Sean Starosta views the world in a different way than people traveling to and from destinations in cars, buses or trains, the points in between whizzing by as almost an afterthought.

Starosta, one of the lead coordinators for the Temple University Bike Tour, experiences most of their daily journeys on the back of a bike.

"It's how I move around in the world. I bike to work, I sometime ride my bike to my parents who live near Ambler — I'll take the route we have planned for the Bike Tour," said Starosta, Lead Administrative Specialist with the Temple University Office of the Provost. "I see so much that I would miss traveling in a different way. There's freedom and adventure to it — it's seeing the world in a way you wouldn't otherwise."

It's that sense of wonder — of seeing and discovering the world around you — that event organizers hope participants will experience during the second annual Temple University Bike Tour, which will be held on Sunday, April 27, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Register online at https://ambler.temple.edu/biketour.

"We are so grateful to the 125 cyclists who made the first Temple University Bike Tour in 2024 such a success — they were our pioneers, and we hope to see many of them return along with new riders as we continue to grow," said Dr. Vicki Lewis McGarvey, Vice Provost for University College and Director of Temple University Ambler. "The goal of the Bike Tour is to have students, faculty, staff, alumni, members of the Philadelphia and regional cycling community — truly anyone — join us on this beautiful tour and see firsthand how we can make these connections between the city and its surroundings."

The Temple University Bike Tour is $35 for general riders (Early Bird Registration fee of $30 will continue through March 24) and $15 for Temple students. Funds raised during the Bike Tour will support Temple University Ambler's continued tornado recovery efforts and initiatives such as educational programming, research, outdoor wellness and the 187-acre publicly accessible Ambler Arboretum.

Hosted by Temple University Ambler, the Temple University Office of Sustainability and the Temple University Office of the Provost, the scenic tour will begin at the Temple University Diamond Street parking lot in Philadelphia and end at Temple University Ambler. The Bike Tour will travel a beautiful 22-mile route, touring the greenway through Fairmount Park, Wissahickon Valley Park's Forbidden Drive and Fort Washington State Park.

Emphasizing the health benefits of cycling, two important parts of the Temple University Health System, Temple Health — Chestnut Hill Hospital and the Fox Chase Cancer Center, both proudly sponsor the Bike Tour.

"The Bike Tour is becoming an important event for our Temple family, and we want to do our part to make it as successful are possible," said Joel Helmke, Chief Operating Officer of the Fox Chase Cancer Center. "The Bike Tour is something that's going attract a lot of attention from people who are very focused on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. We want to contribute to the success of those efforts."

New to the City of Philadelphia Helmke said he has quickly discovered that "the route [the Bike Tour] will take is spectacular!"

"I drive along those areas every now and again and it's just a spectacularly beautiful area that I think is under-appreciated nationally," he said. "My hope is that the Bike Tour reinforces the very important role that Temple plays in the community. We are creating the future of the city of Philadelphia at Temple University. We are educating people that want a brighter future, and I think we are part of the reason that the city of Philadelphia is again growing."

The goals of the Bike Tour "line up very well with what we are trying to do to promote healthy living," said Richard Newell, President and CEO of Temple Health — Chestnut Hill Hospital, who plans on being among the cyclists on April 27.

"For those participating, they are engaging in a healthy physical activity, but it goes beyond that," he said. "At every bike race or tour I've been a part of — whether through sponsorship or participation — the events also get a lot of the community out to cheer the cyclists on, which is getting them outside walking and moving as well. The socialization, the relationship-building, it encompasses all of the different things that [Chestnut Hill Hospital] tries to do in terms of being a good partner for the community."

Celebrating Temple Ambler at the Ambler Arboretum

At the finish line, Bike Tour participants, family, friends and the general public are invited to a celebration including activities for the whole family, information from Bike Tour sponsors and tours showcasing the unique experiences available at Temple Ambler!

Among the various activities at the celebration, the Temple University Bookstore will have a pop-up shop of assorted Temple gear available. The Temple Ambler Field Station and Solar States will be offering tours of the campus' research array including its agrivoltaics research garden studying crop growth under solar panels. For individuals only planning to attend the Ambler Campus Celebration, which will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the event is free, but we do ask that they register.

“As people become more and more reliant on vehicles, people have forgotten what a greenway is — using the trails and the different trail systems in our area to travel,” said avid cyclist Chris Willard, Director of Tactical and Professional Development in Temple’s Department of Public Safety, who took part in the 2024 Bike Tour and is planning to so again in 2025. “I hope that participants see what they're capable of doing on a bike and they discover other organized rides or even just make it a regular activity for their family. I hope they also see how much Temple is working to be an important community resource throughout the region.”

Holly Lynn, Manager of Experiential Learning at Temple Ambler and a member of the Bike Tour Committee is another avid cyclist with “a long history of biking with my family.”

"I have so many wonderful memories of doing long bike trips with my parents and extended family from a very young age. I'm excited to be a part of either the starting line or finish line activities because of the energy that occurs at these locations — that spirit before something starts or as it is ending is exciting!," she said. "I love being a cheerleader for those types of celebrations and even more I love helping to amp up that energy — this amazing environmental and outdoor wellness experience deserves that kind of enthusiasm. What I love about this particular bike tour is the fact that it is accessible to all levels of riders. Cyclists will tour the greenway from Philadelphia to Ambler seeing new spaces as they join community members from students and alumni to staff members, youth and the general public." 

Additional Temple University Bike Tour sponsorship is being generously provided by the Absolutely Apropos; RDS Vending; Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation; WRTI 90.1; Health Mats: Walkway Safety Solutions; Piscitello Bicycle Law Advocates;  The Larry DiFranco Team at Elfant Wissahickon REALTORS®; Van’s Lock Shop; and Weavers Way Co-op.

For more information about the Bike Tour or to learn how to become an event sponsor, visit https://ambler.temple.edu/biketour.