Spotlight on Anthem Moonlight Ride

This popular event—now cycling into its third year—will bring an estimated 2,000 plus people on bicycles to the streets on Saturday. There are two route options, the 17-mile "Full Moon" course and an 8-mile "Half Moon" course.

Riders will have a relatively flat course to enjoy, which will wind through North Side and the near West End.

If you’re going, try dressing up off-the-chain, and you could walk away with one of the three prizes that sponsors Blue Moon will award to the best costume. Tacky lights and bike decoration are also encouraged.

Sports Backers, the event hosts, reported that a record 1,800 people have already pre-registered. Last year around 1,800 people participated.

The event was modeled after the Moonlight Ramble in St. Louis, Miss.-which gets around 10,000 riders, Jackie Holt, with Sports Backers, said.

"The event here has seen really quick growth, as it started with just over 900 riders in 2009, then grew to about 1,800 in 2010," Holt added.

Online registration has ended, but walk-up registration remains an option. The cost is $35 for adults and $15 for kids ages 8-14, with kids under 7 allowed free entry if they are riding on parents bicycle.

The price includes a heap of goodies:

Bike Number
Blinking light to attach to back of your bike during ride (can be used as your rear light to help fulfill the safety requirements)
Goodie Bag
Participant T-shirt
Pizza, ice cream and a complimentary soft drink or Blue Moon beer.

The weather forecast, so far, yields favorable temperatures and opportunities to see the full moon. No gawking though, for safety reasons!

For those showing up to the event in four wheels, there will be free parking available at the Diamond. Riders can start picking up registration packets at 6 p.m., with the first wave of riders departing at 8 p.m.

To alleviate congestion on the course organizers are utilizing 7 different wave starts, with each wave limited to 400 participants.

Once bikers arrive back at the stadium, rolling through the victory arches, the Agee's Post-Ride Party will ensue, with 11 p.m. set as the end time. Having worked up an appetite on the ride, bikers can feast on pizza, ice cream and beer while Three Sheets to the Wind serenades the crowd with their distinctive "yacht rock."

The course will be open to cars throughout the event, so riders will need to show caution. Here are a few tips for safe moonlight riding:

Helmets are required for cyclists and their child passengers.
All bikes must be equipped with a front and rear light. You will receive a blinking light at packet pick up that can be used as your rear light but you will need to provide your own front light.
Bicycles should also have both front and rear reflectors for visibility.
Ride slower and more cautiously than you would by daylight.
Darkness tends to impair depth perception and the hazards will be more difficult to see.
Obey all traffic signs and lights.
Follow the instructions of police officers and the safety course marshals.
Ride in the same direction as the automobile traffic.
Stay on the right side of the street: ride no more than two abreast.
Riders will not be allowed to pass the lead vehicle.
It's always a good idea to wear white or light- colored clothing for visibility.
Bike strollers should have reflectors and vertical flags.
Children under the age of 17 must be accompanied by a responsible adult.