Biking in Memphis: It's not as scary as you think

Seeing Memphis from a different angle

Now that I've completed my cross-county bike ride, I've made it my mission to continue cycling as much as I possibly can before the Montana roads are covered in snow. So when I made an unexpected trip back to my hometown of Memphis, TN for a memorial service, I figured I'd make the best of it and get some late-season warm weather riding in (along with some Mom/Dad time). I borrowed  a bike from a neighbor and took to the streets on two wheels.

I've biked in and around several large cities - Portland (OR & ME), Pittsburgh, Columbus, St. Louis, Denver, and even Pie Town, NM (population 153) - and to my surprise have found that I enjoy urban riding and the thrills that come along with it. But Memphis still seemed daunting to me, moreso than other cities, and anyone who's lived there probably understands my initial reservations. The thing is, Memphis drivers are notoriously awful. As one of my friends once put it, "They were trained by kamikaze pilots". Not to mention, growing up in Memphis there was very little bike infrastructure to welcome and protect cyclists on the road (I came to find out this has improved). Some of the neighborhoods are "sketchy" and you could easily find yourself in  bad spot, I've been warned. I may not have lived in Memphis for the last ten years, but I've still got sweet tea and barbecue sauce running through my veins, I still root for the Tigers and the Grizzlies, and I still get just as defensive as the next Memphian when my hometown is made out to be nothing but an obesity-plagued, violence-filled outcast that belongs in some kind of fat-camp-penitentiary for misfit cities. I wanted to see if biking the streets of big, bad Memphis was as scary as I thought.

Big wheels keep on turnin'

I set out from Midtown on a clear, crisp morning with the intention to ride for about 20 miles. Following mostly along the city's designated bike routes (yes, we have those!), I wound through quiet Midtown streets until I hit McLean and headed to north Memphis, one of those "sketchy" parts of town I'd been warned about. I was guided by clear signage, both to designate the bike route and to inform drivers of bikes on the road. I enjoyed bike lanes and "share the road" symbols on the streets the majority of the way. Cars passed courteously at a safe speed and distance. Pedestrians were no sketchier than my neighbors down the street; however, I did get some stares and funny looks, granted I was decked out in full neon. From north Memphis I headed west towards the Mississippi River and caught part of the Mississippi River Trail, a network of bikeways from the headwaters in Itasca, MN to the Gulf of Mexico. The roads brought me into Harbor Town and alongside the Greenbelt path next to the river with views of the iconic "M" bridge and Pyramid.

Grinding my gears along the Grindhouse

Up and over the hump of the Auction St. bridge and I found myself in the heart of downtown Memphis, enjoying another mile or two of bike lanes along the river before turning into the more congested downtown area. A bumpy jaunt up construction-filled South Main led me to Midtown Bike. The store owner was eager to swap stories and opinions about bike travel, telling me about a group of 100 people on tandems who came through this summer. He felt hopeful about the state of bike commuting and cycling in Memphis, especially with the promise of the Harahan Bridge Project underway, an effort that will convert one of Memphis' old bridges into a bikeway across the Mississippi River connecting downtown Memphis to neighboring Arkansas. I can't wait to ride it. Leaving the shop I dodged and hopped the trolley tracks along South Main (not an area I'd recommend for bikes) and made my way past the Lorraine Motel, along the FedEx Forum, and down Beale Street. Downtown riding was a little more technical and stop-and-go with more intersections and traffic, but cars were no less aware or respectful of me and my bike as I cruised along my favorite Memphis landmarks.

Lunch of champions

Name that flavor

I had initially planned to make my way back to my house from here and call it a day, but I was enjoying the ride so much I had to keep going. Plus I had to ride off the lunch I'd eaten at Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken. So I jumped onto another of the city's bike routes and headed east on Peabody and Central. These were two of my favorite streets to ride, with little traffic and wide lanes bordered by beautiful old Central Gardens homes. I rode past the shops and restaurants of the Cooper-Young district, the Pink Palace, and the bustling University of Memphis campus. Turning back north on Goodlett, there were a few busier intersections but nothing you can't handle without a little patience and some friendly hand signals. At one point while trying to merge left as car after car passed me I thought, "Yes, my left arm sticking out means that I would like to move in that general direction" - to no avail. Drivers didn't seem to be all that used to seeing cyclists on the roads, which hopefully will change as bike commuting increases in the city. I continued to Graham, past one of my old schools, Grahamwood Elementary, until I reached Jerry's Sno Cones - home to the most heavenly, syrup-dripping sno cones found anywhere. After staining my tongue red and ensuring a certain spike in my blood sugar, I continued northbound on Graham and Highland, returning to north Memphis before turning back down McLean into Midtown. Still not wanting the ride to end, I took a leisurely spin around my favorite Midtown spots - the Memphis Zoo, Overton Park, Brooks Museum and the Levitt Shell.

By the time I reached my house I had ridden roughly 40 miles around the heart of Memphis (route map here). I saw the city in a new light, from a new angle, up close and personal. I saw places familiar to me from childhood and places I had never seen before. I found the neighborhoods friendly and the streets safe. In four hours of riding I didn't get honked at, yelled at, close-passed, or cut off by Memphis drivers. The one time a car did swing its turn partially into the bike lane, it had a Texas license plate.

So that's where all my stolen bikes ended up...

Am I saying Memphis drivers and streets are perfect for biking? No. On any other given day, could I have encountered rude, crazy drivers? Yes. But overall I didn't experience anything that corroborated the preconceived notions I held about how scary and dangerous it would be to bike the streets of Memphis. It should also be noted that I was practicing safe riding by wearing a helmet and bright clothing, using hand signals, staying in the right of the lane, riding predictably, and remaining extremely vigilant as I rode. Failure to ride safely and making poor decisions will put you in more danger than any kamikaze driver. Be smart, be safe, and get out there and bike Memphis. It's not as scary as you think. You might even discover that you like it.




Where to ride? 
Try these out for starters (click for websites/maps):

Shelby Farms Greenline
Overton Park
City of Memphis bike routes
Shelby Forest State Park
Katy's Tour de Memphis route
Ride to Randolph route