Red, Bike and Green celebrates its 12th anniversary in Atlanta during “Bikerversary”

Later, there will be a block party hosted by DJs Dimebag and Mikeflo, where patrons will participate in workshops, leading up to Sunday’s “Spottie-Ottie-Roadie” closing ceremonies, also held at Gordon White Park.

The final event will include two bike rides: “Red, Brunch and Green” and “Bikes, Birds and Beers”. The first is a ride followed by a paid brunch and the second will offer coffee, bird watching and a beer finale. With the exception of brunch, all events are free and donations are welcome.

“Because of black institutions in the West End, it’s harder to gentrify, but it’s gentrifying,” says Zahra Alabanza, founder of Atlanta’s Red, Bike and Green chapter, speaking about the intentionality of hosting the Bikerversary in this region and why. it “looks like old Atlanta” to people who compliment the organization’s work.

“Having an event like this in the middle of the West End, visible from Abernathy, visible from the Beltline, means ‘See what we’re doing.’ Understand that we are here. Understand that despite what you might think about this neighborhood and black people, this is actually what we do, what it looks like, and what it feels like.

Ironically, Red, Bike and Green has spent more than a decade working to bring “old Atlanta” to new ways of thinking about cycling as the city grows.

While most are introduced to the cycling collective during monthly community tours that visit black-owned businesses in various neighborhoods, the group also campaigns for adequate bike lanes and cycling education.

In 2012, Red, Bike and Green advocated for bike lanes on Auburn Avenue with a bike tour to encourage residents and business owners to see the benefits. In 2016, they partnered with the City of Atlanta and Relay Bike Share to launch the Atlanta Bike Champions initiative, raising awareness of a bike share program by training and educating Westside residents to become ambassadors.

Additional efforts over the years included consulting with local businesses and hosting urban farm tours. But the harsh reality is that Atlanta is still a pedal stroke behind other cities, with numerous published surveys consistently ranking Atlanta as one of the least bikeable big cities in America.

A 2023 list of the most bike-friendly cities in the United States ranked Atlanta 38th out of 50. A 2022 edition of the same study ranked the city 48th. The city’s rise in the rankings may seem like progress, but Alabanza sees things differently. .

“I think it got worse after 2020 for biking in (Atlanta),” she said, pointing to the lack of protected bike lanes to keep cars from entering and parking there.

“Even though there is more infrastructure, cars are much more reckless. Once you become a cyclist, you see how dangerous automobile infrastructure is and how much safer it needs to be for cyclists to feel comfortable on (the roads),” she adds.

The Bikerversary comes just weeks after Red, Bike and Green was recognized by Propel ATL, formerly the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, and received a Blinkie Award for creating “more inclusive spaces for people to bike, walk and use scooters or wheelchairs.

Red, Bike and Green does all of these things, but they are clear that the rides are exclusively for black cyclists. The reason, according to Alabanza, is community-oriented.

“It’s important to have an all-black race because we need our own spaces,” she says, admitting that some runners – including black cyclists – have claimed the practice is racist. Alabanza disagrees.

“You wouldn’t say a group of women getting together for an all-female activity was sexist. It’s the same thing,” she insists.

“We need spaces to feel comfortable and, over time, we may need them less. But it’s clear that people still appreciate the fact that it’s an all-black race. I think it allows us to be our authentic selves and talk about the things that affect us only in the way that affects us. It’s not just a bike ride.

The Red Bike and Green Bikerversary starts Friday. Event details are available at the organization’s website.