The first ever Neon Night Ride in Lenoir is happening this Friday, June 3, 2022, at the Lenoir Rotary Soccer Complex on Zacks Fork Road.
The event will start at 8:30 pm at the soccer complex. Staff will have a couple thousand free, 8-inch and 22-inch glow sticks for participants who need some extra neon glow on their bikes. There will be water available on site and cookies donated by Chick-fil-A.
At 9:00 pm, riders will head out as a group and ride on the Lenoir Greenway from the soccer complex to the Powell Road parking lot (and maybe further). After a short water break, riders will head back to the soccer complex for a glow foam party.
The first 50 riders who registered and show up will have a chance to collect and install their LED spoke lights.
Main Street Community Engagement Coordinator Matthew Anthony came up with the idea to do a Neon Night Ride here in Lenoir.
"When we were planning the Lenoir Bicycle Festival, we thought it would be fun to do an event on World Bicycle Day as well," Anthony said. "I've participated in nighttime glow rides in other communities and it's unbelievable how much fun it is. There's something about making your bike glow in the dark and riding in a rolling group light show that just brings a smile to your face."
The goal of the Neon Night Ride is to bring people together, to get outside and have fun, and enjoy the City greenway.
"Building a sense of connected community is a passion of mine," Anthony said. "Doing things together aids in connecting us to each other, especially when it's something new and interesting. We're going to have glowing bikes, glowing foam, music ... it's going to be a blast."
The ride will have both a lead and tail riders to keep everyone together as a group. There will be volunteers at road crossings to stop cars as riders cross. A Lenoir Police Department Bike Patrol Officer will be riding with the group, and a couple Lenoir Fire Department firefighters will be following in a utility terrain vehicle (UTV) to provide first aid, if needed.
So far, about 65 people have registered for the ride. For more information and to register for the Neon Night Ride, click the following link, Neon Night Ride Registration Form.
World Bicycle Day
In April 2018, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 3 as International World Bicycle Day. The resolution for World Bicycle Day recognizes "the uniqueness, longevity and versatility of the bicycle, which has been in use for two centuries, and that it is a simple, affordable, reliable, clean and environmentally fit sustainable means of transport." (Source)
This photo is from a nighttime glow ride in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
These bikes have been decorated with neon LED lights.
