Bike St. Louis City Tour
Funded, in part, by The Great Rivers Greenway District
Sunday, June 15, 2014
This year’s city tour was scheduled on Father’s Day at the request of our Bike Shop sponsor, South Side Cyclery. This year the updated route took riders on a bi-state sojourn crossing into Illinois on the Eads Bridge and back into Missouri on the McKinley Bridge. Of the 150+ cyclists, many had never ridden on either bridge. Once in Illinois cyclists were routed into the oldest African American incorporated town in the US, Brooklyn. Another new treat for this year’s Bike St. Louis City Tour was a private ride through Bellefontaine Cemetery. Cyclists entered the cemetery through the Amaranth Gate (closed to public) and were greeted by a group of volunteers who shared insider information on some of the highlights.
Leaving the cemetery, the first rest stop was at “Mr. Bumpy Face,” St. Louis’ velodrome. If desired, riders could do laps on the track. The rest stop was staffed with great snacks from our friends at Bike MS. From there, cyclists toured some of the beautiful old homes of North City, the commerce of Euclid Avenue, and a trip around the Cathedral Basilica. Cyclists continued on the routes as they split with the long and medium routes going through Forest Park, stopping at Parker’s Table for rest and recharge. The long route then continued south through Tower Grove and Carondelet Parks before finishing. The short route visited Lafayette Park while the medium cruised Cherokee before returning.
Returning cyclists were treated to flagship brews from Urban Chestnut- Zwickel and Winged Nut- along with Gus’ Pretzels and Roger’s Hot Diggity Dogs.