Pedal Party
My time in Little Rock was brief, but continuing the trend of my trip so far, I arrived at the perfect time. I spent two days in the city, with the first being a much-needed day off. On the second day, I was back in the grind, cruising around to local shops to check out the scene. Lucky for me, the first shop I visited was run by one of the founders of the Monday Night Pedal Party.
The Pedal Party started three years ago and takes place every Monday night from April Fools to Halloween. What began as a small group of friends riding bikes and bar-hopping has now grown to a weekly event attracting upwards of 100 riders from all kinds. This week's ride was special though, it ended with a movie screening on top of a downtown parking structure.
The ride itself was about 3.5 miles over a half-hour, mostly flat and accessible to all riders. The group was friendly and super excited that I chose to stop in Little Rock and not Bentonville. While it wasn’t the biggest ride I’ve been on, it was larger than I expected. The ride stopped at some traffic lights and only crossed when it was safe, with everyone being respectful of both other riders and the traffic we shared the road with. I asked a few people if they’ve had more aggressive riders attend their ride, and they mentioned that if someone’s riding unsafely, the group addresses it when it happens. One of the biggest stand out of the ride was the community driven people both hosting and attending. There was a lot of discussing around getting people out to vote, and advocates from multiple organizations were there, including the @downtownlittlerock and @bicycleadvocacyofcentralar This community-focus really stood out and helped to create a positive and welcoming atmosphere.
The ride ended on top of a parking structure where the original Beetlejuice was being shown. There was popcorn, and a local brewery had set up a keg. It was a really well-planned event and a pleasant experience overall. After the movie, a smaller group headed to a local bar for a little after-party.
The Official Pink Tag Review:
5 out of 5 Pink Tags!
I’m so glad I was able to join this ride and highly recommend it to anyone in the Little Rock area looking for a fun and casual way to connect with the community on Monday nights.
