Courtesy of Matt Helbig
"This is one of the few times of the year that you can actually ride the city streets without cars buzzing by," Matt Helbig, co–race director, says of the Moonlight Ramble's biggest appeal. The other huge draw? As the name suggests, it's a moonlight ride.
Going into its 55th year, the Moonlight Ramble is back after taking a year-long hiatus. This is Big River Racing's first year as the event's organizers. Started in 1964, the creator sold the event to Emmis Communications in 2012. Publicly facing, Helbig says, KSHE radio station was the operator and major sponsor. When Hubbard Broadcasting acquired several stations from Emmis in May of 2018, the communications company looked to Big River to continue the festival—but there wasn't enough time to organize last year's ride.
Courtesy of Matt Helbig
In order to create this year's route, Helbig says they considered how to least disrupt residents and businesses. The route, on a rolling terrain, isn't announced until the day of. And while he couldn't give too much away, Helbig says both of this year's circuits (one 17 miles long, the other just 7) give quite the view of the city, hitting major landmarks including Busch Stadium, big universities, and—on the longer course—a major city park.
"It's a family tradition in St. Louis," Helbig says. "We have people all the way from 2 years old to 85 years old participating. It is extremely accessible for every age and interest level."
The festival, which Helbig calls "a celebration of the St. Louis cycling community," kicks off at 7 p.m. at Soldiers Memorial Military Museum (1315 Chestnut), complete with food vendors, crafts, and activities. The ride starts at 10 p.m., the start gate closes by 11 p.m. The track is open until 1 a.m., but the sooner you finish the circuit the quicker you can get back to the festival. Registration for a standard rider is $45.
Thinking about participating? Here's what Helbig says is all you need: "If they have a bike that has tires that can hold air and they have a helmet, there's plenty of time to do the short route. It's very doable, very approachable, and safe."
