This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Aug. 9, 2013 - It only takes one person, one idea, and two wheels.
In October 1964, Dick Leary organized an urban nighttime bicycle ride, starting at midnight at St. Louis Union Station. Unfortunately, no one else showed up. Not one to give up, Leary tried again the next year and was accompanied by a few more people, even more the next year and by the early ‘70s the ride was attracting thousands.
Today, the ride is known as the "Moonlight Ramble," a leisurely bike ride held at midnight near the full moon in August. It now includes a vendor area, entertainment, a glow-in-the-dark commemorative shirt, and an after-ride party with snacks and drinks.
The route is kept top secret but the starting point of the race is the corner of 8th and Cerre near Busch Stadium. A map of the route is provided at the staging area. A rider can choose 10.5- or 18.5-mile ride.
The Moonlight Ramble started as a program event for Hostelling International USA and quickly grew into a community phenomenon.
Alan Portman, whose father was one of the first local board members for Hostelling International, began riding in the early 1970s and continued every year until 2005.
Portman remembers "1972 riding with my cousins. I was about 10 and riding a Schwinn Typhoon. I remember Dick Leary, founder of the Ramble, counting the riders with a hand clicker as they passed under a bridge. He was overjoyed with 400 riders -- more than the New York City ride a month earlier.”
Throughout his involvement with the Ramble, including becoming chairman of the planning committee in 1988, Portman has witnessed many changes. The biggest was for safety.
As the numbers of riders grew, so did the dangers. Portman says, “When I took over as chairman, relations with city government were at a low point. That all has changed. The ride is safer now than ever before.”
Chris Wells, who first rode in the Moonlight Ramble in 1986, says, “The continuity of having ridden the Ramble over 28 years provides a real sense of history, with a simultaneous familiarity.”
Registration fees, which start at $10 for youth riders, benefit Hostelling International USA, a nonprofit organization that promotes international understanding of the world and its people through hostelling and Kingdom House, an organization that helps thousands achieve self-sufficiency and gain economic independence.
He says, “It’s such a distinctive event - a non competitive ride that draws all types from casual to serious cyclists, kids, families, groups and more than a handful of characters. It allows people to see the city from a different perspective, and do it with 10,000 friends.”
Ellie Sertic, event manager of the Moonlight Ramble, says, “St. Louis is a city that sits on tradition, and this is one that people like and one that stuck with them. We want to continue this tradition, keep the community involved and do some fun and different things.”
Caroline Ludeman is a Beacon intern.