Building Community through Classes & Rides
In-person activities resume
As we slowly begin to transition out of the pandemic, Bike East Bay invites you to join one of our in-person activities to get to know folks in your community, learn something new, and have fun! Online platforms have served us well over the past year, and we also recognize the value of connecting with our peers in-person. We’ve missed you, and are excited to share some ways to get reacquainted with your biking community.
Attend a free class
This fall, Bike East Bay’s Education Program celebrated our first in-person, indoor class since the beginning of the pandemic. Don’t worry — we’re still offering plenty of webinar classes for folks to tune into from the comfort of their own homes! Our Education program is excited to bring back more (sanitized) hands-on, human connection-centered teaching that makes our classes so fun, memorable, and for many, life-changing!
For League of American Cyclist Certified Instructor (LCI) Anthony DiSalvo, his love for bicycling shines through when he is instructing an in-person class. Anthony is able to move freely around the classroom and can read participant engagement cues when he teaches in-person. Anthony shared, “In the classroom, I can move around, look at different people, use more props, and bring a whole bicycle as opposed to pictures or pieces. They get a better idea of what I’m talking about. Having in-person classes opens up a whole world of teaching.”
Like instructors, Education Program participants were excited to get back into action at our in-person classes to gain hands-on experience with bicycling topics and to connect with peers. As a participant, María Ochoa, longtime Hayward resident, community elder, and new Bike East Bay member, had a blast at her first Adult Learn to Ride Class this October. María mentioned,
“I saw that Bike East Bay had a free workshop for adult cyclists, so I signed up. I was a little intimidated at first because I’m 70 years old and I’m always worried about falling. Part of why I want to cycle is to work through the stereotypes in my head and socially others may have about what it means to be an elder.”
Ride with us
Another great way to safely return to in-person activities this year was our Fall Ride Series. Focused on easy riding, these slow-paced rides are mostly on paved paths and family-friendly. The series focused on communities that are made up of more Black and Brown folks than where rides typically occur. More than 100 people participated in the series this year.
We caught up with two ride participants to hear how they felt after their rides: “In terms of being guided and safe, it was wonderful to park your brain and just ride,” said Michael Gregory, former San Leandro city councilmember. “It was also great to enjoy the parks that are opening up as we speak.”
“I like that it is designed around everybody,” said Holly Vezina, a long-time member and volunteer with Bike East Bay.
“Everybody is welcome. It was a ride that I knew if I showed up I wouldn’t feel like I was straggling behind, or like maybe I wouldn’t feel welcomed. I saw families. I saw people like me. I saw all ages.”
We are really excited to see folks out again. Whether you’re a beginner, learning, or riding all the time, it’s important to feel connected to community. As we gradually leave the pandemic behind, in-person events will be essential for us in building a safe, people-powered biking community for all.
Join us for classes and rides at BikeEastBay.org/Calendar!
