It doesn’t matter where you’re going…just go!
Bike to Work Day was canceled this Spring due to Covid-19, but that doesn’t mean you’ll miss Bike East Bay’s musette bags in 2020.
Today is “Bike to Wherever Day!” and this is “Bike to Wherever” week!
Stop by our partner shop, Blue Heron Bikes, between Sept. 24 and Sept. 30, from 9am-6pm except for Sunday and pick up your bag. This year the goodies are going virtual unless you renew your membership, in which case you get an enhanced bag with some traditional, 3-D goodies (special pickup window on the evening of Sept. 24).
Find event details or join/renew via the Bike East Bay Bike to Wherever 2020 page.
…and we can always count on Rob’s generosity
Come join our annual rolling party, Bike to Work Day!
courtesy Francesco Papalia
Join AS&R and Xtracycle for “Bike to Wherever Day” in the Bay Area, a party on wheels!!
As usual, there will be coffee, food, swag, bike goodies in Bike East Bay’s famous Bike to Work Day musette bags, fun and lots of good conversation & information so come on down on your way to work, school, shopping or around town!
Here’s a short VIDEO that AS&R member Francesco Papalia took so you can see how fun the morning is! We’ll be at a NEW LOCATION, THE GREENWAY NORTH OF SOLANO!
We had plenty of food & drink, thanks to our supporting businesses and great volunteers! WE NEED YOU!!
courtesy Melanie Mintz
We’re getting generous donations from Kim’s Cafe (thanks, Cathy!), Royal Ground Coffee (thanks, Mike!), GU Energy (thanks, Roshelle!), Trader Joe’s El Cerrito, Sprouts at University Village and Safeway all the passing cyclists will have plenty to eat and drink!!
In addition to the great Bike East Bay musette swag bags, we’ll have our own safety items like clings and reflective bands, BikeLink cards, and lots of great conversation about cycling and walking!
Every day is Bike to School Day! photo courtesy Ginny Porter
SO YES, WE NEED YOUR HELP PREPARING & DISTRIBUTING ALL THESE GOODIES TO HUNDREDS OF CYCLISTS! SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER HERE!!
Rob Allen, owner of Blue Heron Bikes will be volunteering his time, checking your bicycles for safety and road-worthiness as he has in previous years!
WE WILL NEED HELP AT OUR ENERGIZER STATION BEGINNING AT 6:15 (prep) a.m. through wrap-up at 9:30.
Volunteers like you are the key to success – please join us! photo courtesy Britt Tanner
We’ll need help STUFFING THE MUSETTE BAGS with goodies, soliciting donations, shopping beforehand, picking up food & coffee early morning on the 20th, and handing out swag, food and counting cyclists all morning at the Energizer Station.
If so, please
Thanks!!
Here’s to another great Bike to Work/Wherever Day! photo courtesy Amy Smolens
Want to test your cycling, running and swimming skills in a low-key & fun setting, while helping AHS & AMS sports teams in the process?
AS&R has lent fellow community organization Albany Community Triathlon our racks for the transition area – photo courtesy Francesco Papalia
Come on down to Memorial Park on Sunday October 16th for the first post-pandemic, real, in-person Albany Community Triathlon!
The Albany Community Triathlon emphasizes fitness and fun with a 400m (425y) swim, 10k (12 laps around Memorial Park/AHS) cycle and 2.5k (1.6m/3 laps) run.
There is also a “Super Youth” division for kids from 7-10 – 70m (75 yd/3 lengths) pool swim, 2.5 mile bike (1.6m/3 laps) and 1k (0.6m/1 lap) run.
Registration is available at https://albanytri.com/register/.
Registrants will get fun swag while supplies last!
All proceeds will go to the Albany Athletic Boosters to benefit all High School & Middle School 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. I’ve taken part in the RELAY – I did the cycling portion, and found friends for the swim and the run! It was fun rooting for my teammate during the swim, riding my bike, then rooting for my other teammate while she ran!
Feel great when you cross that Finish Line!
photo credit Amy Smolens
YOUTH DISCOUNTS for anyone under 18!
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.
AS&R and Check for Bikes are excited to again be sponsoring the Albany Tri – supplying bike racks for the transition area and swag for the goodie bags. Other sponsors include Albany Community Foundation, Albany Ford-Subaru, Trader Joe’s, Blue Heron Bikes, TranSports and Bikes on Solano.
So come on down and get in on the fun!
For more information about the Albany Triathlon, 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 Middle & High School sports!!
Come join friends, neighbors and future friends as we bike the Richmond Bridge!
Join Rich City Rides, the Richmond BPAC, friends & neighbors Sunday November 20th 2022 for a Free bike ride to fight for our right to safe pathways on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge!! “USE IT OR LOSE IT” means we need to show up en masse, to KEEP THIS BIKE/PED LANE OPEN! ALL WHEELS WELCOME!!
