Saturday June 17 – Delaware Freedom Ride: A Juneteenth Celebration
10:30am start; 8.5 miles or 15 mile round trip
Start: New Castle Courthouse Museum (211 Delaware Ave, New Castle DE 19720)
End: Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park w/ optional return trip
Cost: Free, pre-registration requested
Registration closes at 11:59pm on Thursday 6/15. Jump to Registration Form.
Join Urban Bike Project and Delaware Greenways for a 15-mile bicycle ride as we retrace the path of the Underground Railroad through New Castle County along a portion of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway.
At 10:30 the ride will begin and follow the Jack Markell Trail to Wilmington, stopping along the way to hear stories of key individuals in the historic fight for Black liberation in Delaware. These stories are shared through a virtual Story Map that is available on the Delaware Greenways website by visiting https://arcg.is/1OPeiS0
The one-way ride concludes at Tubman Garrett Riverfront Park in Wilmington. Riders who are comfortable riding the return trip on the trail themselves are encouraged to spend time enjoying the Wilmington Riverfront. An optional group return trip to New Castle leaves after a 15 minute rest at the Tubman Garrett Riverfront Park.
This ride is free and open to all ages. Helmets are required for all riders (if you do not have a helmet and would like to participate in the ride, please let us know so we can arrange a loaner for you). The route follows a paved multi-use path, with short stretches on low traffic roads. Families are welcome to join, but please no training wheels or strider bikes. Young people who are not comfortable riding on their own or who cannot maintain a consistent pace should be attached to a parent or guardian (via child trailer, tag-along bike, or child seat). All youth riders should be accompanied by a parent or guardian, or else they can register for the UBP Youth Ride (see below for more information).
Registered participant information will be shared with Delaware Greenways, the event’s organizing partner.
Urban Bike Project Youth Ride
Youth ages 10-17 who will not be accompanied by an adult are welcome to join Urban Bike Project’s youth riders! Urban Bike Project’s Youth Program Coordinator, Traci Currie, and our youth program volunteers will be leading a group of youth to join the 8 mile one-way ride from Old New Castle to Wilmington. Youth joining the youth riders do not need to be accompanied by an adult, but they must pre-register and submit a permission slip signed by a parent or guardian. You are able to submit registration, including the permission slip, for your youth rider through our registration form below.
Youth riders in need of transportation from Wilmington to the start may meet at Urban Bike Project’s shop, located at 1500 N. Walnut Street, by 9:45am. The ride will end at Urban Bike Project’s shop. There will NOT be a guided return trip for unaccompanied youth to Old New Castle, so parents picking up their youth should plan to meet their youth rider at UBP’s shop at 12:30pm.