Columbus Rides Bikes Goes to NEOCycle/Cleveland Urban Outdoors

Positively Cleveland - thisiscleveland.com

Columbus Rides Bikes received an email from Positively Cleveland asking if we wanted to attend a very small blogger/media trip that is focused around Cleveland’s urban outdoor scene. We said yes! On September 26 - 28th, a group of journalists and bloggers were taken around the town and given an up-close look at the new Cleveland. This trip included urban cycling, city kayaking, paddleboarding, craft beer and local food.

The focal point of this trip for us was the new urban cycling festival calledNEOCycle, "An urban cycling festival consisting of competitive races and unique rides, connected by live entertainment and an interactive, action-filled festival at Cleveland Metroparks Edgewater Park on the shores of Lake Erie."

NEOCycle: neocycle.org/

We have all heard the Cleveland jokes and the jabs at the Cleveland sports teams. Yes, even the Cuyahoga River had caught fire at least a dozen times. Did anything like that ever faze the good people of Cleveland? Nope! From what I have seen over the past 40 years is a Cleveland in a state of ever-changing rebirth, not a bunch of do-nothing whiners. No, Cleveland’s not a “mistake by the lake.”

Being born and raised in northern Ohio, I have recollections of Cleveland since the early 70s. I can remember the abundant steel mills, seeing both football and baseball games at the HUGE Cleveland Municipal Stadium, shopping at the big department stores. When I was older, going to The Flats to see bands and to go dancing. Fun trips to University Circle to the museums and the Cinematheque, plus some great meals at favorite restaurants. Since this trip, Cleveland now has some wonderful new memories for me.

Everyone knows about such things as The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, The Cleveland Clinic, the fact that LeBron James plays for the Cavs (again), etc. There’s a lot more to Cleveland than that. In case you didn’t know, Cleveland has a lot of new and exciting things going on. Many of the neighborhoods are being revitalized and a younger group of people are calling them home. With the younger demographic, comes many new urban recreational opportunities.

We will be posting some highlights of what we experienced on this trip, so please follow along over the next several days to find out some of the great things going on in Cleveland.

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