The temperature is mild. Trees sway in a gentle breeze. It is Saturday morning and 75 new friends, as diverse as their bikes, enjoy the year’s first Bikin’ & Eggs event.
“Bikin’ & Eggs is our early morning breakfast ride,” said Trek Bicycle Store Johnson City Event Planner Sydney Lawson, “where we team up with Bojangles Tri-Cities and they provide breakfast.”
The ride leaders are Trek Store employees and three boys all under 11 years old. The pace is conversational to ensure participants complete the ride. This also allows the riders to focus on friendship and family.
“We go for about a 10-mile ride,” said Lawson, “to the Tweetsie Trail Quarry and back and it’s just a lot of fun.”
The Tweetsie Trail is a rails-to-trails project in Johnson City, Tennessee. It is a gravel trail that runs approximately 9.5 miles from Johnson City to nearby Elizabethton, Tennessee. The Tweetsie Trial will eventually extend to Roan Mountain.
The ride is an active alternative to Saturday morning cartoons. The streets have less traffic, and watching Johnson City wake-up provides a new perspective. The ride is safe and is a no-drop event ensuring fun for the whole family.
“When I saw [the] little one, in the carrier in the back,” said participant Pat Huber. “That is what families should be doing on a Saturday morning instead of watching cartoons.”
Urijah Kim, one of the young leaders said his favorite part of the ride is eating bacon and eggs at the end. His dad’s favorite food group is the coffee provided by Open Doors Coffee Shop. Many participants corral at the Trek Bicycle Store Johnson City afterward until the food and drinks are gone.
“I want to ride bicycles and sometimes watch cartoons,” Kim said. He likes to do group rides in Johnson City because, “usually when we get done riding bikes, we get to eat.”
Bikin’ & Eggs is a unique opportunity to rent and demo some bikes too. The Trek Store has Townies and E-Bikes available. Helmets are required for everybody and decorations are encouraged. The whole point of this ride is to have fun and enjoy the company of neighbors.
The food and coffee is a favorite reward for many. It isn’t the only payout for riders though. Many celebrate completing the ride because it inspires confidence to those whom underestimate themselves.
“Making it up the hill,” said Huber immediately when asked about her favorite part. “Then having that wonderful reward at the end. Eggs and bacon, those wonderful blueberry biscuits.”
The ride is slow-paced and mostly downhill on the way to the quarry. This makes the return trip a little more interesting. The weather was perfect and conversations were heard more than heavy breathing.
“I like it (Bikin’ & Eggs) more than the Taco Trek because there are less people,” said rider Kaylani Ngirarois. “ Everybody is riding a little slower because they are not just trying to get back for free beer. It makes the Bikin’ & Eggs more personable and gives you the ability to meet new people from within your community.”
One gets a deep sense of community here. Participants can be overheard discussing what they love about bicycling and Johnson City. Many meet new people and make lunch plans for the same day.
“It is an event for everybody,” said Ngirarios. “You can get a true sense of the person from their bike. You have everything from real-shredders on full-suspension bikes to hippies cruising on Townies, it’s great”
Community and togetherness is the theme of the day. Co-Owner of Open Doors Coffee Shop Michael Marion is serving hot coffee to participants. He is smiling and carrying on like every person is a friend.
“We love being a part of the community,” Marion said, “especially the downtown community’s unique owners of private shops, such as Trek, and believe in what they are doing.”
Marion is a bit of a large man standing around 6’5” but soft spoken. He is unassuming and pours coffee for everybody. He adds cream and sugar to Ngirarois’s coffee because her hands are full with a toddler. Marion is quick to help and has personal reason why Bikin’ & Eggs is important for Johnson City.
“Well, more so then ever we need community within communities,” said Marion. “The biking community is just a unique group of people who share a love for being outdoors and for two-wheeling.”
Marion is not a big bike rider himself but knows how important riding can be. He is here to support a way forward for this small Southern Appalachian city. In a region hit hard by economic downturn and illegal drug abuse Marion sees a silver lining in bikes.
“I told somebody this morning that nobody can ride a bike mad, it just brings out the best in you. I think [group rides] are vital to those that want more community,” said Marion.
If one missed 2018’s first Bikin’ & Eggs there are no worries. Trek Bicycle Store Johnson City host the event every second Saturday of the month from April to October. The next one is this Saturday, so mark your calendars now!
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