Pedal through a different side of Nashville before whooping it up

In Nashville, live music pours out of open-walled watering holes seamlessly throughout the city centre, morning until night, making the Tennessee capitol a haven for country, rock and blues. But the best part of Nashville, and rarely mentioned, is the Music City Bikeway. My husband (obsessed musician) and I (obsessed cyclist) figured we could make a long weekend of both live music and cycling.

Our first day was spent on Broadway until the wee hours of the morning, ending at Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar i n Printer’s Alley. The next day, we set ourselves up with a couple Stumpjumper rentals from Trail and Fitness Bicycles. A 25-minute car ride gets you there and it’s a sweet, 40-minute ride back through trails, luxurious neighbourhoods and city streets.

We experienced what every cyclist knows f rom exploring new places: you see more from the saddle.

By hooking into the 42-km Music City Bikeway, we came across some things you wouldn’t expect from Nashville. After all, its nickname is Nashvegas and we were amazed at how a couple of Stumpjumpers broke us free from the flashing lights, party life, noise and tourists.

We spent the day riding toward the Grand Ole Opry along the Cumberland River. Once out of the core and across the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge with its great views of the city, the Bikeway took us into Shelby Bottoms, a 960-acre park. We crossed under one of the many bridges that spans the river, its cement pillars towering high above us before reaching its steel trusses. We had to remind ourselves we were still in Nashvegas when we hit the brakes because a family of deer stepped directly in our path, taking their time before bounding off into the brush.

The ride itself is flat, but climbing toward the Cumberland River Pedestrian Bridge is a winding trek. Once at the top, we had panoramic views and saw the Tool Fire sculpture, a monument to volunteers who rebuilt Nashville after the 2010 flood.

We loved the many different thoroughfares the Bikeway took us over and under. We breezed passed graffiti, through culverts and under highways while still on the official route. But as the city’s music has a way of doing, it was calling for our return and so were the avocado margaritas. Plus, the next day, we had plans to ride to Music Row and tour the studios where B.B. King and Elvis Presley had recorded.

Leaving the nature behind, we rode back into the nucleus of the party zone with groups of music lovers whizzing passed us in pickup trucks, wagons and bar bicycles, while whooping it up into the Music City scene. With a mesh of sounds resonating from monstrous performers and a memorable ride under our belts, we were ready for another night of great music.

We pedalled past the Ryman where Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash and Taylor Swift had performed before reaching our hotel. I swapped my bike helmet for a cowboy hat, branding myself an official tourist. That’s right. No self-respecting Nashville native wears a cowboy hat. But, what the heck, I was in Nashville. I had some whooping up to do.

“But as the city’s music has a way of doing, it was calling for our return and so were the avocado margaritas.”