Lite the Nite

Last nite was a time to forget about everything in the "real" world for a little while, a time to embrace two of my favorite things about childhood that never seemed to coincide with one another: Christmas lights, and riding a bike. I used to love getting into the car with the family around Christmas time to cruise the countryside looking for Griswoldian light displays, while riding a bike was mostly a Summer time activity (that's suburban life, for ya). The annual Bicycle Coalition Holiday Lights Ride has both.

Braving the wind and temperatures in the mid-20's, about a hundred of us convened at Performance Bicycle in Pennsport last evening:

Decorations were encouraged (but optional), and some people choose to go all out, complete with garland and lights:

And you can't tell by the still photo, but these lights are actually flashing:

The ride route was very similar to last year's, riding through several neighborhoods in South Philly known for their extraordinary displays. Here are two in Packer Park:

Of course, there's also the more well-known "Miracle on South 13th St," just a half mile from my house:

Something NEW this year, we had a full police escort:

Not the best pic, but you can see the police lights off in the distance. This is a first for me on this particular ride. I have no doubt that the decision to provide this service to us was aided by recent events, but nonetheless, we were all very thankful to have the support of our local police. It made the ride 100% safe and infinitely more fun. We routinely waved and said "Thank You" to every officer as they blocked off intersections for us, and by mid-route, the police cruiser trailing our ride was actually playing Christmas music over their loudspeaker. It was truly an amazing experience.

We met back at Performance at the end of the evening for some food and festivities (and beer):

And in case you're interested in following the route to explore some of the above pictures, here's my map. Not a bad way to spend 7 miles:

Truly a great evening that I'll continue to look forward to year after year. Thank you to everyone at the Bicycle Coalition and the 3rd District Police for making it wonderful!

I will throw a word of caution out in closing. Last night, I pulled out my girlfriend's bike because I thought it would be a better choice for the nature of the ride. It still was, but due to her sitting idle in the basement since about September, she wasn't in the best shape for riding. I'd pumped up the tires before leaving and that was it, neglecting to lubricate the chain and other moving parts. As a result, there were a few times when I felt like the bike was literally freezing up on me due to the literal freezing temperatures, which proved challenging to maneuver at just about any speed. Thankfully I know my riding style and the bike pretty well, so I was able to work around it (other than getting stuck and falling in one divot at slow speed). I addressed the outstanding problems when I got home. Next time, I'll try to be more pro-active.

#bikeyourbirthmonth