Get into the spirit of this ride!
SJBP will be raising money for the Joshua West Memorial Fund.
Joshua West, 28, of Los Gatos was killed while riding his bike in Los Gatos on Feb. 1, 2010.
San Jose Bike Party would like to remember this fallen cyclist as we ride through Los Gatos this month. We wish to pay tribute to him and in a larger sense remember fallen cyclists who have perished while riding in the saddle. We are very much a part of the communities we live in and think it is important to pause and reflect, even as we celebrate cycling each moth.
We are dedicating two actions towards this effort:
- SJBP Donation cans: 100% of proceeds going to his daughter
- We will walk our bikes past the crash site on Lark Ave, as a sign of respect
Learn more about the accident.
Ride Details:
Wheels hit the street @ 8:00 PM
Please note there has been a slight change to the start location as there is a musical going on at the Center for the Performing Arts. The new start is located nearby at the parking lot on Woz Way under the 280/87 freeway ramp across from the Children’s Discovery Museum (where the ride started in Aug 2009). The route map has been updated to reflect this change.
Start: Parking lot on Woz Way under 280/87
- Route into Los Gatos
- End: 7th & San Carlos, SJSU
Maps and Route Sheets:
March Route 26.25 miles: link
Route sheets & map: link
Pre-Ride info:
Great way to get to the start with fellow riders.
- North SJ / Santa Clara: Map
- Ride leaves @ 6:30 PM, meet in front of Peets @rivermark Lead by Ian
- South San Jose: corner of Almaden Expressway and Branham Lane
- Ride leaves @ 7:15 PM, meet lot behind the Carl’s Jr, Lead by Townie Bill
- West San Jose/Campbell: west of corner of Winchester Blvd and Campbell Ave. Map
- Ride leaves @ 7:00 PM, meet at Campbell Community Center, Lead by Ed
Parking options:
Light rail is only one block away. Pre-Rides will come from SSJ, Campbell and NSJ.
Please check the dt SJ Parking Map - click on each location, orange are $3, blue such as the Almaden lot where we are starting is $7: link
Food Vendors:
Bring money for food!
MoGo Taco truck and Quick Dog will be joining us!
Quick Dog will be donating 15% of their earnings from the night to the Joshua West Memorial Fund. They also have a veggie dog for all you GREEN eaters.
Get ready, we are gearing up for a sweet ride.
Green Hair girl
March 20, 2010
Man, to the comment above, I feel the EXACT same way and if we aren’t careful, we might get Bike Party SHUT DOWN!!! I almost wanna go out today and clean up after you SLOB’S!!! Other than the girl getting hit by a car and the guy that got beat up by BIKE PARTY members!!!! >:/ it was a good night but, a lot of shit went down and I honestly don’t know how long Bike Party will last with this kind of behavior.
Signed,
Me Too
Timmypink
March 20, 2010
To all of you who were out there drinking, why did you have to leave your beer cans and bottles out in the streets. We are a peaceful group of riders doing bike rides to build community. Please STOP messing it all up for everyone. Every piece of trash I make I put it in my back pack and unload it at the trash cans @ regroup. There were plenty of volunteers with recyling bins and trash bins walking around making sure your trash was getting into a bin..We want bike party to survive for years to come, not get it shut down because your to lame to put your trash in a bin or carry it with you. thanks
CokeFiene
March 20, 2010
This was one of the best bike party’s ever but however you join this ride for freedom to the streets spreading a message revolting against the system on how it is run while having fun at the same time but many of the older riders cant deliver that message if they keep acting like they are 17 , many riders of the San Jose community say that the majority of the riders that make bike party seemed bad are the youngster but when it is actually the other older riders trying to fit in whit the new fad that the youngster are creating . So grow up a bit & act like an adult & step your game up clean up your mess dont try to be such a hard ass by showboating to the other riders do the job you were meant to do so bike party’s last , because if you cant clean up your attitude how do you suppose the youngsters & new upcoming riders will clean up theres
360
March 20, 2010
What a great ride. Huge crowd. Thought it went well. No trouble that I saw. Overall one of the friendlier crowds, beautiful night and great route.
Please dont judge the whole, because of actions by the 13% element.
dc
March 20, 2010
Just a note to the cyclists who were riding down Fruidale Avenue last night after midnight (I assume you were part of this event). When riding through residential neighborhoods in the middle of the night, try to remember that some people are asleep at that hour, okay? You guys woke me out of a sound sleep with your yelling and bike-mounted boom boxes. Not a way to make friends with the general public. (and I’ve been riding bikes myself for over 30 years)
Jahlaen
March 20, 2010
@360
Please, please, please… SJBP has gathered extensive data on the “lunatic fringe element” that attaches itself to the monthly ride.
That “lunatic fringe” is reliably estimated at between 2 to 5 percent.
As the turn-outs for Bike Party get larger, so do the proportion of anarchists who show up to Bike Party, commensurate to the afore mentioned percentage range, just for the purpose of flouting the rules and disrupting the ideals of Bike Party.
Building community through bicycling where everyone is accepted and nobody is rejected is the primary founding tenet of SJBP.
SJBP stands steadfastly to its founding principles, but as you and onlookers from the broader community can see… it has its consequences.
Let me add that similarly justice is blind, but that too has consequences, because if the constable errs, the accused goes free, even if the crime is grave.
Also there are several independent ventures that do follow Bike Party’s route to snag bottles, cans and trash for recycling. So the comment by that independent bystander doesn’t tell the complete story.
However; there is no escaping nor dancing around the fact that SJBP has significant challenges that the community sees as opportunities.
That is why we remain perennial optimists in the belief that the journey towards perfection is worth the effort and that we are making a difference.
Not So Fast My Friend
March 20, 2010
Your problem is not two to five percent – or at least it wasn’t last night. I was walking the streets of Los Gatos, and then driving. And I watched your group make a mess of the town.
I saw MOST of the riders continuing through red lights, spilling over into opposite-direction lanes, drinking, littering and being generally unruly. When traffic laws were obeyed, it was only because the police were in the immediate area.
Be an optimist if you like, and feel free to stick your head in the sand – but you’re ignoring what’s really going on. Frankly, if the MAJORITY of your attendees don’t change their behvior, your enemies will multiply quickly and your fun will end. First among your opponents will be civil cyclists who seek to avoid retribution from the drivers you have angered.
Not Your Friend
March 20, 2010
Just ignore the trolls.
Last night was a great ride. Saw no fights, hardly any drinking, one or two losers usually ran a light when it was stale yellow or had just turned red.
Stopped to help with the guy that crashed on Santa Cruz. Directed people around him and there was an EMT onsite within 30 seconds even though there didn’t appear to be any serious injury.
Everyone walking their bike past the memorial on Lark was awesome.
Seemed to be less people playing music but I was more towards the front, thinking about building a stereo trailer myself.
Joshua West's Uncle
March 21, 2010
Our Family thanks you all from the bottom of our hearts. This was very touching and we will never forget it. Because of good people like you Brianna will have a better future. She is such a wonderful girl and we do see her dad in her eyes and spirit..
Uncle Frank