Bike Maintenance Class | University City Public Library – Join us for a basic bike maintenance course! We’ll cover: how to fix a flat, brake adjustments, shifting adjustments, fitting a bicycle, and any related topics that come up in questions from participants. We will be specifically working from the League of American Bicyclists’ Smart Cycling curriculum. The clinic will take place at University City Public Library. It will last no longer than 2 hours. With questions or to reserve your spot email sarah.heyman@trailnet.org
JOIN US FOR THE LONGEST-RUNNING NIGHTTIME BIKE RIDE IN THE U.S.!
Organizers of the Moonlight Ramble® bike ride are excited to announce that the race will return on Saturday, August 26th, 2023 for its 59th edition. The Moonlight Ramble® is the longest-running nighttime bike ride in the US and a great source of pride for St. Louis. The ride that began with one rider has grown into an annual tradition with thousands of riders taking to the streets of St. Louis at night under the light of the moon.
Registration Costs
Rider fees:
$35 with T-shirt, $75 with Cycling Jersey (Open – 5/31)
$40 with T-shirt, $80 with Cycling Jersey (6/1 – 7/31)
$45 with T-shirt, $85 with Cycling Jersey (8/1- 8/20),
$50 with T-shirt Ride week (8/21 – 8/25)
$55 with T-shirt on day of ride (8/26)
Youth Rider (Age 6-17) – $25
Child Rider Ages 1-5 are FREE but still must register for event
*All registrations will incur a small service fee*
7:00 PM- Moonlight Festival Opens with vendor tents, merchandise, bike mechanics, and more!
7:00 PM- Packet pick-up and last-minute registration opens
10:00 PM- Moonlight Ramble Begins (start line will be open for 15 minutes)
10:15 PM- Start Line Closes (no riders can start after 10:15 PM)
10:30 PM- Live Music starts playing on the Moonlight stage at Manchester and Tower Grove Ave.
11:45 PM – Cut-off for long course riders at the rest stop (City Foundry)
1:00 AM- Moonlight Ramble and Festival Close
Location
The 2023 Ramble will once again start and finish in The Grove! We can’t wait to share one of St. Louis’ hippest and happening places with you!
Registration and Packet Pickup can be found at 4247 Manchester Ave, St. Louis Mo 63110
Restaurants in The Grove!
Ladies and gentlemen, the list of amazing restaurants within the Moonlight Festival is long and delicious. You’re not going to want to miss out on trying out all of these amazing restaurants! Those include: The Handlebar, Everest Cafe, Beast Butcher & Block, Open Concept, Pie Guy Pizza, Sanctuaria, Taha’s Twisted Tiki, Sultan Mediterranean, The Gramophone, Vincent Van Doughnut, Sauce on the Side, and Grace Meat + Three!
Entertainment
We’ll have Live Music to rock your socks off from 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm and 10:45 pm – 1:00 am. This year’s band will be announced soon!
Event Shirt
Register early to guarantee yourself this stupid soft, glow-in-the-dark custom t-shirt!
Presented by the Festus Tourism Commission, the City of Festus, Trailnet, and the Jefferson County Growth Association, the Bottleneck Bridge Ride has lovingly been called “One Hill of a Ride.”
Leaving from the festival atmosphere on Festus’ Main Street, with routes ranging from 17 to 67 miles, the ride takes you through the town centers and down the country roads of Jefferson County, with rest stops at local wineries, restaurants, and historical sites such as the Sandy Creek Covered Bridge.
Plus, this year the Bottleneck Bridge Ride is an official Pedal the Cause Training Ride! Take this opportunity to prepare for the big weekend, September 23-24, 2023!
Also, for the kiddos, we have Strider races brought to you by Living Life on 2 Wheels. Come for the bike ride and stay for the live music, dining, and shopping.
General Information
Ride Start Time: 8 am
Check-In Begins: 6:30 am
Start Location: Main Street Festus
Routes Lengths (in miles): 13, 34, 41, 66
Terrain: Mostly Flat | Smooth pavement
Group Start
All riders will line up at 8 am and leave Main Street as a group led by a police escort at a controlled pace. Once riders have been escorted across Highway 67 they may ride at their own pace. The group start is not optional and is required by the Cities of Festus and Crystal City.
Family-friendly, slow, and social, all ages and abilities are welcome on this ride. Our “Try the Greenways” series of rides are intended to introduce local Great Rivers Greenways trails to folks who don’t know about or use them.
This section of the Dardenne Greenway parallels Dardenne Creek in St. Charles County, north of Highway 64.
While it extends through a residential area and is near some commercial development, it feels rural and offers lots of green, open space to explore and enjoy.
It is part of the surrounding 80-acre Barathaven Park. Part of the greenway winds around a 15-acre lake, and along the way, you will see new wetlands that have been created to enrich the habitat of native animals and plants.
You can enjoy quiet and calming views of Dardenne Creek, stop and have lunch at a picnic table or sit on a bench to relax and breathe in the fresh air. Be sure to pay attention to the lovely native Missouri plantings that were specially selected not only for their hardiness and beauty but also to provide privacy to neighboring homes.
FREE. No registration is required.
Email Trailnet Bicycle Educator Sarah at sarah.heyman@trailnet.org with questions.
Come celebrate the St. Vincent Greenway connection between St. Vincent County Park and the Rock Road Metro Station!
