Want to test your cycling, running and swimming skills in
a low-key setting, while helping AHS & AMS sports teams in the process?
Come on down to Memorial Park on September 25th for the Albany Community Triathlon!

Come join the fun!
courtesy: Peggy McQuaid
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 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!
Again for 2016 – YOUTH DISCOUNTS for anyone under 18!

Feel great when you cross that Finish Line!
photo credit Amy Smolens
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.
Thank you to the Albany Community Triathlon for purchasing 2 brand new racks for Albany Strollers & Rollers’ use all year for when we provide Bicycle Valet Parking! AS&R is excited to again be sponsoring the Albany Tri – supplying bike racks for the transition area and swag for the goodie bags. Other sponsors have included the Albany Community Foundation, Albany Lions Club, Blue Heron Bikes, REI, Albany Ford- Subaru and TranSports – we’ll update 2016 sponsors as we have information.
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 Middle & High School sports!!

AS&R’s Bike Valet Parking will be hopping all day!
Photo courtesy Angela Armendariz
Come join Albany Strollers & Rollers at the Albany Arts & Green Festival. We could use some help doing bike valet parking. It’s fun and easy. Do you have a couple of hours to spare? Please contact Nick at nicky@mindspring.com or 510-525-3405 to volunteer and thanks!
http://www.albanyca.org/index.aspx?page=1214

Come join our annual rolling party, Bike to Work Day!
courtesy Nick Pilch
It’s the 23rd Annual Bike to Work Day in the Bay Area, a party on wheels!!
As usual, there will be coffee, snacks, swag, bike goodies, the famous Bike to Work Day musette bags, food, coffee, fun and lots of good conversation & information so come on down on your way to work!

Don’t miss rolling down to see all your friends and neighbors!
courtesy Nick Pilch
Great news – the staffs of Blue Heron Bikes and Berkeley Bikes & Skateboards will be there with work stations checking your bicycles for safety and road-worthiness as they have in previous years! Thanks to owners Rob Allen & Winston Jamison for spending time with us all! Blue Heron is also giving all Bike Month Volunteers a special coupon for helping out!!

Plenty of food and drink for everyone, but we could use people to pick it up!
courtesy Francesco Papalia
We need help at our Energizer Station beginning at 6:30 a.m. through wrap-up at 9:30, as well as preparing for a big celebration.
Donations so far from Kim’s Cafe and Royal Ground Coffee…stay tuned for more.
Can you help stuffing the musette bags with goodies on Friday from 10am-noon, picking up food & coffee early morning on the 11th, and handing out swag, food and counting cyclists all morning at the Energizer Station?
Want to help get donations of food, beverages or $ for food & bevs? If so, please contact Ken McCroskey at kenwait@aol.com or Amy Smolens at calamari@alumni.duke.edu or leave a comment on this post.
Thanks!!
For Elected & Appointed Officials, as well as City Staff, City Councilman Nick Pilch is leading a ride for you…details coming soon, and yes, it will finish at the Energizer Station so you can enjoy our swag, food and company!

Stuff to stuff!

Stuffing bags for everyone who rolls by is FUN!! If you can help, please email Ken at kenwait@aol.com – thanks!

School kids learn how to cycle safely and have fun doing it, while following the rules of the road.
courtesy Peggy McQuaid
Bring your elementary and middle school aged kids to Albany Police Activity League’s Annual Bike Rodeo!
Free bicycle helmets will be given to the first 100 youth participants.

Ken McCroskey, AS&R’s master helmet adjuster and children’s brain guardian, tirelessly applies his craft
courtesy: Francesco Papalia
Rodeo activities will include bike inspections, safety information, and a bicycle safety course.
The goal of the bicycle rodeo is to encourage riders to wear helmets on every ride, to give young cyclists basic skills for on-road riding, and to teach them the rules of the road to help keep them safe. This event focuses on young riders in elementary and middle school.

