Wednesday Night Rides usually has at least 1-2 rides per year that ends at a Parks on Tap, so we’re excited to kick off the beginning of this year’s Parks on Tap season by not just ending at this week’s location (Azalea Gardens), but with a route that touches 6 of this year’s planned Parks on Tap locations: Penn Treaty Park, The Spring Gardens, Matthias Baldwin Park, Discovery Center, Lemon Hill, and Azalea Gardens!

Parks on Tap is a traveling beer garden located at various Philadelphia city parks throughout the season. Part of the proceeds go to Fairmount Park Conservancy and the local parks hosting the beer garden.

Special ride notes:

• This route has a steady incline as we ride up through Fairmount and Brewerytown; be prepared for putting in some more effort than our usual flat rides.
• After dark, PA law requires all bikes to have a headlight and a red tail light or reflector.
• We ride for fun–while encountering nasty drivers is often unavoidable, our practice is to avoid conflict as much as possible. When there’s potential for conflict, please pull over to the side to let cars go instead of engaging in confrontation with drivers.

Our next ride on April 30th will be a special collab ride with Indego and OTIS!

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 May, June, July (and 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.