THE KENDA GIRLS THE KENDA GIRLS - Spokes Magazine

A RAMBLE THROUGH
BALTIMORE by GREG HINCHLIFFE
In the spring of 2003, the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee of Baltimore had a problem:
the brand new Gwynns Falls Trail was not being used to its potential. The city, the Trust for
Public Land, and many others had put a great deal of time, money, and effort into building
the trail, but the cyclists weren’t there, either because they were unaware that the trail existed,
or they were reluctant to use it, wary of urban cycling in general.
Gwynns Falls Trail, and one section of a road we have
closed for the event. This is the ideal ride for families
with younger children because, except for some street
crossings, the route is entirely separated from traffic.
This is an important distinction from the other
lengths we offer.
The Tour dem Parks does not close roads or reserve
lanes for its riders. We want to show city riding as it
exists every other day of the year. If you like something
you see on the ride, you can come back any
weekend and ride it again.
The next length offered is the Medium Ride, this year
at just under 25 miles. Starting from Carroll Park (as
do all the rides) you’ll see the Jones Falls Trail, Druid
Hill Park, Lake Montebello, the Herring Run Trail,
Patterson Park, and part of the Gwynns Falls Trail.
You’ll also see some interesting neighborhoods and
pocket parks.
The Long Ride is just under 40 miles. You’ll see just
about everything on the Medium Ride, plus more
of the Gwynns Falls Trail and a scenic loop out into
Baltimore County. For the second year we are offering
a Metric Century. Last year’s metric was a trip out to
Ellicott City, using the #9 Trolley Trail and Patapsco
State Park’s Grist Mill Trail. It was quite scenic, but
a little on the hilly side, including a killer mile-long
climb at the 55-mile point. I sure heard about that.
This year’s Metric Century is basically the Long Ride
plus a loop out to BWI Airport using sections of the
Gwynns Falls Trail and the BWI Trail. Maybe it’s not
quite as pretty, but it’s a lot flatter.
Many riders are Tour dem Parks veterans, having ridden
the event several times. A few happy repeat customers
have been with us since the beginning. Same
old ride, right? Wrong! This year the TdemP committee,
a group of dedicated volunteers led by co-chairs
Anne Colgan and Dwight Pinkney put a lot of thought
into making the ride more interesting for those who
are back, maybe riding for the seventh time. Not such
an easy task. After all, while the city has added miles
of new trail in the last few years, the parks haven’t
moved, and aren’t about to. Hmmmm. How to make
the route fresh while staying within the limits of touring,
well . . . dem parks. Finally, the inspiration: we’ll
TO PENNY TROUTNER, owner of Light Street Cycles
and then chair of the committee, the answer was
obvious: host an organized ride through the city, passing
by or through most of its major parks and trails,
thereby not only showcasing the parks themselves, but
reassuring local riders that it could be safe and pleasant
to cycle within the city limits. This was no small
order. Back in the days before the city’s Bicycle Master
Plan, before we had a full-time bike-ped planner, in a
city that hadn’t installed a bike lane or much of any
kind of bike accommodation in the previous 20 years,
Baltimore did not exactly have a reputation as a Bike-
Friendly Community.
Nonetheless, those of us who lived and cycled in the
city knew that there was some good riding and wanted
to show it off with a ride. Any money raised by the
event would go right back to the parks, through donations
to citizen support groups. Thus the Tour dem
Parks was born. Or Tour du Parks, as it was known for
its first few years, to the considerable chagrin of the
more linguistically talented members of the committee,
who insisted it should either be Tour du Park or
Tour des Parks. After years of haggling, we decided
to embrace our inner Baltimoron and go with Tour
dem Parks, as in “How ‘bout dem Oreos?” (You know,
the baseball team?) It seemed only natural to throw
in “Hon” at the end. So . . . Tour dem Parks, Hon!
John Waters (legendary Baltimore filmmaker of “Pink
Flamingos” fame) would be proud.
The Tour is now in its seventh year, co-sponsored by
the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee and the city’s
Department of Recreation and Parks. Every year it has
drawn more riders, and every year it has raised more
money for the parks. Over the years the ride has provided
thousands and thousands of dollars to various
“Friends of ...” and other park support organizations.
And just as important to the city cyclists who started
the event, thousands of cyclists have been exposed to
riding in Baltimore, seeing parks, trails, and neighborhoods
they never knew existed. This, along with the
bike accommodations the city has been making under
Mayor Sheila Dixon, has led to a steady increase in
the number of bicyclists seen on the streets of the city.
So what is the Tour dem Parks (or TdemP) like? What
should you expect if you come out to Carroll Park on
Sunday, June 14th to ride in the Seventh Annual Tour
Dem Parks, Hon? Well, take your pick. Once again,
we are offering four different lengths of riding. The
shortest is the Family Ride of about a dozen miles.
This ride is entirely on the off-road sections of the
10 May 2009