We’re doing something special this week - writing “LOVE” across South Philly on a ride imagined and led by Philly Bike Train’s Alexa R. The ride ends at Solar Myth, in the old Boot & Saddle building on Broad Street.

To record your GPS track, you’ll need to use an app like RidewithGPS, Komoot, or Strava or a device like a Garmin or Wahoo. This route has a lot of turns, so please either use navigation or ride with someone who’s navigating the route. We’ll try to group people together at the start so there’s at least one person running navigation in each group of riders, but we encourage you to run navigation on the route yourself - this ride will probably be confusing otherwise.

Social media news: we’re on Bluesky. This ride started on Twitter, but we left the platform in late 2022. The rapid-fire format was great for the rides, so we’re looking forward to returning to a similar interface on Bluesky for easier real-time updates, engagement and chattiness. Follow along if that’s your thing.

Special ride notes:

• The forecast is COLD, but not windy or wet, so we plan to ride - but please dress WARMLY, and have a backup plan if you need to bail and get home early
• We’re writing the letters in reverse order, starting with “E”
• We plan to regroup after the letter “E”, at Jefferson Square Park, but we probably won’t regroup after the “V” or “O” so people can keep moving in the cold
• After finishing the “L”, we end at Solar Myth on Broad Street

As usual, we’ll ride according to our How We Ride guide. Please follow these ride norms so everyone’s on the same page, and we keep the ride safe and fun. We’d like to highlight:

Stop at lights. Please, please DO NOT block intersections contrary to the traffic light. Our group can be very large and extended, and holding traffic risks serious conflict. If the light turns red, please stop.

Roll past conflict. Whether it’s angry motorists or unruly pedestrians, please do not engage with conflict and move on in a way that de-escalates the situation.

Finally, a reminder of risks and responsibilities. You don’t need to sign a waiver to join a Wednesday Night Ride, because it’s an entirely voluntary & free group activity. But please keep in mind:

• Everyone rides at their own risk.
• Every rider is responsible for themselves, their behavior, and their bike.
• Keep your bike properly maintained. Here’s a link to a basic bike check.
• Cycling has inherent risks–you could crash, fall down, or get hit by a car, and get hurt or even killed–though we try to minimize these risks.
• If you have a health condition that could affect your ride or put you at additional risk, consider a) checking in with a doctor, b) letting us or a friend know, c) having a backup plan to get home if riding doesn’t work out.
• We always plan to have a sweeper, but can’t rule out that you could get lost, or that your bike could break down and you’ll need to find another way home.

Want to lead a ride in 2025? We’re looking for ride leaders for March and April (or later in the year, too). Let us know if you’re interested! Our only criteria for leading a ride is that you’ve joined us before. You don’t need to have prior group ride lead experience or come up with the whole route on your own, we can help with that!

Thanks for riding! See you Wednesday.