Riding to Build Community
Education, access, and safety on Bike East Bay’s Fall & Spring Ride series
By Phil Whitfield
Bike East Bay is always looking for the best ways to engage our community. One program Bike East Bay hosts is our two ride series: the Spring & Fall Ride Series. Although Bike East Bay is primarily an advocacy and educational organization, we currently organize about 12 rides every year, spread over the two series. While each series is geared toward different audiences, the values of education, accessibility, and safety are at the forefront of our planning for each of the rides. We try to cater to riders that are beginning their bike journeys, or who are looking to get involved but are not yet ready for a ride club.
Measuring our impact
Over the last year, over 250 riders have participated in our rides. Many people who have picked up cycling over the course of the pandemic have used our rides to learn the safest routes to scenic destinations around the Bay, get comfortable riding on roads, and build the confidence to take on longer and longer rides.
Fall Rides
With an eye towards growing advocacy and awareness in areas traditionally less focused on, our Fall Ride Series sticks to routes outside of the core East Bay area surrounding Oakland. Choosing rides in Fremont, Richmond, Antioch, and Livermore allows us to highlight work that is being done to improve these areas, and learn about the gaps that still need to be addressed. It encourages cycling supporters in the area to get a chance to participate in an easy-going ride, or even just to see a group of cyclists out in their area enjoying the infrastructure.
Spring Rides
Our Spring Ride Series is a training series. Every year, Bike East Bay participates in Climate Ride, a multi-day, charitable bike ride, and the Spring Ride Series is intended to prepare Bike East Bay’s Climate Ride team for the event. The public is invited to participate in training with the team (or join the team themselves!) as they start with a moderate, flat ride and progressively work their way up to an 80 mile ride with climbing to Davis, CA.
Participant journeys
Many people who begin in the Fall Ride Series move on to the Spring Ride Series.The theme is always that nobody gets left behind. Community and accessibility remain core to these rides. Pacing is modest and staff and support are always there to help out. Maybe you are, or maybe you know someone, just starting out. Maybe you just finished a learn-to-ride class and are wondering how to get involved next, or maybe you’ve been wanting to get out and ride for a long time but just don’t know how to get started. Keep a lookout for our rides: they might be for you!
For questions regarding engagement opportunities, email Membership@BikeEastBay.org.
