy, no-good people that we are.

(Thanks to Andy Gray for providing a pair of GoPro cameras for the event. Below is some raw video from the parade; the volume is a combination of wind, pedals turning and beads being crushed under wheel. A more fleshed-out video is coming, but this one at least gives some quick-turnaround feeling for the enjoyment of the parade, as seen-heard-felt on a bike seat. And huge thanks to Chris, Bonita, Heather, Dave, Valerie, Dylan, Bob, Stan, Nancy, Michelle, Mae, AmyCate, Uriel and all the BBB crew for allowing me to wedge into the fun. Hopefully, I’ll see you all on Tuesday night.)