OhioBiking.net

We may not have a white Christmas this year, but if area bike riders are willing to brave a 30 percent chance of rain and mild temperatures, Tuesday’s Holiday Lights Bicycle Tour will go off without a hitch.
“There is no bad weather, only bad clothing,” said Roger Kalter, the coordinator of the event, which is being sponsored by the Marietta Rowing and Cycling Club and The Marietta Family YMCA.
Offered for 13 years as a gift to the community, the popular event is a chance for people to admire the holiday decorations around town and enjoy a leisurely 60 to 90 minute ride in the company of others.
Kittie Clark and her husband, John, have literally become cycling enthusiasts, due in part to this event. They have been participants in the Holiday Lights Bicycle Tour since moving to Williamstown from Pittsburgh three years ago.
“This started a whole new biking experience for us,” Clark, 64, said. After decades of not riding, she and her husband traded in their old 10-speed bikes for more comfortable Trek bikes, complete with shock absorbers and cushioned seats.
They have made friends on the tour and have become active members of the Marietta Rowing and Cycling Club, which will celebrate the 25th anniversary of its River Rendezvous Ride this year.
Clark said that, no matter what the weather forecast predicts, they will always enjoy the tour and the fellowship of other bike riders. “Now there’s peer pressure to go,” Clark laughed. Past years have seen 20 degree temperatures and quarter-size snowflakes, that no doubt added a festive touch.
Another repeat participant will be Tom Davis, 41, who plans to ride with his wife and brother-in-law this year.
Davis, of Waverly, rode solo last year and says it is a great way to get out and get some exercise. “If people have never done it, I’d encourage them to. It’s not that long and you don’t have to be in tip top shape.”
Last year’s bike tour brought in a record 44 participants from all over Ohio and West Virginia. The farthest anyone has come, according to Kalter, was from Wilmington, Ohio.
The route is somewhat determined by the weather, avoiding areas that might be slick from ice or snow, but usually encompasses 10 to 12 miles of Marietta’s downtown area.
Typically, the group will pedal down Putnam Street to Fourth, head toward the Ohio River and then reconvene by The Lafayette Hotel. Then they cruise up Front Street to the bike path, tour some of the numbered streets, excluding Third, and wind up on Seventh Street.
The tour will conclude at Cisler Terrace Park, where riders can enjoy the lights on display there.
Afterwards, participants are welcome and encouraged to gather at the YMCA for warm beverages and casual conversation.
The event, which begins at 7 p.m., is always the day after Christmas because there is usually less traffic. “It’s perfectly quiet and beautiful,” Kalter said. “It’s a nice, quiet way to enjoy each other.”

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