Hello Ride For Your Life Participants!
Thank you for signing up to ride or walk from Brittingham Park to the Capitol steps on Sunday, October 1 during Madison's first Ride For Your Life event. The weather is looking good (currently the forecast is a high of 80 degrees and sunny), but we'll ride rain or shine! Here's some important information you'll want to take note of:
Pre-ride:
What to bring (if you are riding): a bike to ride, a helmet, and a bike lock if you plan to attend an after-rally event
- Participants are encouraged to wear something pink (and/or your RFYL t-shirt)
Parking: Space at Brittingham is limited, so if you plan to drive to the park, please allow extra time to look for street parking in the surrounding neighborhoods. Street parking around the Capitol should be free on Sunday.
Park and ride routes: If you would like to park and ride your bike to Brittingham (which is highly recommended!), check out these suggested routes:
- Park your car at Pacific Cycle, follow this route to Brittingham
- Park your car at Olin Park, follow this route to Brittingham
- Park your car at Walter St/Olbrich, follow this route to Brittingham
B-Cycle users: If you indicated that you will need a rental bike for the ride when you registered, that means we are planning to have one available for you at Brittingham. You will not have to check it out from a B-Cycle station in Madison since the kind folks at Trek will bring them to the park. You'll be able to use it free of charge for up to 3 hours. When you are finished with the bike, you are asked to return your B-Cycle to any docking station.
If you didn't think you would need a bike, but now do, please email gmgregory@wisconsinbikefed.org by Wednesday, September 27 to reserve one.
T-shirt pick up: If you purchased a t-shirt when you registered for the event, look for the 'Pre-Ordered T-Shirts' tent, tell the volunteer your name, and they will give you your shirt.
Purchasing t-shirts on the day of the event: A very limited number of event t-shirts will be for sale at the beginning of the ride. If you're interested in purchasing one, look for the 'Merch for Sale' tent
Water bottle pick up: Trek has kindly donated 500 water bottles and they will be available on a first come, first served basis for cyclists and walkers. Grab yours before the ride and make your way to Madison Water Utilities water wagon to fill it up!
During the ride/walk:
Please note that this is a slow bike ride. We'd like to keep the entire group together, so will be pausing 2-3 times to regroup. Volunteer ride marshals will be working hard to give clear directions, so please be patient as they assist.
Speaking of ride marshals, we need more ride marshals! If you're willing to help the ride stay together and on-course, manage intersection crossings, and provide assistance to riders who might have mechanical issues, please email gmgregory@wisconsinbikefed.org
The ride and walk will leave Brittingham Park at 2:30pm
The rally at the N. Hamilton entrance of the State Capitol building will begin at 3:30pm
After the rally:
After-party options: If you're interested in continuing to hang out after the rally at the Capitol steps, please remember to bring a bike lock; then have fun checking out these one or more of these options:
- The Borough Beer Co. & Kitchen (444 S Park St) is offering $1 off your first drink and a $17 burger & beer special: burger + fries + Oktoberfest beer. You may need to show your registration confirmation on your phone to receive these specials.
- Working Draft Beer Co (1129 E Wilson St) is offering $1 off your first drink. You may need to show your registration confirmation on your phone to receive this special.
- Trek Bicycle's Mansion Hill Inn (424 N Pinckney St) will be handing out cookies and lemonade on their lawn.
Thanks again for participating in this important bike & pedestrian safety advocacy event. We look forward to seeing you on Sunday!
-Sincerely,
Your friends at WI Bike Fed, Madison Bikes, and Trek