Pictures and Stories About Bicycle Adventures

The Saint Pactric's Day Bicycle Ride

Saint Patrick's Day Parade
Colorado Springs Cycling Club, Plus
Multiple Organizations with Bicycles

We're Moving
(At 1 MPH!)

Parade Over
Going Home

I'm just a grown up with the heart of a kid. Last year was my first ever Parade as a Participant and while it was kind of neat, especially because it was my first time, the environment was really cold (low 40s F) and sparsely populated. Yet I could not believe all of the mommies and daddies that were there with their kids - I was thinking, those poor parents just had to get out of the house. The young'uns were bundled up like Michelin Man tires, the kids were there enjoying the experience but not necessarily enjoying themselves. I could see the parents pointing at different items of interest, bringing something new into the kid's life, but it was a quiet affair, people were instinctively conserving energy.

This year the Parade had a whole different atmosphere, it was warm and events had conspired to funnel cyclists in from many different events or cycling related organizations, thus creating a substantial presentation of Bicycles of all kinds. The assemblage was shear genius on some organizers' part. First, there was a morning St Patrick's Day Ride (50k, starting at 0830hrs) that cost about $25 per person and I'm guessing that there were just more than 400 riders. That event funneled most of the riders into the start point of the St Patrick's Day Parade for the Cyclists' Parade Group, for which there were also few different cyclist group entries. Second, the Colorado Springs Cycling Club held its annual organized parade ride where riders pedal their bicycle (at 1 MPH) as a parade entry. Third, Chick-fil-A (in my head I say Chic-A-Fill) had a ride entry with their famous Cow and employee family members all on bikes. The Cow was, of course, Allen Beauchamp (former CSCC president and avid cyclist) in the role of a non-speaking cuddly Cow and pulling a three trailer caravan behind a reverse trike - that train and sound system is a marvel in itself. Fourth, the Elliptical Cyclists showed up with about ten bikes, half of which did the pre-parade ride, and they were quite the crowd pleasing attraction. Fifth, about ten physically challenged cyclists attended, showing off their really cool adaptive riding rigs. The engineering in those bikes always amazes me, but then I remember that the first successful airplane design came from a pair of bicycle mechanics - I should not be impressed, but I am. Sixth, said modestly, my wife (Terry) and I were on a fully loaded touring tandem; it always sparks crowd interest and we usually try to modestly advance cycle touring.

Lastly, the weather was warm, the best indicator of which is people in shorts. The parade was so crowded and so well attended that there was not enough room on the sidewalks for all of those in attendance; in many places parade watchers had to occupy the streets all the way up to the double yellow line on one side of the 4-lane avenue; that was awesome cool from a parader's point of view. Kids were yelling Happy St Patrick's Day at us (and to everyone) as we biked. Many kids wanted to low-5 the riders - a perfect activity for a stoker on a tandem and a few of our bikers Fived them back. There was noisy enthusiasm, almost all of the parade watchers were talking or clapping or yelling in appreciation. The entire day was quite the riding reward for the ride free winter months and riding in the Parade was the perfect ending for the 50K bicycle ride.

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