POCATELLO — More than three dozen cyclists rode together along Pershing Avenue at the start of a short ride. It was September 12th and this is a trip riders have been making for 13 years.
Different people were on different bikes and wearing different helmets. Some wore casual sportswear and others wore cycling uniforms. They hadn’t even covered a mile yet and still had twenty more to go.
This is the Tuesday Night Ride hosted by Barrie Ski and Sports. Owner Barrie Hunt himself rode with the group along with Steve Stuart; They took over the back area to make sure no one was left behind.
Why do we ride?
When the Tuesday evening bike ride began, it was not beginner friendly.
In 2010, Hunt wanted a cycling activity to take place in Pocatello every week. At this point, they went on a mountain bike ride and a normal ride. These were difficult rides for experienced cyclists.
The rides ran well for a while, but Stuart’s concerns about ride accessibility woke him up one night.
“Why are we riding? Is there a purpose?” Stuart thought that night. After a while he realized, “It’s all about changing our lives and making friends.”
Stuart approached Hunt with a concern.
“Barrie, some of these people are too serious. We have people who want to go… but we need to go to an easier, slower (fun) pace,” Stuart said.
Barrie agreed, “and the Tuesday Night Easy Ride (was born),” he said.
Thirteen years later, at the September 12 ride, Stuart counted 36 cyclists. So far there have been up to 90 participants. There is a wide range of people who ride, both in terms of their life experiences and their cycling experience.
“It thrives every year with little kids riding out with the older folks,” Stuart said. “Occasionally we have people in their 80s and older riding along.”
Amber Tingey, part of the sales staff at Barrie’s, said they have employees who can help people prepare their bikes so they can take part in the ride.
“We’re just trying to make friends and get people out who don’t feel comfortable riding alone,” Tingey said.
Crossing paths
Stuart said he has seen people make more friends when they are out with people they would never have met without the Tuesday Night Ride.
One person who can ride with the group is Jaime Farnes, a man with a motor disability and mild cerebral palsy. He rides an electric recumbent trike and says he’s been coming to the Tuesday Night Ride for a few months.
Farnes has been friends with Hunt for years and once worked at his store when it was in another location. To take Farnes along for the ride, he borrows Hunt’s recumbent tricycle.
“Originally I didn’t think I could do it, and I didn’t really have the talent to do it,” Fares said. “It’s kind of cool to be able to hang out with them, so to speak.”
Fares believes he will continue cycling in the future.
“I don’t consider myself a real expert, but I think I might have a hobby,” Fares said.
One cyclist who was able to get back into the sport is Ty Sollender. He’s been driving off and on for six years.
“I grew up riding bikes all the time in my neighborhood and it has always been a passion of mine,” Sollender said.
He started riding again while trying to improve his fitness. He said he noticed that cycling improved his mood.
“Not only does it help, it’s fun,” Sollender said.
If people are undecided about getting back on bikes or starting, he thinks they should come along for a group ride.
“Because all levels can come and no one is left behind,” Sollender said.
Everyone can do it
After riding to West Portneuf Road just off Old Highway 91 on Sept. 12, the cyclists turned back onto Pershing Avenue after 20 miles.
Since everyone has different skill levels and arrives at different times, everyone can still do it.
“So it doesn’t depend on your performance level,” Tingey said. “You ride with whoever is at the back and then we have a group that goes out and picks up the pace at the front.”
The Tuesday Night Ride runs from April 1st through mid or late September and starts around 6 p.m. September 19th was their last ride of 2023 and afterwards there was a baked potato bar.
The Tuesday Night Ride is a no-drop ride. If someone cannot make it the rest of the way, a vehicle will pick them up or someone will drive them back.
“There’s something that makes Barrie’s what it is: the camaraderie and the opportunity to do something for other people,” Hunt said.
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