Make Black Friday into Blacktop Friday This Year

Photo credit: Media Platforms Design Team
Photo credit: Media Platforms Design Team

What are you doing the day after Thanksgiving? This year, the Bicycling staff won't be waiting outside malls or perusing Internet shopping sites—instead, we’re opting to take the Blacktop Friday Challenge.

Blacktop Friday is our chance to encourage people to ride bikes and enjoy the outdoors on their days off. And since it’s the day after Thanksgiving, a bike ride might not be a bad idea: Research shows that the average person consumes over 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving. That’s seven hours of cycling for a 150-pound person, so Blacktop Friday comes at just the right time.

Related: 5 Reasons to Ride Outside This Winter

Several retailers have already announced plans to close on November 27, in order to give employees more time to enjoy the outdoors. REI was the first to announce that it will be closing all stores on Black Friday in order to let employees and customers #OptOutside. Even bike brands are getting into the spirit—Giro just announced that it will be shutting down its online store on Friday to encourage people to ride bikes instead of use computers.

Related: This Is What Happens to Your Brain when You Start Riding

Join us by tweeting your plans for the day at @BicyclingMag, and posting photos of your adventures to Instagram with the hashtag #BlacktopFriday. And you’re allowed to deviate from the blacktop—riding in mud and on dirt are also approved!

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