Kick off the year Running the Bulls with a mellow OR challenging ride through the Evergreen hills!

You've always wanted to run!

We will start together at Eastridge Mall (Eastridge Center) then split horns at Ruby & Quimby, with the “mellow” flatter steer chase heading North and West. The “challenging” steeper bull run will roll East and South. Both rides will meet up again on Yerba Buena road near Hwy 101 to ride to downtown San Jose. We’ll try to keep the mellow steer ride regroups short so we can coordinate both routes to meet at a similar time on Yerba Buena. If you’d like to go back to Eastridge after Regroup #3, simply take a right on Tully Rd.

TIME: Show up by 7:30pm – Wheels hit the street at 8:00pm!

• 8:00-8:10pm Regular riders get a head start
• 8:20-8:25pm Fast riders chase ‘em down?!?
• START: EASTRIDGE MALL - Eastridge Loop – West corner toward Tully & Quimby
• END: 101 Paseo de San Antonio @ SJ REP, downtown San Jose

Maps

Mellow Steer Ride: MapMyRide (the flatter version), “Visual Map” (all of ride) , the “Turn by Turn” directions (double sided format)

- or -

Challenging Bull Ride: MapMyRide (the hilly version), “Visual Map” (only miles 3-10.5, see other map too), the “Turn by Turn” directions (double sided format)

Note: The Mellow ride at 220ft elevation overall is slightly more than average…but the 486 ft for the “Challenging” ride is great… but only if you know how to ride! Be sure to let faster riders pass on the left *inside the rightmost lane* and let slower riders merge right.

For Pre-Rides please look at “more” down below.

Note that the VTA Alum Rock station is only about 2.75 miles away and the Curtner station is about 4miles away. (DT SJ is 5.65 mi away – you can park there and join a Pre-Ride)

As always we need Volunteers at key intersections and to ensure riders go deep in to the regroups!

(more…)

Monumental. Beautiful. Well-organized. Noisy. Unbelievable. Brilliantly costumed. Poorly lit. Clean.

Those are just some of the words this webmaster has heard about Bike Party tonight – and for those that were keeping score, the good outweighed the bad by 3 to 1. Tonight, our second anniversary ride, struck yet another new mark in South Bay history, as four thousand riders (see count) hit the streets to build community through bicycling.

I’m proud of this city, proud of all of our riders, proud of our fantastic organizers and volunteers, and even prouder of the potential we still have to achieve. A lot of heart and soul (and sweat and lost sleep and sometimes even blood and tears) goes into these rides, and it’s showing. Things that were uncommon just a few months ago flowed smoothly tonight:

• Riders largely kept to the right (when reminded)
• Riders left significantly less trash and/or helped pick up trash
• Turns were marked both by volunteers “posting up” and by signs posted up by volunteers
• Most riders rode responsibly, sober, and in predictable directions
• Soooo many people decorated bikes, rode in costume, or somehow tried on the “Dia de los Muertos” theme

Of course, life isn’t perfect: We still get a lot of complaints from neighbors about noise, we still leave trash at regroups and along the route (because really, we ultimately need to leave NO trace, not just little), and there’s still room to improve our organizing with better communication and more organized volunteers.

But when you allow yourself to sit back and think of the achievement, it’s wild. Think of all of the now-regular riders you know who never or almost never rode their bikes before they started riding Bike Party. Think of all of the friends you’ve met. Think of the impact we’ve had on passers-by and spectators, demonstrating without a doubt that cycling IS an accessible and reasonable method of transportation in this highway-slashed city. Consider on top of it all that this started 2 years ago with 25 riders and it’s still run completely by volunteers with small donations, and it’s even more impressive. It’s worth a huge pat on the back.

Happy Birthday, Bike Party! Here’s to many more!

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If you would like to add your photos, please join our flickr group

Need updates? Join our facebook group or our twitter.

Loved it so much you want to volunteer? Sign up here.

We chose a theme many of you recommended and we love it!!  Dia de los Muertos Ride- October 16th at 8 PM

Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead.    It has been defined as “a festival meant to celebrate life while mocking death, a testimonial to the power of love and remembrance.”

We planned a very unique ride this month!  This ride has multiple starting locations so no matter where you come from in San Jose, this ride should work for you.  We will be posting the route a day or two before the date of the ride, stay posted.

Because it is our two year anniversary, we want to see your costumes!! Dress up crazy – but don’t ride crazy.   Take a look at the “How We Ride,” tell your friends to read it and follow it.

If you would like to get involved, sign up on the link.  We will also have a volunteer task sheet distributed a week or two before the ride.

It’s that time again!  Time to remark on the ups and downs of another amazing ride.

First, the stats:  17.25mi, 1,535 riders (counted around 10:30pm at the Mabury overpass of I-680, since it narrowed and slowed us there).  It’s almost uninteresting to remark that 1500 riders is an all-time record for us, since we’ve been growing at 50% a month for several months now, meaning we’re twice as big as we were two months ago and FIVE times larger than we were in January.  Wild.  We have more riders each month than the ride that started so many rides in so many cities, San Francisco’s Critical Mass.  Go San Jose!

But with all of this impressive growth come some staggering problems.  Enormous numbers of people earn red-light violation tickets  each month (average cost = $300ish), plenty of people wipe out unnecessarily as a result of reckless riding, and littered trash is rampant at all of our stops and even along our route.  This is not sustainable.

What can we do to clean up the ride, both literally and figuratively?  We all want to see the ride continue – many of us think it’s the best thing to happen in this city in years.  It’s not going to happen on its own.  Plenty of people stepped up tonight to become BIRDs – Bike Information Resource Directors, the volunteers who keep our ride together.  These people are true heroes, and we need more of you to join this cause.  But that is not and will not be enough.  What can we do?

Hit your comments – for the purposes of this discussion, please avoid any “people should” or “you all should” comments – stick to the “I will” sort of comment and tell us what YOU will do to help our ride, not what someone else should do.  Also, of course feel free to mention tales and experiences from the ride, and photo links.

Ride on!

Do you love Bike Party?

Do you want to help out but are not sure how?

Are you a seasoned Bike Party rider?

We need your help!!

San Jose Bike Party has gotten HUGE. In less than two years, we have grown from an average ridership of forty cyclists to over a thousand!!

With so many riders, we are getting a lot more attention from politicians, police, community residents, and of course drivers.

We need help to keep Bike Party safe, keep it fun, and keep it from getting shut down.

San Jose Bike Party is asking all riders who have ridden on at least four or more rides and understand the “how we ride” policy to become a Bike Party BIRD. (Bicycle Information Resource Director).

What does a Bike Party BIRD do?

Be the face of Bike Party and guide new riders on what’s going on.

Help other riders follow rules of the road.

Some Birds can lead the way, be in front of the pack and tell people where to go.

Remind people to pick up their trash, stop at red lights, and roll past conflict.

This is a very fun job! You get to be a mentor for riders while enjoying bike party.

If you are interested, please come to the ride 45 minutes early or email sjbikeparty@gmail.com. We have awesomely designed shirts for all participants.

The more riders who are BIRDS means the larger likely hood San Jose Bike Party will be around for a long time!