By Gabe Amy
On Thursday, Jan. 15, roughly 200 riders took part in the inaugural Luminary Bike Ride. The event was part of Grand Rapids’ World of Winter festival happening Jan. 9 through March 1.
Riders varying in experience and locality, braved sub-freezing temperatures and 15-mile an hour winds to ride around downtown, stopping at various art exhibits along the way. Participants decorated their bikes with lights and reflectors, some of which were provided at the event.
“World of Winter is such a cool event, and I love riding my bike around downtown to see all the lights and everything,” said Luminary Bike Ride organizer Jill Martindale.
Martindale, an avid member of the Grand Rapids cycling community, was able to enlist help from local bike shops Freewheeler, Grand Rapids Bicycle Company, and Switchback Gear Exchange and a local non-profit Upcycle. Upcycle is a volunteer-based shop in Grand Rapids, giving new life to old bicycles and providing transportation to those in need.
“We have a really great cycling community in Grand Rapids and just West Michigan as a whole,” Martindale said. “Everybody just likes to hangout and ride bikes together. Switchback Gear Exchange, they helped me lead the ride. The Grand Rapids Bicycle Company helped me set up the course and sweep the ride. Freewheeler helped to promote it. Upcycle helped to promote it. So a lot of the different bike companies that are in Grand Rapids all just jumped onboard and helped.”
The finish line of the ride was atop Studio Park’s parking garage. The space, organized and decorated with the help of one of Martindale’s long-time friends, was full of art, lights, and free hot chocolate for everyone to enjoy. Live music was performed on the rooftop by local bluegrass band, Red Thyme. For more photos of the visit @luminarybikeridegr on Instagram.
