Cycling Tips & Stories

These amateur athletes crave the rush of cold air and the sounds of the city as they pedal throughout the Kansas City area. And their numbers are growing as others join in their healthful and exhilarating way to exercise, while making friends along the way.

Ben Wilson says he wears cold-weather gear during the fall and winter while doing night rides. . . .

Wilson jokes that his colleagues browbeat anyone not wearing a helmet. Lights located on the front and back of the bicycle are required. The fun continues with drinks and dinner at the restaurant. Because of the sport’s popularity, up to 200 people congregate weekly on Thursday nights at the Blue Moose restaurant in Prairie Village. Another hot spot on Wednesday evening is Chelly’s Café, a Mexican restaurant just west of 85th Street and Wornall Avenue.

“We meet afterwards in the Blue Moose lounge to eat, drink and socialize,” Wilson says. “I love biking so my weekends are spent riding with friends from the Prairie Village Yacht Club. It’s a social club with no dues or regulations.”