The promise of rain couldn’t keep Bike Party from happening last night. Approximately 1,200 riders were counted right after the Winchester Movie Domes. What could have been a down pour in spots, turned out to be a fantastic ride! Honestly, the weather couldn’t have turned out nicer. Many thanks for all the volunteers who posted up on corners and worked many hours behind the scenes to pull off this ride. And yes fellow riders, we love that you made it out this month!
Highlights included the high energy levels that everyone brought as we rolled past neighborhoods and all over this town. Music trailers and more systems on individual bikes kept the vibe going. The Mary Street foot bridge remains an amazing image in my mind. Seeing a taco truck at the rest stops was truly a bike party first. And when the occasional spill happened, people stopped to help their fellow riders get back on the bicycle, simply amazing. We truly hope that Bike Party is able to foster a sense of positive behavior as we hit the streets, meet new people, make friends, and continue to explore the community we are all part of.
Share your reflections here in the comments – if we see any recurring themes, we’ll add to this post.
Please post & share photo/media links!
Celebrate thy Nerd-om!
Help make this month’s “Revenge of the Nerds” ride memorable by wearing a costume to support the theme.
FACTOIDS:
- Start: Civic Center Parking Lot [ 79 W Hedding St, SJ ]
- End: The “Corona of Palms” [ Downtown SJ ]
- Wheels hit street at 8:00pm.
CHARTS:
See below for additional details.
What a glorious bunch of holiday lights tonight! Tonight’s ride might not have too many superlatives for it – it certainly wasn’t our longest or shortest in distance, it was neither the best-attended or sparsest (around 950 counted at Central & Westfield), BUT it was quite possibly the best received! Sidewalk observers and passers-by were in fine form tonight, with holiday cheer shared amongst all. Our ride encountered literally hundreds of amazing holiday decoration displays, including one on Glen Eyrie that included an entire brass band! Neighbors didn’t seem to mind the traffic jam for this impromptu block party – this was a piece of San Jose community at its best.
Thanks to the incredibly thoughtful route planners and the many, many BIRDs who helped to direct cyclists at complicated turns. Tonight seemed to prove that perhaps being a BIRD isn’t a patch or a qualification, but a job anyone can step into at any time. Thanks to those who jumped right in where needed and helped make the ride great – THAT is the down-home Bike Party community spirit.
One reminder: bike lights make an excellent holiday gift for casual cyclists and regular riders alike, and if tonight’s ride is any sign, this valley’s cyclists could use a LOT more bike lighting. Remember, be safe, follow the law, and ride confidently!
Happy Holidays!
We have a neighborhood-focused ride full of holiday lights this month.
There are a few important things to remember:
- Arrive on time! Wheels hit the street @ 8pm!
- Light up your bike! It’s dark, it’s the holidays, DO IT.
- Please don’t forget to follow the “How We Ride.” Make this a successful ride by keeping fellow riders, pedestrians, and cars happy and safe on their commute. We don’t want any crashes or $400 tickets.
- Bring a canned food item or two to be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank.
The route for the event is here: Scarf Ride Route Map.
Please print (1-10+) these out before the ride:
The starting and ending point of the ride is 101 Paseo de San Antonio Walk – by the SJ Rep. Please do NOT park at the starting location.
Volunteers needed! Meeting @7:30pm (prob towards the SJ Rep box office)
Its cold outside, so so cold so we are having a scarf ride!! This is an easy “costume,” and you have NO excuses not to dress up. We want to see that scarf fly like a flag!
Because of the season, we are pushing the ride up slightly earlier. Wheel’s will hit the street at 8 PM. That means, get there early!!!
Sneak peek of route and starting location:
- The ride will start and end in downtown SJ. As always, the exact starting location and route will be announced a day or two before the ride-perhaps earlier!
- The route will include a nice tour of lots of lights throughout the town (tentatively dt SJ, Willow Glen, Rose Garden, Campbell and more…)
Getting There:
- If you must use VTA, get there early. Light Rail fills up quickly. Take Light Rail early to downtown San Jose for dinner.
- If you need to park, park using the downtown SJ parking map, the orange lots are the cheapest. Or park at Tamien CalTrain and ride in; it’s only about two miles.
- If you are taking a train, the San Jose Diridon Station is the closest, but Tamien CalTrain Station has free parking – station list and map
- Ride your bicycle to the starting point! We will be announcing pre-ride meet ups with the route.
Other Important things to remember:
- We are having a can food drive. Bring a can, bring ten!! Help out those who need it this season
- We are starting early-don’t forget it!!
- If your bicycle/clothing is ill prepared for the cold wet winter weather? Winterize it. Join us for a great time at our Winter Wonderland holiday party two nights before Bike Party and get an extra SJBP discount that night only!
- Refresh yourself and your friends of the “how we ride” and bicycle laws.
At long last, we have our final route mapped for Friday’s ride.
Route for June Ride
Check the map here:
June 2009 Bike Party route on Map My Ride
Thanks to Justin, Scott, Jeff, and everyone else who helped – yes, we’re last-minute again, but this was a really hard one to plan (tough neighborhoods with few parking lots) and everyone put in their volunteering overtime on this one. Nice work! As always, we will need more folks to help plan next month’s ride, the earlier the better. We try to get a test ride in – join the route conversation on the forums.
Highlights/Stats for this ride:
- 17.5 mi total from Dick’s Center to end at SJSU fountain
- Scenic rides through the Shasta/Hanchett Rosegarden neighborhood, small hill/night view above East Side SJ, ride through Alum Rock neighborhood, and a visit to the underused but awesome Mexican Heritage Plaza.
- Farthest Northeast Bike Party has ever ridden (farthest East was actually Southeast to Silver Creek/Brigadoon, over a year ago) – deepest into East Side we’ve ever gone
- Alum Rock hill = average climb of 2% grade, maximum 4% grade for last 1/4mi only. Downhill is average 3% grade down for 1 mile – whee!
Remember to stop at ALL red lights. Experienced riders, we need you! Show up early to earn your BIRD shirts and help keep our ride well-organized and smooth-flowing!
- your friendly route planning volunteers
