Saturday, February 13th. Mission launches at 2pm. 

Your mission today involves 4 steps:

1. Ride with someone you love…

2. ...to somewhere you love.

3. Do something kind to show Boise some love, and

4. share the love by tagging @boisebicycleproject on social media and hashtagging #bikin4lovin

It looks like we’re in for some cold and snow on Saturday, so get ready to bundle up and enjoy the ride!

Before we dig into everything that follows, I have a disclaimer. Your run of the mill social ride would have easy-peasy suggestions. Show up at said location at said time, and ride for said amount of miles. Boom. 

My disclaimer is that this ride isn’t exactly that. Because we’re still riding our way through the pandemic, and community health and safety is our top priority, there’s a significant amount of exposition included in how this ride will work. Bear with me, please. 

We have suggested routes and activities below, but remember that your objective today is to focus on what makes you feel love. 

Because the design of today’s ride is intentionally somewhat-social, but primarily socially-distanced, we really hope you’ll share your images on social media so we’ll have a collective story by the end of the day. 

Remember, if you don’t feel comfortable turning up at BBP to ride, or if you just don’t feel like reading all of the instructions below, you can ride somewhere you love with someone you love at any time on the 13th. Leave from home! Ride where you want! Please just share your story on social media by tagging @boisebicycleproject and hashtagging #bikin4lovin

Step Number One: Ride with Someone You Love…

For the first time in a long time, we are hosting the start of this ride at BBP. Put the call out to your Palentines, Galentines and Valentines; and gather outside of BBP at 2pm on Saturday, February 13. Please keep your masks on, and don’t plan on entering BBP. We’re allowing 4 guests inside the shop at a time, so if you absolutely have to use the restroom, then there will be a chance to go. Please intentionally distance 6 feet from other riders. 

All riders who turn up at BBP will get a rad Bikin’ 4 Lovin’ 2021 sticker, which was designed by our ever-lovable friend, Kelly Knopp. We’ll also be handing out and punching 2021 BBP Experience Spoke Cards! 

We’re requesting a suggested social ride donation of $5. Your $5 donation will cover the cost of a brand new bicycle tube for an adult in urgent need of reliable bicycle transportation. (Before we send everyone off to ride, we’ll take a few minutes to share about our initiatives this year to provide urgent bicycle repair to adults). 

Text LOVEBBP to 44321

If you text to give $5 or more, your donation counts as a raffle entry. We’ll raffle off BBP Tee Shirts, Sweatshirts, and maybe even a bicycle or two, and then we’ll do a big old lovin’ hoorah, and we’ll start to ride…

Step Two: Ride Somewhere You Love…

Now, the rule is that you can ride any dang place you want. But we do have some suggested routes for those of you who are seeking a little inspiration. I want to make it clear that these are suggested routes and not routes that will be led by specific leaders. We are intentionally asking you to thin out once we put the pedals to pavement and not ride in large groups. We know this isn’t the norm for social rides, but remember that this is a socially-responsible, socially-distanced social ride. 

Ride Option 1: Becky’s Ride

We love love love Becky, our 2020 Volunteer of the Year. And Becky really wants to show folks how fun it is to ride bikes outside of the downtown/North End nucleus, so she suggests you check out some of her favorite places to ride.

Head west on the Greenbelt and enjoy a ride into the LIVE WORK CREATE District in Garden City. 

You can cobble together a ride that involves mostly Greenbelt and some of Osage Street and hit many awesome businesses that would love to see you. Supporting any of the many businesses listed next can be considered your STEP 3 for the day (do something kind to show Boise some love). So get off your bike and grab a cup of coffee for the ride, or stay bundled up and sip a glass of wine outside. Share your love with Boise’s great local businesses. If you ride all the way to Meriwether Cider Company and back to BBP, you’re looking at about a 10 mile ride. 

If you choose this route, you’ll ride right by these rad spots: Push & Pour (closes at 2pm on Saturday, so maybe consider grabbing a coffee here before you ride), Roots Zero Waste Market & Cafe, Western Collective, Coiled Wines (reservations needed, but you could reserve ahead of time and choose a time that fits in with your ride), Tacos El Rey, Loose Screw Beer Co, Cinder Wines, Meriwether Cider Co. 

Ride Option 2: Emily’s Loop

From BBP, take the Greenbelt west and cross the river in Ann Morrison Park. Stay west and then exit the Greenbelt onto Shoreline (near the Post Office). Hop west to 15th Street and then head north on 15th Street’s bike lane all the way to Hill Road. Ride west on Hill Road until you reach Collister. Ride south downhill on Collister until you reach State Street. You’ll be a quick left turn onto State but immediately exit right (where the bus stop shelter is) onto the easement to Wylie Street. There’s a back way to the Greenbelt here. Take the Greenbelt east back to BBP.

This loop is about 11 miles. Emily’s suggestion: before you cross over State Street at Collister, stop in for takeout from El Torito. They make my favorite tacos in Boise!

Ride Option 3: I LOVE YOU, Downtown Boise!

Get yourself over to 11th Street by taking the Greenbelt to Payette Brewing and crossing River Street. 11th is slightly east of Payette on River St. Tip: Payette opens at noon, so you could make a stop here for carry out cans. 

Make a quick pit stop at the I LOVE YOU mural on Oliver Russell at 217 S 11th Street and be sure to share your selfie to social media. Ride north on 11th to Jefferson. Stop and take another selfie at the Capitol Building to show your love for Boise. Zig zag through downtown as much as you want, and get yourself some delicious date night takeout from your favorite spot before you wrap your ride. You could also take Jefferson east for a bit and ride over to the bike park near Fort Boise to test your skills. 

This ride will have the shortest mileage but you could spend as much time as you want winding your way through downtown. It’s also fun to stop and scope out as many Traffic Box art installations as you can. 

If it’s extra slick and snowy on Saturday, this ride is probably a good option for all of us.

Step Number Three: Do something to show Boise some love

Boise’s been so good to us, hasn’t it? In the spirit of love, we’re asking you to do something loving and lovely for your community while you’re out riding today. 

Perhaps you’ve already done your Text to Give donation of $5 to BBP. This donation will directly cover the cost of a new bicycle tube for an adult in urgent need of bicycle transportation. Thank you! 

Looking for other ideas? 

1. Consider giving a $5 donation to another local nonprofit you admire. There are so many organizations doing great work. CATCH has a vision to end homelessness in the Treasure Valley. Boise Angels walks alongside children in the Foster Care system. Idaho Guard and Reserve Family Support Fund provides grants and zero-interest loans for Idaho's Guard Members and Reservists and their families in emergency and urgent situations. Life’s Kitchen provides wrap around work and life skills to Opportunity Youth.  And of course there are 100s more great organizations you could support. 

2. Get yourself some delicious Palentine, Galentine, or Valentine date night takeout from your favorite local restaurant and give a lovably large tip to the hard working team that prepared your meal.

3. Pack a trash bag or bucket on your bike and stop along the ride to pick up litter. 

4. Head back home after you ride and write some cards and letters for local nursing home residents. 

5. Stop and share compliments and encouragement with strangers. 

Step Number Four: Share your ride, share your story, share the love

Tag @boisebicycleproject and hashtag #bikin4lovin so that we have a collective story for the day.  

Bikin’ 4 Lovin’ 2021 is our first social ride of 2021 and our first social ride in a very long time. We know it’s a little different than your tried and true typical social ride, but we think it’s going to be a lovin’ good time. We hope to see you from a distance or on social media on Saturday, February 13! 

Questions? info@boisebicycleproject.org