Meet at Richmond BART Plaza at 11am, roll at Noon.
Ride is FREE but please register HERE so they have an idea of numbers.
Come ride with us and celebrate this crossing! Photo courtesy Amy Smolens
Let’s toast to not only bridging the gap in the Bay Area, but also creating more pathways for cyclists and maintaining the ones currently in use!
Preview of the route is here.
Rich City Rides will be hosting a family friendly after-party & networking event at East Brother Beer Co. (1001 Canal Blvd.)
ENJOY A DAY FULL OF BIKES, MUSIC, FOOD, GAMES AND COMMUNITY!
Join us for brews, bevs and/or snacks after a leisurely ride to Armistice Brewing Company!
Join our neighbors to the north, El Cerrito Strollers & Rollers, for a Bike from BART to the Bay for Beer or non-alcoholic bevs, and/or snacks!
Meet at the El Cerrito Plaza BART ticket area at 3:30 p.m. We’ll take a leisurely ride over the Sacramento Street bridge (this may be new to some of you!) to the Bay Trail, then on to Armistice Brew Company, and return on the Richmond and Ohlone Greenways – 8.1-miles total. If you prefer not to bike, please meet us there for Happy Hour between 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m at 845 Marina Bay Pkwy #1, in Richmond.
The AHS Mountain Biking Team is leading the Bicycle Valet Parking at the Solano Stroll – will you lend a hand?
Free Bicycle Valet Parking will again be featured at the Solano Stroll, but with a new twist: the Albany High School Mountain Biking Team will be taking the lead for this important service, using Albany Strollers & Rollers’ specialized racks! The new location will be on Key Route Blvd just north of Solano Avenue – it’s near the Greenway so we’re expecting lots of drop-ins so it’s sure to be busy!!
As usual, AS&R will also have an information table near the lot where we (YOU!) will talk about and answer questions about active transportation stuff!
WE NEED YOU TO MAKE THIS A SUCCESS!
Bikes, Bikes, Bikes!! 300 + of them coming to the Solano Stroll! Please help the AHS MTB Team park them all! Photo courtesy Nick Pilch
The AHS MTB team could use additional volunteers, so if you’d like to help park bikes (we have parked 300 bikes in the past!!) or volunteer at AS&R’s info table, please contact Amy Smolens .
This is a great gig for kids, too, as long as they are strong enough to roll a bike. If students need volunteer-hours, this is perfect!
VOLUNTEERS (the first 12 to commit) WHO WORK AT LEAST A 4-HR SHIFT AT EITHER LOCATION WILL GET FREE LUNCH PROVIDED BY SUPPORTING SOLANO AVENUE RESTAURANT !!
AS&R Super-Volunteer Lynn Eve Komaromi takes a well-earned lunch break – thanks, Bua Luang! Please join Lynn Eve and your AS&R neighbors in volunteering!
Some sponsoring businesses may also provide gifts or coupons for our volunteers, too – stay tuned!
Volunteer hours run from 9am-5:30pm so it’s easy to pick a shift that works for you! Please let Amy know if you would prefer to help with the Valet Parking, the Info Table or either one, and if you have time preferences or are flexible.
Since 1974 Solano Avenue and the cities of Albany and Berkeley have hosted the Solano Avenue Stroll, the East Bay’s largest street festival! The Solano Avenue Association , AS&R and Check for Bikes invite you to see what makes Solano Avenue a wonderful place. The Stroll features over five hundred vendors including 50 entertainers (there’s always great music!,) 50 food booths, 150 government and non-profit agencies, 150 juried hand-crafters, a 75 entry parade, state of the art mechanical rides and much more!
Come visit AS&R at our information table then enjoy a great stroll up Solano!
Or better yet, volunteer a few hours with your neighbors before strolling!
230,000 participants and event guests visit from all over the west coast so that’s where YOU come in – many of them ride their bikes, so we need people to help park them in our lots. Lots of them want to talk about cycling and walking around the area, and they want to talk to YOU!
AS&R’s supporting sponsor, Floor Dimensions has donated a long Red Carpet to lead passers-by to our information table and Bicycle Valet Parking lot!
See you soon!
The City’s Recreation Department is organizing its 3rd Annual Community Expo 
to showcase community based organizations like ours and City departments at the Albany Community Center. AS&R will be sharing a table with Bike East Bay, displaying materials, information and a variety of bicycles (yours?) and chatting about strolling and rolling. Other groups will be doing the same and there will be giveaways, food trucks, a raffle, activities and live entertainment!
We need a few volunteers to spend time at our table and speak to community members who may have questions about strolling or rolling in Albany and beyond. We’d also like to have a few bikes to display – a cargo bike, trailer, e-bike – anything you think might pique a neighbor’s interest!
Non-profit bike shop Street Level Cycles will be there
providing free and low-cost tuneups for you, so bring your old, creaky bike!
