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2011 SLO GranFondo

The 2nd Annual SLO GranFondo is set for this October! This year’s ride runs along the Central Coast and enables cyclists of all abilities to ride and support ALPHA and the Coalition. We will be receiving a portion of the proceeds from the event this year, and encourage you to invite your friends for this unique Central Coast cycling experience.

The ride offers three routes to accommodate a variety of riders:

  • GranFondo: over 100 miles on a challenging ride from SLO up the northern coast to Piedras Blancas and back
  • MedioFondo: about 50 miles along the same route as the GranFondo, but returns after reaching Cayucos
  • PiccoloFondo: a 25 mile loop through countryside that unfolds onto the Morro Bay estuary

Registration is now open, (registering after September 1st will not secure you a jersey until after the event).

Regardless of your ability level, a GranFondo is an unforgettable cycling experience. The Coalition will be parking bikes in the Mission after the ride and will receive a portion of the proceeds from the event! By riding you can support both ALPHA and the Coalition!

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llt-Bv2Kacs]

Bicycle Collision Statistics

Ever wondered what causes bicycle collisions? The answers might surprise you!

Still worried about crashing? Take one of our free Education Workshops to learn some techniques to avoid them while riding on the road.

Of the 18% involving motor vehicles…

Madonna Bike Path Dedication

Join us on Friday, February 18th at 3:00 as the Madonna Inn Bike Path is formally opened!

We will all ride the path together, and have a group photo op to celebrate this great new facility. The dedication will take place in the north part of the Madonna Inn parking lot, please bike or walk to the celebration if you can. We hope to see you there!

Hosted by the City of San Luis Obispo, Madonna Inn, Air Pollution Control District and CalTrans

Member Profile: Vanessa, Ella & Cora

Vanessa Amerson, San Luis Obispo

How long have you been a Coalition member? 2008

When did you start bicycling? When I was 6 on a cruiser with wooden blocks on the pedals

Why do you bike? I hate Cars and parking and paying for parking. And I like saying “good morning” to neighbors and chatting with friends

How many bikes do you own? 5, all very different

How often do you ride? Commutishly about 10 trips a week

What kind of riding do you do? Costumed SLO-hemian, Amateur Ballet

What do you think the most important thing the Coalition has done in our area? Joined the people to create a voice of advocacy

What changes/improvements have you seen since you lived here? Bike Blvd, Bike Kitchen, Bike signal, Bike parking

What additional changes would you like to see? Better Bike facilities at the Elementary and Jr. High Schools

What’s your favorite ride? To and from school with my daughters

What’s your advice to encourage others to get on their bikes? If you find a bike you love you are more likely to ride it and a bike doesn’t have to be expensive to fall in love with it.

How do you get involved with Coalition? I encourage parents and kids to practice riding together at Kidical Mass

What’s your favorite Coalition program? The Bike Kitchen

Anything else you want to add? Biking makes happy easily accessible.

Cora, San Luis Obispo

When did you start bicycling? When I was 4

Why do you bike? Because it’s fun

How many bikes do you own? 2

How often do you ride? Very often with my dad and most of the time with my mom

What kind of riding do you do? Regular riding

What do you think the most important thing the Coalition has done in our area? Help with Kidical Mass

What changes/improvements have you seen since you lived here? None

What additional changes would you like to see? I want everyone to like me

What’s your favorite ride? Kidical Mass

 

Anything else you want to add? Ella’s bike is shiny and mine isn’t

Ella, San Luis Obispo

When did you start bicycling? When I was 5

Why do you bike? It’s fun

How many bikes do you own? 2

How often do you ride? Whenever I’m with my mom

What kind of riding do you do? Kidical Mass riding

What do you think the most important thing the Coalition has done in our area? Keeping people safe when they’re riding bicycles

What changes/improvements have you seen since you lived here? I’ve seen a lot of people on bikes.

What additional changes would you like to see? A BIG sign in front of Bike Valet that says “Bike Coalition”

What’s your favorite ride? SLO Little 500

What’s your advice to encourage others to get on their bikes? All you have to do is pedal

How do you get involved with Coalition? I tell my friends about Kidical Mass

What’s your favorite Coalition program? Kidical Mass because sometimes the Childrens Museum brings crafts and you can put them on your bike

Anything else you want to add? When people help out at the Kitchen they help people get their bikes fixed and that makes people happy.

Share the Road

This is one of our three PSAs to encourage a safe sharing of the road between bicycles and cars. Remember, it’s always very important to remain visible on the road when you are on your bicycle, it is the best way to ensure that other vehicles see you and can go around you if need be.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6OGZCQUayc]

NEW Stickers!

We just got some more “I Bike” stickers in yesterday, with plans to get more for the other towns within SLO County in the near future. Look for the stickers at our events countywide throughout the summer and beyond!

We are always promoting bicycles throughout the county all the time, check out some of the other stickers in the works on our Flickr page.

Google Maps Adds Bicycle Directions!

A while ago, the Coalition had encouraged our members and supporters to sign a petition to Google, asking them to add bicycle directions to their popular mapping features. Today, at the 2010 National Bike Summit in Washington DC, they announced the launch of the newest Google Map feature!

This video shows how you can make it work for you:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN5_NBSu7Lw]

Congrats to Google for listening to what it’s users had to say, and implementing a great feature to it’s maps! A special shout out to everyone who signed the petition requesting the bicycle directions too, it worked!