‘Urban cyclists,’ Springfield officials clash

Springfield, Mass. — Mayor Domenic J. Sarno has used a few choice words to describe people like Joshua Diaz and his friends. Words like “miscreants,” “negative individuals,” and renegade thrill-seekers.

Diaz, of Springfield, prefers to call himself an urban cyclist.

A sophomore at Commerce High School, Diaz is president of 413 BikeLife, a loose collective of like-minded pedal pushers. Perhaps you’ve seen them in downtown Springfield, riding in groups of 10 or more — sometimes in traffic and often defying the laws of gravity, if not the rules of the road, with wheelies, swerves and other stunts that are not for the faint of heart.

“We call each other urban cyclists,” he said. “It’s a new way to ride.”

When Diaz talks about riding his bicycle, he speaks in terms of the skill, dedication and devotion that athletes use to describe their sport.

“A bike has been a big part of my life since I was a little boy,” he said. “It took me a month to learn how to wheelie. Once you learn that, you’re determined to do more and more, and to be better.” Sarno will have none of it. “I have no patience for that whatsoever,” he said recently. “They just want to be lawless. Plain and simple.”

Sarno has directed the police to do something to combat the problem. Police Commissioner Cheryl C. Clapprood said a special unit has been created to seek out people riding off-road, motorized vehicles illegally during peak times.