Bicycle + fruit + blender = delicious fun!! Want to help like Tenisha is doing here? Email Ken!
Photo courtesy Amy Smolens
Cycles of Change and some AS&R members will again be working with kids, showing them how to ride their bikes safely and responsibly.
We’ll also have our “Check for Bikes” clings on hand for parents, our Reflective Leg & Arm Bands …and the famous Bicycle Blender so everyone can pedal-power a delicious smoothie!
PLEASE VOLUNTEER: We could definitely use some help running the bike blender station, fitting helmets, and talking to parents & kids about biking and AS&R. Any takers, please? Volunteers get a cash-value coupon from one of our favorite local supporting businesses, Blue Heron Bikes! Want to help out? Please contact Ken McCroskey.

Kids, don’t try this at home…just yet!
Entertainment will be provided by world-famous flatland BMX rider Pete Brandt!

Hundreds of people from all over the Bay Area take advantage of our Bicycle Valet Parking service at two lots on Solano Avenue. Please volunteer a few hours before enjoying the event!
Photo courtesy Amy Smolens
Albany Strollers & Rollers will again be providing Free Bicycle Valet Parking at two locations: 1800 Solano Ave (Wells Fargo) and 1245 Solano (the vacant lot near Masonic.)
We’ll also have an information table by our western lot near Masonic.
WE NEED YOU TO MAKE THIS A SUCCESS!
If you’d like to help park bikes at either lot or volunteer at AS&R’s info table, please contact Amy Smolens.

AS&R Super-Volunteer Lynn Eve Komaromi takes a well-earned Pad Thai break – thanks, Bua Luang!
Please join Lynn Eve and your AS&R neighbors in volunteering!
All volunteers who work at least a 4-hr shift or pick up & return rental racks will get free lunch provided by a supporting Solano Avenue restaurant, Mountain Mike’s Pizza , Tay Tah or Bua Luang Thai Cuisine!!
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!
We would like to thank Janka White, the owner of AS&R’s new supporting sponsor, Floor Dimensions. Janka is donating a long Red Carpet to lead passers-by to our information table and straight up the ramp to our western Bicycle Valet Parking lot!
Thanks also to Lucas Euser of Clif Bar who donated boxes of Clif Bars and Z Organic Kids Bars & Fruits so ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEERS will have plenty to snack on all day!!

Come visit AS&R at our information table then enjoy a great stroll up Solano!
Or better yet, volunteer a few hours with Amy, Michael and your neighbors before strolling!
Photo courtesy Tenisha Neal
This family event promotes the unique traits of Solano Avenue, helping independently-owned businesses, artists, and community organizations to thrive by exposure and fundraising. Join 250,000 participants and event guests visit from all over the west coast at this annual street festival!
Please see the press room to stay tuned into what’s hot at this years event!
Brought to you by the Cities of Albany and Berkeley; and with the help of our generous sponsors, SAA members, and volunteer board of directors.

Lucas Euser of Clif Bar donated boxes of Clif Bars and Z Organic Kids Bars & Fruit for ALL OUR VOLUNTEERS!!
Photo courtesy Francesco Papalia

Bike, trikes, scooters, strollers, trailers, tandems, striders, long-tails, unicycles and more bikes!! Photo courtesy Mark Altenberg

Thank you Janka White of Floor Dimensions for donating a “Red Carpet” to lead festival-goers to our lower lot and table!!
Want to test your cycling, running and swimming skills in
a low-key setting, while helping AHS & AMS sports teams in the process?
Come on down to Memorial Park on October 1st for the Albany Community Triathlon!

Come join the fun!
courtesy: Peggy McQuaid
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 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
Again for 2017 – 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 have included the Albany Community Foundation, Albany Lions Club, Blue Heron Bikes, REI, Albany Ford- Subaru and TranSports – we’ll update 2017 sponsors as we have information.
So come on down and get in on the fun!
For more information about the Albany Triathlon and please see the web site, www.albanytri.com. Registration will open at the end of March. 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!!

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.

