Wave after wave of bike riders, most with lights flashing and some sporting colorful costumes, pedaled off into a warm July night as part of the annual Moonlight Classic this evening.
“It is cool how we get to dress up and ride,” said 6-year-old Grahm Gaydos, up way past his bedtime.
Grahm and his father Sean dressed as Ghost Busters, complete with jumpsuits and packs on their backs. It was the first ride for the Texas transplants.
There were Power Rangers and Transformers, Sleeping Beauty and Uncle Sam, Hannah Montana and the Cat in the Hat.
Denver City Councilwoman Carla Madison came dressed in orange – “I am the pumpkin lady.”
The Moonlight Classic is a non-competitive 10-mile ride that is seeking to raise $50,000 for Seniors Inc., a nonprofit that helps seniors maintain their independence.
The race starts and ends in front of the State Capitol building, with a route winding through Uptown, the Congress Park neighborhood, Cherry Creek, the Denver Country Club area and Downtown.
A family wave left tonight at 10:30 p.m., with a Gonzo wave with even wilder costumes were set to depart at 11:30 p.m. Riders have until 2:30 a.m. to conclude the race.
Last year, the Moonlight Classic moved from its usual spot in late August to July to accommodate the Democratic National Convention.
Participation dipped, but planners were expecting it to rebound this year, with about 5,500 riders, said event spokeswoman Pat Smith.
“We realized July was a good time to do it,” she said. The new date removes a conflict many families faced with back-to-school preparations.
The ride’s course also became closed-circuit this year for the first time. About two-thirds of the streets on the ride are closed to vehicle traffic, with one-third, primarily Speer Boulevard, seeing lane closures.
The event hired about 120 Denver police to watch intersections to keep riders safe and to allow traffic to pass through when needed, Smith said.
Aldo Svaldi: 303-954-1410 or asvaldi@denverpost.com
