Whether you are cyclist, runner or walker, you probably know about the Booty Loop, a 2.8-mile loop in Myers Park. It is easily the most popular route in town. This beautiful route circles the wealthy Myers Park neighborhood near Queens College. Start at the parking lot on the corner Queens Road and Pembroke Avenue. Ride clockwise and link Queens Road, Selwyn Avenue, Queens West, Hopedale Avenue, Pembroke, and return to the starting point on Queens. It’s a quick course, and worth riding again and again.
So what is it about this loop in the heart of the Myers Park neighborhood that attracts exercise enthusiasts from all over? Maybe it’s the beautiful tree lined streets, maybe it’s the fact that you can continually loop around with no left turns or busy intersections, maybe it’s the sense of security with others around, or maybe it’s just great people watching. Whatever it is, this route is a magnet for outdoor exercisers.
The Booty Loop is Charlotte’s Boardwalk, where the active go to be amongst their own kind, but instead of ocean vistas, it has tree-lined streets with branches arched across the road creating a cathedral-style oak canopy. In the morning, at lunch, and during evening rush hour, cyclists take over an entire lane for their daily exercise routine, slowing traffic and eliciting exclamations from drivers who don’t want to share the road.
However once a year, the cyclists officially get a lane of their own as it is blocked off from 7pm on Friday until 7pm on Saturday for the annual 24 Hours of Booty event to raise awareness and funds for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and local cancer organizations. Named after the Loop itself, during the 24 Hours of Booty you ride either solo or create a dream team of cyclists – many teams log more than 250 miles during the 24-hour event. This year’s event is being held from July 25-26.
One of the most fun aspect of the event is Bootyville where riders set up campsites and canopies so they can sleep, or more importantly, rest and relax with friends off of the bike. The food tent is probably the most popular place outside of the course itself. Along with the three meals plus a midnight pizza party, riders will have access to snacks, energy bars, water and sports drinks. Bootyville also is the site of the expo area where the corporate sponsors set up shop and offer a range of services, including 24-hour bike support, raffles for special items and information about their services.
If you’ve not taken a stroll or ride along the Booty Loop, isn’t time you did? Go! See! Do!
