When Grant and McKenzie Hutchison asked their friends to join them for a community bike ride this summer, they expected a handful to show up. To their surprise, 12 cyclists of varying skill levels joined them for a ride around center city. Now, the husband-wife duo are brainstorming how to manage a quickly growing group after 73 cyclists attended a ride they held last week.
Willard natives, the Hutchisons are the minds behind Bigfoot Social , a community bike riding group that meets every Wednesday night. The free, low-barrier to entry group serves as a way for bike riders of all skill levels, from professional cyclists to hobby "pedalers" to get outdoors for a few hours. Bigfoot Social held its first 11-mile ride on June 19. The group held its sixth meeting on July 17, featuring a nearly 9-mile ride.
Bigfoot Social meets at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays at Fassnight Park, located at 1305 S. Main Ave. and rides start at 7:15 p.m. Ride routes travel throughout center city and are usually about 10 miles. Halfway through the ride, the group makes a pitstop for snacks and light socialization, before finishing off around 9 p.m., back at Fassnight Park. So far, Bigfoot Social has made its mid-ride stops at places like Kum & Go and Mother's Brewing Company.
For the majority of rides, the group cycles on roadways with bike lanes or shared lanes. Grant said for the first few rides, the group cycled on greenways, but since it has grown in size, the greenway trails aren't wide enough for everyone.
Following rides, participants are encouraged to hang out and socialize. Grant said recently, the after-ride gathering spot has been The Flea, a dive bar located at 637 S. Kimbrough Ave.
The group's seventh ride will be a bit different, as Bigfoot Social is riding in Willard on Wednesday, July 24. The ride will start at 7 p.m. at the Willard Recreation Center, located at 233 N. State Highway Z. The ride follows an event for the Willard Parks Pump Track Focus Group at 6 p.m. The focus group is how the park board gauges interest in future projects.
"We just need as many people as possible, whether they come on the ride or not," Grant said. "This would be huge for cycling in our area. The next closest similar thing is in Bentonville (Arkansas)."
Unexpected growth
The concept for Bigfoot Social blossomed about two to three years ago when Grant and a few friends cycled 35-40 miles out to his mom's property, where they finished off with a bonfire. It was from this ride that the name "Bigfoot Social" was born.
Fast forward a few years and Grant was interested in picking up this idea again but with lower mileage. He set a date, shared the information on social media and waited at Fassnight Park for folks to show up. For that first night, 12 people felt like a lot, he said.
As a seasoned cyclist, Grant is familiar with several community bike riding groups in Springfield, but he wanted to host something different.
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"You can basically get in a big community group ride every day of the week here, but they're all very serious road riders," Grant said. "This is supposed to be fun and easy. You don't need to put on spandex to do this ride."
Since the first ride, Bigfoot Social has grown consistently. Grant said 25 riders gathered the second week, then 31 the next, 49 the fourth week, 57 the fifth week and finally, 73 for the most recent ride.
"I didn't expect it to grow like that," Grant said. "I was expecting like 20 people because coming from regular cycling, I do other group rides and even if you have 100 people that you ride bikes with seriously, not everyone can always make it. You never have more than 20 people at a pretty decent group ride. I was like, 'If we get 20 people, that's crazy.'"
Bike rides falling into place
Aside from crafting the routes, the Hutchisons, for the most part, haven't needed to make concrete plans for the weekly bike rides.
"It's all kind of fell into place without much organization, which is kind of crazy," McKenzie said with a laugh. "We've got a lot of close friends of ours who are really hyped on it and are willing to help out at anyway they can."
Several more seasoned cyclists will stop at intersections to block the roadway for their fellow riders.
"Some of my friends who are cyclists just take the initiative," Grant said. "Last night when we crossed National (Avenue), they just blocked the road. We had a green (light), but they blocked the lane just in case it turned so we could get through as one."
McKenzie said one of the biggest surprises of Bigfoot Social has been the community's reaction.
"You go through a neighborhood and people are outside in their front yard and they just stop and smile and wave and just (say), 'This is awesome,' and cheer us on," McKenzie said.
So far, the Hutchisons have solely promoted Bigfoot Social on Instagram ( @bigfoot_social ) and by word of mouth.
"We've had a guy who's been there since the second one who we met at the park (Fassnight). It's an older guy on an e-mountain bike and he's a cool dude," Grant said. "He rode up on us and he was like, 'What is this?' We told him and he's been there every week since. He didn't have Instagram ... so (our friend) helped him make an Instagram and (Bigfoot Social) is the only thing he follows."
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Looking to the future, the Hutchisons recognize that more safety precautions may need to be put into place. For example, they are thinking of reaching out to the city to inform them of the weekly rides, in case community members have questions.
Want to ride? Here's what to know beforehand
Joining Bigfoot Social is free and open to all ages, though so far, Grant said most riders have been adults.
Before each week's ride, Grant posts a route he created on Strava , a running, cycling and hiking tracking platform, on the Bigfoot Social Instagram. Folks don't need to RSVP for the ride, they should just show up to Fassnight Park between 7-7:15 p.m.
The Hutchisons recommend that riders wear helmets and use bicycle lights, but they are not required. Riders do not need fancy cycling gear to take part in Bigfoot Social. Any type of comfortable clothes and shoes are just fine.
"There's a lot of people who have bikes that are maybe intimidated and don't know where to start, and I feel like this is a good place to start if you want to get into riding," McKenzie said. "I'd just say, try it."
Looking for a bike? Here are some cheaper options
For folks looking to purchase a bicycle, Grant recommended looking on Facebook Marketplace and visiting Springfield Brewing Company's Community Bike Shop. Located inside the basement of The Fairbanks Community Hub at 1126 N. Broadway Ave., the bike shop is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Wednesday from 6-7 p.m.
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The bike shop offers an array of new and used bicycles for children and adults. Bike shop founder Neil Chanter previously told the News-Leader that the majority of bikes sell for $50-$100. All of the shop's proceeds benefit the Drew Lewis Foundation, which operates The Fairbanks. The bike shop also offers safety equipment, gear and repairs.
Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. She has more than five years of journalism experience covering everything from Ozarks history to Springfield’s LGBTQIA+ community. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@news-leader.com .
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: No spandex needed for this 'fun and easy' weekly community bike ride
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