This Saturday, Bike Your Neighborhood kicks off new community cycling rides

Bob Render, a longtime resident of E. 128th St. between Buckeye and Drexmore Roads in Buckeye-Shaker Square, saw something happen in his neighborhood a few years ago that he couldn’t remember experiencing before. 

“Two years ago, I’m down here pulling weeds and I see these folks on bikes coming down the street,” he said. “Well, I didn’t know who they were until they got a little closer, and then I realized it was Tim Tramble, Indigo Bishop, and Peter Whitt, the senior staff of the Saint Luke’s Foundation, and some of the people they funded. I said, ‘Boy, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes. I can’t remember ever seeing a president or CEO of a foundation, any foundation in Cleveland, on a bike ride in the neighborhood.’”

When they stopped and chatted, Render learned the bike ride was part of Slow Roll, a weekly social event aimed at bringing Clevelanders together through riding bikes. Each week, Slow Roll rotates through different Cleveland neighborhoods – east, west, and south. Last year, when the event returned to Buckeye-Shaker Square, Render decided to join the fun.

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“I don’t have a bike, but they had free rentals,” said the inveterate neighborhood activist, who told The Land that he hadn’t been on a bike for more than 30 years at that point. “I’m thinking it’s a five-mile ride. Hundreds of people are gathering. We ended up at Luke Easter Park, taking a break, and I’m thinking, ‘Oh, we’re getting ready to go back.’ Unbeknownst to me, this was a 10-mile ride.”

After watching 80-year-olds pass him by, however, Render became determined to finish the ride. Now, after completing that arduous trek, the Cleveland resident has become a promoter of slow rolling bike rides himself. With the support of the Saint Luke’s Foundation’s Resident Advancement Committee (RAC), Render and neighborhood resident Ashley Evans are starting a monthly neighborhood bike ride in Buckeye-Shaker Square called Bike Your Neighborhood.

The first Bike Your Neighborhood event kicks off this Saturday, June 3, in the parking lot behind Dave’s Supermarket at E. 128th St. and Drexmore Road. The meetup starts at 11 a.m., and the ride kicks off at 11:30 a.m. There will be a food truck, free bike tune-ups, free bike rentals for anyone who needs one (bring your license), and even tips on how to ride a bike if you haven’t done so in years.

The group ride will last about five miles, traversing east side neighborhoods including Buckeye-Shaker Square, Woodland, Kinsman, and Mt. Pleasant. Volunteers will be on hand to help with traffic control and to make sure the ride is safe. As suggested by the name “slow roll,” the ride will move at a leisurely pace, and it’s inclusive for people of all ages and experience levels. 

“We think it does several things,” Render told The Land. “People who would not otherwise come together would come to something like this. If you don’t have a bike, we’ll rent you one for free, or if your bike is sitting in the basement, we’ll service it for you. It’s community engagement, there’s a safety component because there’s strength in numbers, and hopefully it’s healthy, too.” 

Deidre McPherson, who by day works as chief community officer for Assembly for the Arts and by night is an avid cyclist and cycling promoter, is one of the organizers behind Bike Your Neighborhood. She told Harry Boomer of WOIO Channel 19 why she loves Slow Roll events. “It’s a really beautiful experience, we ride through neighborhoods, spread bike joy, and inspire people to move,” she said. 

Render said part of the purpose is to bring together a diverse group of people for a communal bike ride and showcase Buckeye-Shaker Square, Kinsman, Mt. Pleasant, and Woodland. He also said the group wants to promote cycling in majority African American communities and bust myths about cycling. “There’s this myth that black folks don’t ride bikes, that only white folks on the west side ride bikes, and that’s not true,” said Render. “They may be in the minority of riding bikes, but this is something we want to promote.”

The project is an example of resident-led grantmaking, since the idea came out of the Saint Luke’s Foundation’s Resident Advancement Committee, which advises the foundation on how to spend some of its grantmaking to benefit residents. “What’s unique is that it’s community driven,” said Render. 

Bike Your Neighborhood is supported by the Saint Luke’s Foundation, Burten Bell Carr Inc., Bike Cleveland, Neighborhood Connections, Shaker Square, and others. For more information, visit Bike Your Neighborhood on Instagram or email bikeyourneighborhoodcle@gmail.com.