9-27-2026 Colts Disciples Tailgate and a Pleasant Run Trail Ride

Once per year we try to go and visit the Colts Disciples when there is a home football game. This group has been tailgating since the Colts first came to Indianapolis. We didn't have tickets to the game, so after tailgating we took a ride on the Pleasant Run Trail to see what the new additions are. This is a trail that they have been working on extending East to connect with the Pennsy Trail.

Ride Facts

Date: Sunday, September 27, 2026

Route: Indianapolis roundtrip, with the Colts Disciples tailgate, White River State Park, the Cultural Trail, Pleasant Run Trail, and Irvington.

Distance: 20.27 miles from the recorded GPS track.

Time: 10:19 am–6:34 pm EDT; 8 hr 15 min elapsed, including stops—not moving time.

Trail notes: After the tailgate, we rode the Pleasant Run Trail to look at the additions toward the Pennsy Trail, as described in our day notes.

Food and drink: The tailgate included beer and food for the band after its performance.

A Little Colts History

The Colts relocated from Baltimore to Indianapolis on March 29, 1984. The team’s first Indianapolis home was the Hoosier Dome, later called the RCA Dome. Lucas Oil Stadium opened in 2008, replacing the dome as the Colts’ home; its retractable roof allows games to be played indoors or under an open sky.

Sources: Indianapolis Colts, “1980s” team history (https://www.colts.com/team/history/1980s); StadiumDB, “Lucas Oil Stadium” (https://stadiumdb.com/stadiums/usa/lucas_oil_stadium) and “RCA Dome” (https://stadiumdb.com/historical/usa/rca_dome).

The Day in Photos and Videos

You can see the Stadium in the distance there.

We found our way to where the Colts Disciples gather to tailgate. It is right in the parking lot for the Indians baseball stadium.

All of a sudden a bunch of bag pipers came by

Here is a video of the bagpipers

They had a long session. Then pretty soon they stopped and got beer and food for their efforts.

A kilted pipe and drum band performs among Colts fans at the tailgate.

On this day they had a cancer awareness group there with a booth setup. Some ex-pro football players were there in support.

Several people spoke about various important topics.

This is a video of the Colt's Diciples saying their motto

What is great is that these guys have special trailers so they can store their tailgate setups.

The game started and we took off for a ride.

As you can see it was a very nice day.

This is the Eiteljorg museum that is part of a whole complex of attractions that are collectively known as White River State Park. Check out www.whiteriverstatepark.com for more info.

On the right is the NCAA national headquarters.

This is our normal break spot. Eric is pretending to take a nap for the picture.

Nobody is ever at this spot, but it offers a great view of the Indianapolis.

One more shot of this awesome spot.

This is a very odd spot in the trail. The official bike trail gets taken over by valet parking for mega cars. Hope we don't scratch one.

The Cultural trail ties all of downtown Indianapolis together.

Riding beneath the overhead structure along a covered city passage.

They created this nice path as a connector between trails. Notice the nice separation they gave the bikers?

Now we are on an older trail called the Pleasant Run Trail.

This is very typical of the Pleasant Run Trail, it is not a rail-to-trail.

The Government did a good job with all of the bridges needed for the trail.

We made it to Irvington, which is very well known for decorating for Halloween.