If you can volunteer or have a bike to display, please email Nick at nicky@mindspring.com
Come volunteer a few hours at AS&R’s information table before or after enjoying the Solano Stroll!
As usual, free Bicycle Valet Parking will be featured at the Solano Stroll on Sunday, September 8! The Albany High School Mountain Biking Team will again be taking the lead for this important service, using Albany Strollers & Rollers’ specialized racks! The location will be on Key Route Blvd just north of Solano Avenue – it’s near the Greenway so like last year, the lot and tables will be plenty busy!!
This is the biggest event of the year so come be a part of the fun and help out!
As we always do, AS&R will also have an information table near the lot where we (YOU!) will talk about and answer questions about active transportation stuff in and around Albany with people at the festival! WE NEED YOU TO MAKE THIS A SUCCESS! Whether you have volunteered before or are interested in helping for the first time, this event is for you!
The AHS MTB team may need additional volunteers, so if you’d like to help park bikes (we have parked 300 bikes in the past!!) or volunteer at AS&R’s info table, please contact Amy Smolens .
Parking bikes is a great gig for kids, too, as long as they are strong enough to roll a bike. If students need volunteer-hours, this is perfect!
VOLUNTEERS (the first 12 to commit) WHO WORK AT LEAST A 4-HR SHIFT WILL GET FREE LUNCH PROVIDED BY LOCAL FAVORITE KIM’S CAFÉ & SANDWICHES!!
Volunteer hours run from 9:15am-5:30pm (the event is 10-5) so it’s easy to pick a shift that works for you! Please let Amy know if you would prefer to help with the Info Table, the Valet Parking or either one, and if you have time preferences or are flexible.
Since 1974 , Solano Avenue and the cities of Albany and Berkeley have hosted the Solano Stroll, the East Bay’s largest street festival! The Solano Avenue Association , AS&R , AHS MTB and Check for Bikes invite you to see what makes Solano Avenue a wonderful place. The Stroll features over five hundred vendors including 50 entertainers (there’s always great music!,) 50 food booths, 150 government and non-profit agencies, 150 juried hand-crafters, a 75 entry parade, state of the art mechanical rides and much more!
230,000 participants and event guests visit from all over the west coast so that’s where you all come in – lots of them want to talk about cycling and walking around the area, and they want to talk to YOU!
Bikes, Bikes, Bikes!! 300 + of them coming to the Solano Stroll! We hope you’ll be there, too!
The AHS Mountain Biking Team is leading the Bicycle Valet Parking at the Solano Stroll – will you lend a hand?
Our friends at “Rich City Rides” are organizing a family-friendly, all ages and abilities group ride across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Trail to commemorate the 5th Anniversary of bike and pedestrian access over the bridge! Meet at Richmond BART at 10am, roll at 10:30. It’s crucial that Albany Strollers & Rollers members support our neighbors and active transportation access between the East Bay and Marin County!
Many of us will take BART from El Cerrito Plaza to the start at Richmond BART so please join us!
“Afterparty” mentioned in flyer below at location TBA.
Join others from the East Bay on this fun RSR Bridge Trail ride!
Help celebrate the many years of planning that went into the Gilman Interchange Project at the Ribbon Cutting! This event will celebrate the collaboration between the City of Albany, City of Berkeley, Alameda County Transportation Commission, and Caltrans. AS&R helped expand the scope of the project to include the construction of a low-stress, all ages and abilities connection from the Codornices Creek Trail to the new active transportation bridge. This created the lowest stress connection between the Ohlone Greenway and the Bay Trail anywhere along their length. We’ll ride along this new route, stopping at times to admire the details. Ride starts in Albany at 10:30 am. Ribbon Cutting is at the west side of the interchange at 11 am. Register for the Ribbon Cutting here.
This will be an all ages and abilities group ride with support from the AS&R Core Group. Kids welcome, but bikes with training wheels are not recommended.
Yes, it’s a Monday, but take a couple hours off and celebrate as we lead into May: Bike Month!
Ride Plan:
- Meet-up at the NE corner of Marin at Masonic, on the Ohlone Greenway,
- 10:30 am: head south on the Greenway for one block,
- Turn right onto Dartmouth,
- Cross San Pablo at the High Visibility signal,
- Make a quick left then right onto the Codornices Creek Path west towards 10th Street,
- Continue on the Codornices Creek Pathway to 5th Street,
- Turn left onto 5th to Harrison (past the skate park),
- Turn right on Harrison to 4th (past the soccer fields),
- Turn left on 4th to Gilman,
- Cross Gilman and turn right onto the protected cycletrack on the far side,
- Ride it three blocks to the bridge,
- Go over the freeway on the bridge,
- Turn right off the bridge onto the Bay Trail,
- Ride around the corner to the 11 am ribbon cutting, all the way to the interchange!
- Some bike parking is available in the field’s parking lot, or keep your bike with you.
- Now you know the route! Return is on your own or with those you met on the ride.
