The weather is supposed to be nice — finally — and there are lots of great rides and bicycle-centric events coming this weekend, April 15, 16, and 17. Check them out below. We have our first Circuit Ride of the year, we’re hosting a cleanup with the Bicycle Club of Philadelphia, and a ride, and there are lots of other events. No matter where you are or what kind of bicycling you’re into, there’s something for you this weekend.
April 15
Circuit Trail Opening Weekend!
11am
The Circuit Trails Coalition is celebrating the opening weekend for trails with a celebration and unveiling of an exciting new look for the Circuit Trails. Join us for the kick-off event Friday, April 15 on Race Street Pier and help us generate excitement! We are looking for groups of cyclists to sign up to participate in the event by cycling over the bridge. Note: Cyclists will be provided with T-shirts at the meeting location.
WHAT: Cycle over the Ben Franklin Bridge to the press conference on Race Street Pier
WHEN: April 15, 2016 at 10:15 am; Press conference at 11:00 am
WHERE: 6th & Race Streets, Philadelphia PA
Southeast corner of Franklin Square (meeting location for cyclists only)
April 16
Grays Ferry Bridge Cleanup
8:45am-12
The Bicycle Club of Philadelphia will be partnering with the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia to clean the bike lane shoulders of the Grays Ferry Bridge.
The Grays Ferry Bridge is an important link for cycling to Bartram Gardens, the Heinz Environmental Center, Fort Mifflin and a loop around the airport.
The Streets Department of Philadelphia will be providing volunteers with gloves, rakes, brooms, shovels and trash bags. Traffic cones will be set up to insure our safety will we are working on cleaning the bridge shoulders.
Explore The Circuit: Barnes to Barnes
Part of our “Explore the Circuit” series of cycle rides. This ride will pass both the Barnes (Ben Franklin Parkway) and the Barnes (Lower Merion), continue to the Cynwyd Heritage Trail, the Manayunk Bridge, and then return along the Schuylkill River.
National Opening Day of Regional Trails
Bike Chester County, Chester County Parks and Facilities and the Friends of the Chester Valley Trail are celebrating the Opening Day of Trails on Saturday, April 16 on the Chester Valley Trail. They will have fun activities such as a nature walks, bike checks, giveaways and more at the major trailheads along the trail.
All you have to do is show up on the trail that day to join in on the fun! Locations where activities will be located: East Whiteland Township Building, Exton Park Trailhead and PNC Bank in Malvern.
‘Get out and Get fit’
11am
Join Kennedy Health as we kick off Opening Day along the Gloucester Twp. Health and Fitness Trail, part of the Circuit Trails. Spring is a great time to get fit outdoors and trails offer a great way to get active and explore nature. The event will include fitness walking, gentle yoga and stretching. Wear sturdy shoes and bring a water bottle! Feel free to bring a brown bag lunch to picnic after the walk.
PPR Celebrates Trails Week
10am
In April, PPR will spend a week celebrating its many miles of trails. Trails Week, kicking off with a bike ride on April 16, is a largely digital campaign to increase awareness of the existing trail network, showcase the staff and partners behind its creation, and share plans for future trail developments. Follow @philaparkandrec on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and use the hashtag #PhillyTrailsWeek to join the fun!
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Trails Week Bike Ride
Rain or shine
Starts and ends at Venice Island Performing Arts Recreation Center (7 Lock Street; paid parking is available)
Starting April 16, we are celebrating our vast trail system with PPR Trails Week. During this week, we will highlight selected Philly trails and make announcements about upcoming developments in our trail network. To kick off the week, we will lead a free bike ride from Manayunk to Conshohocken along the Schuylkill Trail, pointing out and speaking about various trails on the way (including the newly opened Manayunk Bridge Trail). We’ll stop at a restaurant to grab lunch (so bring money if you want to eat) and play a round or two of “trailvia” to test participants’ knowledge about Philly trails. The ride will return to Manayunk along the same route, but SEPTA’s Conshohocken stop is nearby if you want to return to Manayunk by train.
Attendance for this free bike ride is limited, so please RSVP to parksandrecreation@phila.gov as soon as possible.
Light Bright Ride
8pm
The Light Bright Ride will wind through Center City Philadelphia, with each rider sporting a unique 32 LED light array attached to one or both wheels. These lights create amazing visuals while riders enjoy our region’s amazing trail network. This one-of-a-kind ride will be the most enLIGHTening experience of the year!
The ticket purchase ($15) includes the lights. Once the ride is finished, they are yours to and enjoy forever. They make beautiful patterns as you pedal and increase your visibility and safety.
The registration window closes April 7 in order to have enough time to order the lights. Click here to RSVP.
April 17
Bike the Hill: Guided Bike Tours through Chestnut Hill
Join the Chestnut Hill Business District, Friends of the Wissahickon, Chestnut Hill Historical Society, and SEPTA as we BIKE THE HILL on Sunday, April 17. SEPTA is adding cars to two of our regular CHW Regional Rail trains which will allow us to accommodate up to 40 bikes per train – space for bikes is first come, first served. To better accommodate our expected participants, we ask that you RSVP via the SEPTA Pass Perks Facebook Page. We will do everything in our means to hold a spot on the train for those with paid tour tickets.
To ride the train, you must have a valid TrailPass, TransPass, One Day Independence Pass or ticket (round trip from Jefferson to Chestnut Hill West is $7.50).
And Lots and Lots More…
Click here for The Circuit Trails list of events!
…and stay tuned all season-long for great rides. We’ll be putting them all up on the Bicycle Coalition calendar!