AS&R funded these bike racks at the High School and they get constant use! photo courtesy Amy Smolens
What would Bike Month be without a few events for the kids?
We hope you and your family will join us on Bike to School Day. Most schools will celebrate on this date, and every school will do its own thing.
If you are involved with a school and have details please email us and we will post it here.
Keep an eye on this space and/or contact Ken at kenmccroskey@gmail.com for information.

Come join our annual rolling party, Bike to Work Day!
photo courtesy Nick Pilch
Join us for the 25th Annual Bike to Work Day in the Bay Area, a party on wheels!!
As usual, there will be coffee, food, swag, bike goodies in the famous Bike to Work Day musette bags, fun and lots of good conversation & information so come on down on your way to work!
Here’s a short VIDEO that AS&R member Francesco Papalia took so you can see how fun the morning is!

Don’t miss rolling down to see all your friends and neighbors!
Photo courtesy Nick Pilch
The staff of Blue Heron Bikes and Berkeley Bikes & Skateboards will be volunteering their time, checking your bicycles for safety and road-worthiness as they have in previous years! Thanks to owners Rob Allen & Winston Jamison for spending time with us all!
Local business Kim’s Cafe (thanks, Cathy!!) and Royal Ground Coffee (thanks, Mike!) are again donating home made pastries & beverages for our Energizer Station. Trader Joe’s El Cerrito, Barney Butter non-GMO almond butter from the Central Valley, Semifreddi’s in Alameda and GU Energy in Berkeley are also giving us generous donations. Safeway on Solano and Sprouts at University Village are donating gift cards for groceries, too!
SO YES, WE NEED YOUR HELP IN DISTRIBUTING ALL THESE GOODIES TO 600+ CYCLISTS!
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!!!

Plenty of food and drink for everyone, but we could use people to pick it up and hand it out!
photo courtesy Francesco Papalia
WE WILL NEED HELP AT OUR ENERGIZER STATION BEGINNING AT 6:30 a.m. through wrap-up at 9:30, as well as preparing for a big celebration.
We will need help stuffing the musette bags with goodies beforehand, picking up food & coffee early morning on the 10th, and handing out swag, food and counting cyclists all morning at the Energizer Station.
Want to help get donations of food, beverages or $ for food & bevs? If so, please contact Ken McCroskey at kenmccroskey@gmail.com or Amy Smolens at calamari@alumni.duke.edu or leave a comment on this post.
Thanks!!

Stuffing bags for everyone who rolls by is FUN!! If you can help, please email Ken at kenmccroskey@gmail.com – thanks!

Stuff to stuff!
photo courtesy Amy Smolens

Join the fun!
Photo courtesy Amy Smolens
Grab your bikes and invite your friends & family – it’s time for the annual Bike About Town rides!

The Albany Peloton rolls down Peralta Avenue for another fun Bike About Town
Photo courtesy Amy Smolens
Join the City of Albany’s Department of Recreation and a bunch of your fellow Rollers as we explore Albany by bike on Spring, Summer and Autumn evenings. Each of the events will trace different routes that pass through parts of Albany you may not have biked before. All levels of cyclists are encouraged to join.
The ride begins at 6:30 at Bikes on Solano at Solano and Peralta in Albany.
We ALWAYS need Ride Guides to help guide folks around town from the front, middle and back so if you’re a confident rider please come 10 minutes early and help your neighbors out!
Come a few minutes early to pump up your tires. Ride maps are distributed, and we take off in a big group. There are experienced cyclists to lead and bring up the rear. After wheeling about for a half hour or forty-five minutes we return to Peralta Park, just across the street from our start, for light refreshments, a raffle, and general carousing. Thanks so much to the Chelle, Eva, Liam and Brennen with City’s Department of Recreation & Community Services for organizing, printing maps and getting the FABULOUS RAFFLE PRIZES for riders!
Dates this year are Fridays May 18, June 15, July 20, August 17 and September 21st.

Bring yourself, your friends and your family to Bikes on Solano for the Bike About Town rides!