NEW ORLEANS – When New Orleanians think of the perfect Tuesday night, it’s probably coupled with the crisp winter wind of February, king cake and a crowd of people screaming, “Throw me something, mister!” However, that vision is a little different for one group of bikers in the city. Every Tuesday night, a chariot of local bike enthusiasts band together to line the streets of the Marigny with their multi-colored LED infused bicycles and live music as they encourage other residents to Get Up N Ride.
The Get Up N Ride NOLA initiative took to the streets in 2010. It was the collaborative creation of two friends – Blake Owens and Nick Reed, who shared a unique passion for bike riding and the city of New Orleans. Curtis Fisher, however was brought in at a later time to help expand the marketing efforts of the company. As we talked over some beignets and water at Café Du Monde, the conversation seemed to bring Owens and Fisher to a nostalgic place as they reminisced on their humble beginnings.
What I really wanted to know was how the music because such a huge part of the bike night. Owens and Fisher both say famed New Orleans disk jockey, DJ Poppa played a key role in helping that phase of the ride get started. He leads the ride every Tuesday and also provides the soundtrack people pedal to. Fisher says, “The bigger the group got, the bigger the speakers were.” He likes to think that makes the ride twice as good.
Believe it or not, neither one of them expected the company to go anywhere when only eight people showed up to their first ride. Back then, they were doing things simply for fun. So now that things are going well for these young men, how has their focused expanded beyond just a good time? Owens answered that question by mentioning the power biking has to connect people to one of coolest subcultures in the city.
“Biking allows me to reconnect with old friends and develop relationships with the biking community of New Orleans. At the same time, we can expose people to something different the city has to offer.”
The weekly ride is very precise. I’ll be honest, it even shocked me. I thought they just meet up and ride out. Well they don’t. And even if they did, it might be a little hard to find them if you aren’t already a member because the location changes every time they meet.
So here’s how it works: riders meet up at the Hi-Ho Lounge located on St. Claude Avenue around 7:30 p.m.. Then they are briefed on the biking rules of the road (yes those exist) and finally, they survey the road before heading out.
“We review things like hand-gestures, who to listen to and how to deal with traffic conditions,” Fisher said. Fisher also pointed out that if riders don’t have a bike, they can rent one through Owens for $25.
More information about rentals and parties are available through Owens’ Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/o.g.blakeowens/
During the ride, which usually lasts about three hours, the group makes three stops. Two for beverages and one for food. The beverage stops are about 15 minutes long, and the food stop is around 45 minutes. Some local businesses even have a partnership with the company, offering incentives to those who buy at their restaurant. Owens makes it simple saying, “We welcome those who welcome us.”
A project of this magnitude doesn’t come without its challenges through.
Fisher says three of the hardest things in the business are controlling the flow of traffic to keep the bikers as safe as possible, making sure the bikes people rent out are maintained properly, and he jokingly added, getting bikers to ride out on time. He admits that they occasionally run into impatient drivers – but that doesn’t kill the spirit of the riders.
“I want people to understand the challenge we’re overcoming, dealing with people who don’t ride on a regular basis. It’s not going to be perfect, but we’re training ourselves and each other to do better,” Fisher said.
So what does the future hold for the social ride gurus? A lot actually. The company wants to expand far beyond New Orleans. And at the rate they’re going – that goal doesn’t seem too far-fetched.
“Once we finish here in New Orleans, we intend to find out what cities across the United States currently don’t have a ride night and bring the movement there,” Owens said.
For anyone who may be a fan of bikes or exploring The Big Easy with a group intricate New Orleanians – taking a spin with the NOLA Social Ride as your tour guide may not be such a bad idea. However, if the Tuesday Social Ride isn’t quite your speed, there’s literally a ride almost every night of the week. They even offer private tours on the weekend.
The Get Up N Ride crew is always welcoming new riders to their team and they encourage anyone who may be interested to join them on one of their many excursions. They also plan to start Cycle with a Twist – a monthly cycling event for members only. It will feature stops along a pre-planned route at local establishments.
More information about upcoming events, and details on how bicyclists across New Orleans can get involved with the NOLA Social Ride, is available on their website: http://www.nolasocialride.org/. They also encourage people to follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at getupnride_nola.
