The KC Tweed Ride is this Saturday: Time to fetch your monocle

You’ve probably been thinking to yourself lately, “My goodness, that tweed three-piece suit I purchased from that darling little vintage shop three years ago has been disgracefully out of my outfit rotation.” The poor orange-and-brown-hued ensemble beckons you mournfully from its lonely, forgotten corner of your closet, and you drag your eyes to a sight that causes you slightly less guilt – your denim pile, perhaps.

Well, there is some good news for you (and your neglected tweed vest). This Saturday, BikeWalkKC is hosting the fourth annual Kansas City Tweed Ride, Velocipede & Tweed Indeed! And if an “afternoon of sophisticated social revelry” sounds like your type of thing, you should probably jump on this bandwagon. Er, bicycle.

The ride begins at Kessler Park and concludes with a picnic at Scarritt Point. The route is an easy, ambling one, and attendees are strongly encouraged to don period clothing and enjoy the fun.

“People go all out with the attire,” says Rachel Krause, one of the Tweed Ride organizers. “We see people wearing suspenders and knickers and knee-high socks, and we get high-wheelers, people on penny-farthings… . It’s a lot of fun.”

Even if you aren’t a hardcore biker – and find yourself regrettably without access to an antique velocipede – BikeWalkKC’s Tweed Ride isn’t exclusive.

“The route’s only 5 miles, and it’s on a closed drive, and it’s super-safe. It’s kind of ‘moseying down’ more than anything, and we see people who haven’t ridden a bike in months, or even years, come out,” Krause says. “And even if they don’t bike at all, they can still come to the picnic afterwards and just see all the costumes. It’s really an all-ages thing. We see a lot of families coming out – it’s really cute.”

It’s not a bad deal, either. Taking part in the ride costs $15, or $10 for BikeWalkKC members. All proceeds go to BikeWalkKC to help the organization continue its mission of building and strengthening the biking and walking community in Kansas City. Participants will receive a spoke card by Tara Tonsor of SEE{K} Design, and there will be plenty of prizes awarded for Best Dressed Man and Woman, Best Bicycle and Best Facial Hair.

“It should be a really good time. We have an accordionist playing, really embodying the whole Tweed Ride vision,” Krause says. “It really gets back at the roots and traditions of biking, back when it was fancy and dignified. It should be a good time to celebrate that, and have a good time with friends and strangers and the whole community.”

Bring out the petticoats and the shoe polish, folks.

For more information on the Kansas City Tweed Ride, you can visit the website here. If you’d like to register, you can click here.