Moonlight Mass Night Cycle

Full moon night cycle through the bustling streets of Cape Town

The only thing religious about Cape Town’s Moonlight Mass – scheduled this month for Saturday, 25 May 2013 - is the pious devotion participants hold for the event. The monthly full moon bike ride – you see, it’s anything but church-related - aims to raise awareness for cycling as a viable transportation alternative, much in the same vein as the Cape Town Naked Bike Ride did. 

This full moon cycle isn’t aimed at lycra-clad leg-shaved speed freaks, but Capetonians who commute using the good ol’ bicycle. The ride highlights the fact that Cape Town has an embarrassingly high carbon emission rate that can be offset by using greener transportation methods. 

Cyclists are asked to meet under the Green Point roundabout at 9pm. At 9:15pm the ride kicks off through Granger Bay Boulevard and onto Beach Road towards Moullie Point, up Three Anchor Bay Road and then into Riebeek Street before everyone regroups on Long Street for some post-ride drinks. Additionally Moonlight Mass has expanded to include offshoots all over Cape Town.

• In Observatory, participants will meet in the car park of the River Club at 8:30pm and head off at 8:45pm for a relaxed 10-km ride at a leisurely pace along the river on whatever vehicle you choose - as long as it is either human- or electric-powered (bicycles, skateboards, rollerblades, scooters, etc). The route will take riders from the River Club down to the Two Rivers Urban Park – between Liesbeek River and Liesbeek Parkway – on to Alma Road and then up to the Rondebosch Common for an anticlockwise circuit, back down Amla Road and returning to the River Club. Player’s Cafe at the River Club will be open for drinks and snacks afterward.
• On the Cape Peninsula side of the world riders will meet opposite the Octopus Garden at the St James station parking lot at 8pm. As in Observatory, almost anything goes, bicycles, skateboards, snake-boards, rollerballs, heelies, inline skates and anything else human-powered is welcome. The route will take participants to Muizenberg, and then will turn around and head back to St James to meet at the Octopus Garden for drinks.

This time around, bikers can also catch the Medsport Rocket train to the city centre Moonlight Mass; the free ride runs from the Cape Peninsula, and gives cyclists the chance to win some fantastic prizes. The journey begins in Fish Hoek at 6:58pm and makes stops in Muizenberg, Wynberg, Kenilworth, Claremont, Rondebosch and Observatory before it reaches Cape Town at 8pm, with time to spare before the night-time bike ride.  Visit the Moonlight Mass Facebook page for departure times and details. 

There are only four simple rules to follow:

• Wear a helmet
• Use reflective gear
• Switch on the lights
• Obey all traffic laws

Upcoming Moonlight Mass Night Cycle Dates 2013

• 25 May
• 23 June
• 22 July
• 21 August
• 19 September
• 19 October
• 17 November
• 17 December

Special MyCiti Bus Routes for Moonlight Mass Night Cycle

MyCiti have arranged a special post-event bus route for those travelling to Table View and surrounds. Participants need to ensure that their myconnect cards are topped up with the correct amount of travel money, as the MyCiti Kiosks will not be open later than their regular times. Buses will depart from the Cape Town Civic Centre station at 11pm and stop on demand at the following stations.

• Paarden Island
• Lagoon Beach
• Woodbridge
• Milnerton
• Racecource
• Sunset Beach

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