Scenes from the 2017 Tour de Lights in Knoxville, Tenn., Friday, Dec. 15, 2017. Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel
Bicyclists of all ages clad in flashing lights and holiday costumes gathered in Market Square on Friday night for the 11th annual Tour de Lights bike parade presented by the City of Knoxville and I Bike KNX.
The annual event brings close to 1,000 cyclists to Market Square each year, said organizer Kelley Segars, and follows a five-mile path that takes riders through Emory Place, Fourth & Gill and Old North Knoxville. Segars, who works for the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization, said that the challenges of getting 1,000 cyclists on the road at once prompted a change in the way this year’s ride was organized.
“We have more than 1,000 people participate now, which is amazing, but also makes for kind of a chaotic start when you’re trying to get 1,000 people out of downtown,” she said. "It literally takes 20 minutes for us to get out of downtown. With the little kids and it being dark, people were a little bit critical of the chaos, so we’re going to gather in three different areas with experienced bicyclists going first, then groups with themes and then families and anybody who is maybe scared of 1,000 people biking together.”
Though the five-mile ride may seem intimidating to novice riders, especially those hesitant to spend an hour outside in freezing temperatures, Segars said that the route is chosen to make the ride possible for cyclists of all ages and skill levels.
“Some people complain that it’s only five miles, but we chose this so that anybody could participate. People of all ages and all abilities can come out and do it,” she said.
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The size of the decorations adorning several of the bicycles proved Segars’ point, including a massive Santa Claus perched on a tandem bicycle ridden by Jesica and Wes Breitenbach of Fountain City, which Segars said was probably the most impressive decoration she had seen in the 11 years of the parade.
“The world’s largest bike-powered Santa has to be the best. It’s like a parade float!” Segars said. “That took us to the next level.”
Beyond showcasing Knoxville’s holiday spirit, the parade also helps promote bike riding in Knoxville, which Segars said is part of why she and her team love organizing the annual event.
“One of the best things we can do for biking is get more people on bicycles. It actually increases safety to have more people biking because it becomes more normal,” she said. “We love this because people who come out to this probably don’t consider themselves bicyclists, but maybe once they see how much fun they have, then maybe they get on a bike another time during the year even though they’re not dressed as Santa or a reindeer.”