Hey, Albany cyclists – do you want to take a spin with Albany’s City Council/Commission/Committee Members and City Staff? Would you like to show them what you like about our cycling infrastructure and explain how things should to be improved? Then please join Albany Traffic & Safety Commissioner Farid Javandel on Thursday morning for the 2nd Annual City Officials’ Bike to Work Day Ride Around Albany!
The ride will meet at 7:15 a.m. for 7:30 wheels up at the bike racks by the parking lot at City Hall and do a brief tour of Albany, highlighting some of our cycling highlights, current and future projects, and trouble spots. Route tba depending on attendees’ preference so arrive early to put your two cents in!
You will finish at Albany Strollers & Rollers’ Energizer Station at Marin Avenue & the Ohlone Greenway, where we will have giveaways, snacks, free safety checks from Blue Heron Bikes, Wheels of Justice and Berkeley Bikes & Skateboards, as well as our usual festive atmosphere!
Join the fun! courtesy: Peggy McQuaid
Want to test your cycling, running and swimming skills in a low-key setting, while helping AHS sports teams in the process?
Come on down to Memorial Park for on September 27th for the Albany Community Triathlon!
The Albany Community Triathlon emphasizes fitness and fun with a 400m swim, 10k cycle and 3k run.
Registration is available at www.albanytri.com.
Registrants will get a t-shirt and other swag while supplies last!
All proceeds will go to the Albany High School Athletic Department to benefit all teams. In addition to the fund raising, this event focuses on fitness and fun. If you have always wanted to participate in a triathlon, but felt intimidated at the prospect, this is the one for you.
New for 2014 – RELAY TEAM (that’s what I’m taking part in.) I’m doing the cycling portion, and I found friends for the swim and the run! I’ll root for my teammate during the swim, ride my bike, then root for my other teammate while she runs! What a fun way to spend the morning and work up and appetite for “Dinner With Albany.”
Also new for 2014 – YOUTH AND STUDENT DISCOUNTS!
There is still a FAMILY & FRIENDS HEAT!
Parents, kids, spouses: When you register, you can indicate your desire to be in the same wave as one or more family members or friends. Then you can compete together & keep an eye on each other during the race (but not assist each other, per triathlon rules).
POST-RACE FESTIVITIES – Stick around after the race to recover with some healthy food, finisher awards, raffle prizes, massages, and schmoozing with fellow participants, volunteers, sponsors, and race organizers.
Feel great when you cross that Finish Line! photo credit Amy Smolens
Albany Strollers & Rollers is excited to again be sponsoring the Albany Community 
Triathlon – other sponsors include the Albany Community Foundation, Albany Lions Club, Blue Heron Bikes, REI, Albany Ford- Subaru and TranSports.
AS&R is lending the bike racks we use for bicycle valet parking to the triathlon for the race transition area and we are also putting goodies in the swag bags of all participants and volunteers. So come on down and participate in the fun!
For more information about the Albany Triathlon and to register, please see the web site, www.albanytri.com. This is a great community event and really fun to watch even if you don’t want to participate!
Come on down, have fun and support Albany High School sports!!
Come on down and learn how to ride a bike more safely – and have more fun!
Do you, a friend or family member want to ride your bike more but don’t feel confident enough?
Here’s a FREE bicycle skills class RIGHT IN OUR BACKYARD, courtesy of Bike East Bay!
In addition to the regular first-Mondays classes at UC Berkeley, they have now set up a free Urban Cycling 101 Day 1 classroom workshop for adults and teens at the Albany Library/Community Center on Saturday, July 16th, from 1-3pm. Complete details and registrations are available here.
The class is FREE but it’s mandatory to register here.
Stuffing bags for everyone who rolls by is FUN!! If you can help, please email Ken at kenmccroskey@gmail.com – thanks!
You’ve enjoyed picking up the famous Bike to Work Day musette bags, chock full of swag & snacks. Help stuff those musette bags for our Energizer Station so hundreds of your friends, neighbors and passers-by can enjoy the fruits of our labor!
DATE AND TIME: MAY 4th, 9-11 a.m.
Local businesses BLUE HERON, BUA LUANG, TAY TAH CAFE AND FERN’S GARDEN ARE ALL DONATING SPECIAL GIFT CARDS OR COUPONS FOR OUR BIKE MONTH VOLUNTEERS, IN APPRECIATION FOR YOUR TIME AND SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY!!!
You’ve seen Lucy & Ethel in their famous assembly line – help us make ours more fun & successful by joining us!
This important pre-Bike to Work Day event is a ton of fun for all ages. Fast-paced assembly line is a great experience for kids. Snacks provided.
You’ve been getting the bags for free for years, now see how it’s done and boost your karma! Let Ken McCroskey know if you can help out.
The musette bags are always filled with swag! Help get them that way!
If you want to connect with others to bike or BART to Sports Basement, leave a note in the Comments section of this post.
Want a fun bike park like Dirt World in Richmond? Support this project at an Albany Parks & Rec meeting and/or write a letter!
On September 13th, a course/park designer will pitch several plans for a proposed mountain bike/BMX bike park in Albany. Commissioners will benefit from input and feedback from the public, especially supporters like you, to help decide which plan, if any, to advance to the City Council. Proposed location is adjacent to Pierce St Park – just below it, to the west on Cleveland St. Early discussions described a MTB component around the perimeter space and a BMX component at the interior. The designer said he likes to design with different riding abilities in mind on the same course (very easy, medium, challenging) and to provide different price points for features, their materials, etc. He has designed and built Richmond’s new Dirt World and many other bike parks.
Here is the Design and Estimate Proposal.
Any input – in person or even in writing – you can provide (even just “looks great!” or “our family would use this!” will be helpful).
Separately, input is sought for what may be the final design review for the new and improved trails at Albany Hill Park. Here are the 90% Plans.
*New ADA trail at the top parallel to the ridge line
*Improvements to existing trails at the north
*Improved, re-landscaped access points to the park where Jackson and Madison dead-end
*Stairs plus a bulbout in the SE corner where Taft hits Hillside
The city has received the monarch roosting report it commissioned and is taking its results and recent community input to limit impacts to trees near monarch habitat. Some commissioners including myself (Bryan Marten) want to also use that information to move forward with choosing a select few trees to remove to improve views of the bay, bird habitat at the mud flats, etc. This involves the city approaching the large land owner at the SW corner of the hill which the city has said it will do.
This is the full agenda for the meeting.
BMX/MTB parks are great fun and recreation for kids, teens and adults!
PLEASE WRITE LETTERS OF SUPPORT to Albany Staff Liaison Chelle Putzer at cputzer@albanyca.org and request that she send your letter to all members of Albany’s Parks & Rec Commission. Thanks!
