Dates: April 18 through September 26
Time: 8:00 a.m.
Features: Beginner to intermediate level ride. Weather dependent. Go to Momentum FB Page for updates.
Routes: 22-26 miles; average pace 13-16 mph
Terrain: Moderately hilly; road bike necessary
Start location, bike shop sponsor, and ride leader:
Momentum Cycles 636.240.9232
8640 Mexico Rd., O’Fallon, MO
Would you like to feel more comfortable riding your bicycle on city streets? Do you want to reduce your carbon footprint by commuting by bike? Trailnet can help build your confidence by teaching you practical skills that make biking easier.
We will offer monthly Bike Smart classes the 4th Tuesday of each month from April through September. The classes will take place in Ritz Park on South Grand from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
The cost for each class is $10 and scholarships are available. For information, contact Cassie at cassie@trailnet.org or call at 314.436.1324 ext. 117
Classes are made possible by Great Rivers Greenway.
Click on the links below for topics to be covered each month and to register for classes.
Tuesday, April 28: Commuting 101/Basic Road Maneuvers
Tuesday, May 26: Rules of the Road/Basic Road Maneuvers
Tuesday, June 23: How to Fix a Flat Tire/Emergency Maneuvers
Tuesday, July 28: Commuting 101/Basic Road Maneuvers
Tuesday, August 25: Rules of the Road/Basic Road Maneuvers
Tuesday, September 22: How to Fix a Flat Tire/Emergency Maneuvers
Help make sure that Congress doesn’t cut the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) funding in the next transportation bill. TAP helps local communities build sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes, trails and more. TAP funding supports Safe Routes to School initiatives throughout St. Louis City and County.
Without TAP, hundreds of millions of dollars used to improve streets for walking and biking would evaporate. Some of these funds have been used to support youth programs like Trailnet’s “Steps in the Right Direction” at Froebel Literacy Academy to help make walking and biking a way of life in St. Louis.
Please follow the link below to ask Senators Roy Blunt and Senator Claire McCaskill to support bill S. 705, the Transportation Alternatives Program Improvement Act. Thank you for supporting legislation that will keep our youth walking and biking safely.
WHAT EQUIPMENT SHOULD I HAVE FOR A BFC RIDE?
WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?
WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT WILL BE AVAILABLE TO RIDERS?
HOW DO I KNOW THE ROUTE FOR THE RIDE?
WHAT ARE THE ROUTES LIKE?
HOW DO I REGISTER FOR A BFC RIDE?
HOW MUCH DO BFC RIDES COST?
New for 2015: Season Pass for Trailnet members only!
Enjoy all of our BFC Rides* and Cultural Tours for one low price – only $220 for the season. No waiting in line, no need to register for individual events. For a supplement of $35 you can also be eligible for recognition as a Century Club Member.
Not a Trailnet Member? Click here to join so that you can take advantage of this great deal.
Register for the season pass here. Following checkout you will be automatically preregistered in all of the BFC Rides* and Cultural Tours. When you arrive at an event, just proceed to the Preregistered table to receive your map and wristband.**
| Included BFC Rides | Included Cultural Tours |
| Bottom Out Bicycle Ride | Tweed Ride |
| Poker Flats Campfire (ride only) | The Art of Riding |
| Strawberry Festival and Berry Bike Ride | Tour de Museum |
| Great Pizza Bicycle Ride | People, Public Space and Progress |
| Route 66 Bicycle Ride | Jazz History Bike Tour |
| Cottleville Classic | Bicrobrews |
| Bridge Birthday Bash | Prohibition in St. Louis Bicycle Tour |
| Big Bottle Bicycle Ride | LGBTQ* History Tour |
| I Scream for Ice Cream | Open Studios Tour |
| Farrhadtour und Augustfest | |
| Bike St. Louis City Tour | |
| Fat Tire Campfire at Klondike | |
| Giro della Montagna | |
| Ride the Rivers Century |
*Lucky’s Ride and the camping portion of Poker Flats are not included.
** Wristbands are issued for all BFC Rides.
New for 2015 – become a member of the Century Club!
Complete five centuries throughout the season and earn a Century Club patch and recognition on Trailnet’s website. Eligible events include the Ride the Rivers Century, other BFC rides that include century options, or any of our partner fundraising events that include a century ride.
Eligible BFC rides:
Partner fundraising rides with century options:
By completing one or more of your centuries on fundraising rides, you will earn a star on your patch and special recognition on the website.
It’s easy to “join” the club. For each ride, the online registration page includes a check box to participate in the century. If you are riding for one of our partner fundraising rides, let them know you are participating in Trailnet’s Century Club.
See the list of riders who are on their way to completing their 500 miles!
Also new this year for Trailnet members – a Season Pass for Trailnet’s BFC Rides and Cultural Tours. No need to register for individual rides, no waiting in line at the registration table. Click here for more information on this great deal.
Trailnet introduced their new business membership program at an event on Tuesday, February 24 at the Venture Cafe on the Cortex campus. This invitation-only event served as a great opportunity to share Trailnet’s 2015 plans, to launch Trailnet’s Business Membership Program, and to meet Trailnet’s new executive director, Ralph Pfremmer.
The attendees were board members, community partners, donors, and prospective business members who spent most of the evening networking and enjoying food and drinks. The room was abuzz with the latest in transportation news and Trailnet’s vision to make walking and biking a way of life in St. Louis.