Enjoy free dessert and transportation safety activities (like how to load and unload your bike on a bus bike rack) from 6-7:30 pm! At 6:30 pm, join a guided greenway walk or bike ride. The greenway walk will be 2 miles total from the Rock Road Metro Station to St. Vincent County Park and back. The greenway bike ride will be 5 miles total from the Rock Road Metro Station to the University of Missouri – St. Louis (UMSL) campus and back.
A bike rodeo is a safe, controlled environment for kids (ages 3-12) to practice bike handling skills, build confidence, and help start good habits on the bike alongside their parents and guardians.
We encourage parents to join in and help lead the simple exercises to build skills for riding safely. Our Bike Educator will make sure bikes are checked for safety and children are fitted with bike helmets.
For more information and to register your child, contact sarah.heyman@trailnet.org
Join us for a basic bike maintenance course! We’ll cover: how to fix a flat, brake adjustments, shifting adjustments, fitting a bicycle, and any related topics that come up in questions from participants. We will be specifically working from the League of American Bicyclists’ Smart Cycling curriculum. The clinic will take place at the Parkview Library. It will last no longer than 2 hours. With questions or to reserve your spot email sarah.heyman@trailnet.org
Try the Busch Greenway: Family-friendly, slow, and social, all ages and abilities are welcome on this ride. Our “Try the Greenways” series of rides are intended to introduce local Great Rivers Greenways trails to folks who don’t know about or use them.
This greenway combines beautiful settings like hardwood forests and a creek with a bustling research park full of businesses and natural conservation areas. It connects the Missouri State Parks’ Katy Trail to the University of Missouri’s Research Park to the Weldon Spring and Busch Conservation areas, going by Francis Howell High School and Highway 94 in the process. Walkers, runners, and bikers alike enjoy getting some fresh air on this scenic, sunny route!
We’re meeting up at the parking lot of Francis Howell High School to kick off an epic cycling expedition along the Busch Greenway. We’ll be cruising on a round trip of less than 10 miles (around 8+ miles) packed with excitement. To find our meeting spot, just plug in these coordinates: 38.701197, -90.719871. See you there, ready to rock those pedals!
FREE. No registration is required.
Email Trailnet Bicycle Educator Sarah at sarah.heyman@trailnet.org with questions.
From intern to Programs Director, Taylor March left a lasting impact on Trailnet and the St. Louis region. Now, he is taking his talents to the state level, advocating for better walking and biking across Missouri as the new Executive Director of Missourians for Responsible Transportation.
For eight years, Taylor was the smiling face of Trailnet. It’s only right that we reflect on the legacy he leaves behind—a legacy of kindness, knowledge, professionalism and passion.
Taylor’s Journey
Taylor first joined Trailnet as an intern in the winter of 2010, while he was studying environmental engineering at Murray State University. He had worked as a bike mechanic since high school and was an avid environmentalist.
Though he didn’t know it then, Taylor’s passion for Trailnet’s mission (and his handiness with an Allen wrench) would serve the organization for years down the line.
Five years after his internship, having worked for several years as a solar engineer in between, Taylor returned to Trailnet on February 24, 2015 as our Youth Programs Specialist.
In his first full-time role, he led Trailnet’s bike education programs and designed our curriculum for smart cycling. He also worked on a number of Safe Routes to School projects, including one with Froebel Literacy Academy in south city. Taylor worked with Froebel through eight years and a handful of title changes at Trailnet.
“Working with Froebel and seeing that relationship develop and change throughout the years was so satisfying,” said Taylor. “From the walking school bus, to the installation of speed humps on Nebraska Ave., to the Calm Street now under construction on nearby Louisiana Ave… It was really cool to see the community buy in.”
Advocating for Change
Midway through his tenure with Trailnet, Taylor shifted his focus to the advocacy and policy spaces. As a long-time bike commuter, he was a natural advocate for safe, alternative transportation. As a leading expert in bike/ped best practices, he influenced change-makers across the state. And as an exemplary colleague, he fostered relationships that would blossom into our strongest partnerships today. To name a few…
Taylor co-created the annual Juneteenth Community Ride with our partners at 4theVille and grew the ride into a collaboration between the Missouri History Museum, Northside Community Housing and other aligned partners. The event draws over 200 riders each June and celebrates Black music, art, culture and history.
Taylor was part of the team that developed Trailnet’s Connecting St. Louis Plan in 2019, which is now 50% funded for construction by partners like GRG and the City of St. Louis.
Taylor spearheaded our state-wide advocacy efforts. In collaboration with BikeWalkKC, Local Motion in Columbia, and Ozark Greenways, he helped create Missourians for Responsible Transportation and Hands-Free Missouri.
The Work Continues
Now, Taylor is off to lead the statewide partnership that he once helped to create. Trailnet looks forward to many more years of collaboration with Taylor and his team at MRT.
“Trailnet will miss him and his careful and precise explanations of the transportation system we are trying to change, his help changing a flat, and his ability to always find time to listen,” said Trailnet CEO Cindy Mense.
For your years of dedication—Thank you, Taylor! Let’s continue to work together to make Missouri better for people outside of cars.
Trailnet Recommends MoDOT Implement Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in a Way That Prioritizes Vulnerable Road Users
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) lays out several steps for states, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), and cities to take to better support the needs of people who walk, roll, bike, and use public transit.
In this joint letter, MRT, its leadership, and leaders from the health and accessibility sectors across the Show-Me State asked for details on how MoDOT plans to support these vulnerable road users through their implementation of the BIL. You can read the full letter below:
