Revolutions
Cyclists participating in the spring Tour de Brewer
Revolutions Bicycle Co-op is hosting its fourth Memphis brewery bike tour Saturday, September 22nd beginning at noon.
The 15-mile Tour de Brewer is a leisurely 15-mile round trip ride with stops at four different local breweries.
The ride will begin at Memphis Made Brewing Co., then head over to Ghost River, High Cotton, Crosstown Brewing Co., and then back to Memphis Made.
Participants are required to bring their own bikes. However, Explore Bike Share will have a set number of bikes available on a first come, first served basis.
The cost of the tour is $15 per person. Participants can sign up ahead of time or on Saturday. All drinks have to be purchased separately. Twenty percent of all event sales made at Memphis Made will go toward Revolutions’ 4th Grade Bicycle Safety Program at Shelby County Schools. All other proceeds from the tour will be used to purchase two classroom sets of bicycles for the program.
The nine-week program will aim to teach students how to safely ride a bike on on the street, giving them a reliable transportation option to get to school. It’s set to launch soon at 15 elementary schools, costing approximately $8,000 per school, according to Shannon Little, public relations manager for Revolutions. The cost covers programming for nine sessions for each participating fourth grade class, as well as a classroom set of bicycles that students get to keep throughout the program.
Little says the program’s launch date is contingent on Revolutions having enough funds to begin with one school.
Sylvia Crum, executive director of Revolutions said the program is important because cycling is a “lifelong healthy practice.”
“The life cycle of a bicyclist starts with a 2 year-old who can get on a balance bike, a bike that doesn’t have pedals, to learn how to balance and glide down the sidewalk,” Crum said. “An older child has the freedom to move around the neighborhood. As children get older, they can use a bike as a transportation option to go to school.
“As a child ages up to high school and college, a bicycle is a way to get to class or an after-school job. Then you’re a grownup and commuting to work is no big deal. As someone gets older and has a family, putting children on a bike for transportation is no big deal. Then that cycle starts again when the children are 2 years old and can start on a balance bike.”
