Tuesday, July 19, 2005
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Sunrise over Cincinnati
By
Kate Westrich
One of the best ways to see Cincinnati is at sunrise on a bicycle, as anyone, including myself, who has ever done the Morning Glory bike ride can tell you. There is nothing like coasting down Columbia Parkway in the morning mist alongside a cyclist with fluorescent lights on all the spokes of his bicycle tires. Even better is the feeling of crawling into bed having ridden more than 20 miles before most people even have woken up.
“It is so much fun to be out at 4 a.m. and ride the streets of Cincinnati andto notworry about cars trying to run you off the road,” Bob Myers said,who has been volunteering for and riding in the ride since 1992. “The best part is coming back to the [Serpentine] Wall and to have breakfast and to watch the sun come up off the river with several thousand people.”
Morning Glory Ride is a benefit for the Sierra Club.Riders get to enjoy a beautiful morning on their bike followed by a buffet breakfast alongside the Ohio River. Sierra Club volunteers work hard to make sure the ride runs smoothly and that it caters to bikers of every ability level. “I enjoy the work that goes into the ride,” Myers said. “I want to be a part of it and make sure everyone that comes to the ride has a good time.”
Jim Paul, chairman of Morning Glory, said organizers strive to make the ride “the best experience for cyclists of all skill levels because we are cyclists of all skill levels.” The volunteers organizing the event are cyclists who want to get others interested in their passion.
This year the race will be a little different than in past years. In addition to starting two hours later – 6 a.m. instead of 4 a.m. – the route will not include Columbia Parkway. That route was cost prohibitive for an event whose goal is to make money. The time change is because of safety and to encourage more riders.
“We wanted to give the kids and less experienced riders a better chance to see the sights along the route and be seen by drivers,” Paul said. “And hey, we're still starting in the dark, so you'll still get to watch the sunrise.”
For Charles Barilleaux, an IT Consultant living in Columbia-Tusculum, the changes in the ride won’t change the sentiment he attaches to it. In 1997, after his first time doing the ride, Barilleaux proposed to his wife.
“We actually did it on our way home from the ride -- no good place to stop and do it” he said. “We went to Alms Park, and I proposed there.”
Barilleaux loves to ride his bike and considers himself a fast, recreational road cyclist, as well as bicycle commuter. But aside from sentimental reasons, his main motivation to ride in Morning Glory Ride is because “it's a great opportunity to try to get involved in a fun sport and see the sights of the Queen City!”
Kate Westrich is a Cincinnati native and avid flip-flop wearer.