As part of the event, Ralph Pfremmer and Jennifer Allen, Director of Strategic Initiatives, presented research on the economic impact protected bikeways and improved walking infrastructure can have on a community. They connected this data to the introduction of Trailnet’s Business Membership Program and how, in becoming a member, businesses can invest in Trailnet’s vision for better walking and biking infrastructure that supports a prosperous, healthy region.
Executive Director Ralph Pfremmer summed up the evening this way: “In a perfect world, collaboration is abundant, everyone is included, and transparency is the standard. The Trailnet business member understands that together we can foster a quality of life that supports a prosperous, healthy region.”
Special thanks to our charter business members:
Pedestal Foods, Britt Hunt, CEO
XLR8, Rick Duree, CEO
Duree Center for Entrepreneurship, Rick Duree, Founder
Retro Image Apparel, Michele and Jim Sherman, owners
Confluence Business Advisors, Ron Tanner and Dave Fingerhut, partners
Collaborate with us
As we work to make walking and biking a way of life in our region, it is critical that we have the resources and support to bring about innovative and positive change in our community. Your business membership provides for us the support we need to be visionary and collaborative leaders for progress. Click here for business membership levels and benefits. For more information contact Kay Barnes, Director of Development – kbarnes@trailnet.org, 314.436.1324 x 104
Thanks to everyone who made the event a success:
Kaori Yazawa and the Venture Cafe team, Dennis Lower and the Cortex Innovation Community, and Pedestal Foods.
Visit our Facebook page to view more photos from the event.
Special thanks to our photographer, Kelly Sleeper.
Stay tuned for our next Business Membership Event – coming this Summer!
Host a DIY Bike to Work Day Station at your workplace on National Bike to Work Day, Friday, May 15. Join Trailnet in counting 500 cyclists throughout the STL area. We will help promote your station and your business!
How it works:
While the conditions for single track riding in Lost Valley and Klondike Park were too spongy, the Hamburg and Katy Trails utilizing the Great Rivers Greenway connector were almost ideal. For mid-January, the weather seemed more like spring. The day started out in the low 40s with bright sunshine. Our partner, Missouri Department of Conservation, hosted the start/finish at the Weldon Spring Conservation Area maintenance facility near Highway 94.
At 9:00 a.m., 60 cyclists were ready to roll and begin their 14-mile loop. With temperatures unseasonably warm, the frozen ground thawed and was slightly soggy. Though soggy, the two trails served as great routes for a pleasant ride. Cyclists returned smiling and slightly speckled with white limestone mud. After resting briefly and getting some nourishment, cyclists who made the loop in less than 2 hours jumped back on for another go-around.
While the cyclists were out, Trailnet’s new Executive Director, Ralph Pfremmer, prepared chili for the after-party. Ralph was also the day’s announcer, calling out some of the faster or muddier cyclists. By noon most of the cyclists had returned from one, two, or three laps of the course and were ready for chili with all the fixings.
They were also treated to cold beer from O’Fallon Brewery. St. Charles County Parks, another Epic partner, prepared handmade plaques from sections of local cedar trees for all cyclists– a cool reward for finishing a fun ride! By 2:00 p.m., temperatures were in the low 60s and cyclists ended the day with their fill of food and drink at the after-party.
Trailnet’s St. Charles County Epic Mountain Bike Event was funded, in part, by Great Rivers Greenway District, in partnership with Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri State Parks, and St. Charles County Parks, and sponsored by Alpine Shop and The Bike Surgeon.
St. Louis news of late has been filled with death, tragedy and crime. We know that’s not the entire story. There is a lot of positive activity happening below the surface of the news cycle. St. Louis has become an entrepreneurial hub. Our region has talented, creative, and energetic people working every day to create a vibrant, active region. Organizations and agencies are collaborating at an increasing rate. Together, we are focusing our collective activities towards the same targeted outcomes – economic inclusion, talent attraction, and increasing transportation options.
We are in a moment of great opportunity with significant changes in City and County staff. County Executive Stenger is working to fill high-level positions in his administration, and the selections he makes will shape the future of the region. Mayor Slay announced this week a new Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff, and Director of Operations. We applaud his decision to promote the next generation to positions of power. They know better than many which assets will bring new residents and businesses to our region.
Both City and County are working to fill vacant Director of Transportation positions. The importance of placing the right people into these positions cannot be overstated, as they will determine how streets are designed throughout the region and who can safely use them. The Directors of Transportation can choose to continue on the current path of car-centric road design or choose to diversify transportation options. They can help make St. Louis a more livable region with a North-South Metrolink line, protected bike lanes the whole family can ride, and pedestrian crossings that accommodate all people regardless of age or ability.
We are counting on our leaders to choose wisely, selecting staff who are innovative, with a collaborative and transparent nature, and are willing to work hand-in-hand with private and public businesses for the betterment of the region. We need a 21st century vision and plan for the St. Louis we want to become, and stand ready to support our leaders and put in the work to take the region to the next level.
As we plan for our future, we should always focus our energies towards principles that ensure community advancement. We must collaborate, be inclusive, and promote transparency to meet our region’s highest potential. Together, our region can lead in fostering a healthy, active community where walking, biking, and public transit are a part of our daily lives.
–Ralph Pfremmer, Trailnet Executive Director