Cyclists go the distance for environmental education, fundraising
The New Year is a great time to plot out your next bicycling adventure, like May’s fifth annual California Climate Ride.
The four-day California Climate Ride, which starts May 17, takes you through beautiful scenery during the day and brings you engaging speakers at night. Topics range from renewable energy and climate science to sustainability and bicycle infrastructure. Riders need only to focus on riding the 30 to 60 miles per day, while the Climate Ride staff takes cares of meals, snacks, bike support, luggage transport and all other logistics.
The ride is also a significant fundraiser for bicycle advocacy groups nationwide. To participate, each rider has to raise $2,800 for the charity of his or her choice, and you can choose local bicycle advocacy organizations, including the East Bay Bicycle Coalition or the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.
Climate Ride route
This year’s Climate Ride starts in the Presidio, where hundreds of cyclists will cross the Golden Gate Bridge and continue along the Marin coast. Then, turning east at Point Reyes Station, the route passes dairy farms and through Petaluma to the first night’s camp.
The next two days are spent pedaling through the verdant Wine Country vineyards of the Russian River Valley, Dry Creek, Alexander Valley and eventually into Napa Valley, where the route follows the Silverado Trail. The final day crosses the flat Central Valley, with a stop in Davis at the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame (www. usbhof.org) and on to Sacramento for a rally and speaking event in front of the Capitol.
The East Bay Bicycle Coalition has a team of people who are riding to support their advocacy work. If you join this team, you will have a great group of people to ride with, hands-on support for your fundraising from the Coalition staff, and a built-in community for the ride. Go to http://bit. ly/192RPKW to sign up as part of Team EBBC.
The S.F. Bicycle Coalition (www.sfbike.org), Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition (www.bi kesiliconvalley.org) and Marin County Bicycle Coalition (www.marinbike.org) all have teams participating in the climate ride; check their websites for more information.
Getting ready to ride
The East Bay Bicycle Coalition, one of the top beneficiaries of the 2013 Climate Ride, is organizing a series of training rides starting next month. This series of free rides is open to all, whether you are signed up for this year’s Climate Ride or not, and will introduce you to some of the East Bay’s most beautiful cycling routes.
The training rides progress in distance and difficulty as the start of the Climate Ride nears:
Bay Bridge and Bay Trail, Feb. 1, 15 miles.
Oakland to Fremont, Feb. 15, 32 miles.
Oakland/Berkeley Hills, March 1, 17 miles.
Three Bears, March 16, 25 miles.
Mount Diablo, March 30, 32 miles.
East Bay Hills, April 13, 44 miles.
Concord to Davis, April 26, 70 miles.
Mount Hamilton, May 10, route TBD.
Bring water, snacks and a helmet for all rides. For more information on the ride series and the California Climate Ride, go to www.ebbc.org/climateride. Or visit the official Climate Ride website at www. climateride.org.