You might have met a big number of cyclists riding together around the London Southbank area without any apparent purpose.

This would happen on the last Friday of every month - starting at 6.30pm underneath Waterloo Bridge to be precise.

But, who are they and what do they want? They are part of Critical Mass, an international movement that started in San Francisco back in 1992. And what they want is to show everybody that a city with less cars is also possible.

Urban75, a website that advertises as well as publishes photographs of the event in London, explains their objective: "Everyday, all over the world, people are resisting the problem culture of the car by getting on their bikes and riding instead of driving.

"Critical Mass is a celebration of the alternative to cars, pollution, accidents and the loss of public spaces and freedoms.

"Not an organisation or group, but an idea or tactic, Critical Mass allows people to reclaim cities with their bikes, just by getting together and out-numbering the cars on the road."

As explained, they are not random events, but the way they take place is completely open to last minute decisions - each ride is different from the previous one and they don't follow a fixed route or schedule. Like any other respectable event, the rides usually end in a pub.

According to urban75 the rides are usually peaceful, safe and fun. On the September one, however, things turned sour and there was some trouble with the police - ending with a member of the body allegedly slamming a rider to the ground.

The last Halloween event saw the ride going straight to St Pauls where it was given a warm welcome by the Occupation protesters.

If you want to participate in the rides, you can always join them or leave them at any point. Even more, you don't even need a bicycle to be with the Critical Mass, as any kind of non-motorised transport is welcomed.

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