Sitting in the dark, I heard them first. Then there was the faint gleam along the guard-rail, and as it grew brighter I braced myself for the steady, silent wave of the hoard.

They came almost single file at first, the fastest of that first group pulling ahead and keeping everything nice and ordely. Soon the masses arrived, and the parade of personalities began in earnest.

The Starlight Spectacular is an organized midnight bike ride through the city of Colorado Springs. Its purpose is to promote bicycle advocacy and fund the local Trails and Open Space Coalition.

This year the party started at 10p.m. on June 20th, 2009. By midnight, I'm told, there were over 1400 riders gathered, ready to go out and brave the night.

See more pictures of the ride here.