Bike Philly faithful slosh through the streets

More than 2,000 hardy cyclists didn't let rain-slicked streets stop them from pedaling around Center City in Sunday morning's Bike Philly 2010.

Riders from around the region from the young to not-so-young cheerfully put on rain slickers and plastic bags for a chance to ride from the Art Museum on seven-mile, 20-mile, or 35-mile stretches without the complication of cars.

The event was started in 2007 by the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia to encourage cycling in the city. Without the rain, Bike Philly typically attracts about 3,000 riders, coalition director Alex Doty said.

"Our focus has been on trying to encourage people who don't get to ride in the city to do this," he said. "Seventy-five percent of the people who ride with us are not from the city."

Two such participants were Medford cyclists Brandon Beringer and Kendyl Cocco, both 17-year-old seniors at Shawnee High School.

They ride their bikes around their New Jersey neighborhood, and neither was bothered by the rain.

"The rain was fun," a smiling Beringer said after finishing the ride.

"It's better than being hot," Cocco quipped.

Rachel Slotcavage, 28, a surgery resident at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, and her fiance, Neil Masangkay, 27, a neurologist at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, have ridden in the event before.

"This is my second time," Slotcavage said. "A little thing like the weather isn't going to stop me."

She used to commute to work on her bicycle from the couple's home near Graduate Hospital, but getting over the Ben Franklin Bridge is a little intimidating, she said.

The rain did cause some problems for riders.

Mike Ruddy, 39, of Folsom, stood under a sycamore with his shivering children at the end of the seven-mile route, which took them through Center City and back to the Art Museum.

Still, he said, "It's a cool ride. I would definitely do it again."

Dan Seyfried, 42, traveled to the city from the Lehigh Valley with son Noah, 2, for the ride.

"We could have kept on going, but he was tired," he said of Noah, who appeared to be on the verge of a nap in his bicycle seat.

Maggie Dahl, 63, and husband Michael Long, 60, of Arlington, Va., decided not to ride but stood near the Parkway to cheer riders on.

Kicking off the event was Mayor Nutter, who wore a red windbreaker, bike shorts, and a helmet.

"We're trying to make Philadelphia the most bike-friendly city in the country," he said to the cheers of bicyclists as they prepared for their rides.

The city closed streets along the routes to traffic for the event, posted about 125 police officers at key intersections, and spent the last few days filling in potholes, but it couldn't take care of everything, Nutter said.

"You know, we've had some budgetary challenges. Our weather machine is in need of additional parts and equipment," joked Nutter, who also participated in the ride. "I'm sorry about the weather this morning, but you are a dedicated lot."

Nutter noted that the city adapted 400 parking meters to make it easier for cyclists to lock up bikes and was seeking funding to improve trails.

The mayor's wife, Lisa, rode with the group Gearing Up, a nonprofit for women trying to overcome substance abuse, domestic violence, and homelessness.

Doty, of the Bicycle Coalition, said riding conditions in Philadelphia had steadily improved in recent years.

There are now bike lanes on Spruce and Pine Streets linking the Delaware River to the Schuylkill and funneling cyclists to the Schuylkill River Trail. The city and state have applied for stimulus money to connect bike trails running from Cobbs Creek Parkway in Southwest Philadelphia to the Schuylkill and along the river up to Montgomery County, according to the coalition.

Doty said recent efforts to improve bicycling in Philadelphia were working. Between 2005 and '08, he said, about twice as many people were cycling around the city, based on observations from coalition members who periodically count cyclists as they cross bridges spanning the Schuylkill.

He said about 10,000 people bike to work in the city and 35,000 ride to work at least once a month.