The Inaugural Cycle Claremont Ride...

pre-ride talking

I don't know how the first ride for the group could have gone much better - beautiful morning, large group of riders, smoothly run sign-in, and not a single flat or mechanical. I would have to guess that the ride met its target. There was a respectable mix of riders, with kids and families making up a healthy percentage of the group. Claremont's Mayor, Sam Pedroza came out with family, City Councilman Corey Calaycay, and City Manager Tony Ramos were there. Cory, of Coates Cyclery, members of the Cycle Claremont steering committee, and many members of the Claremont Senior Bicycle Group were also seen. All told, we got at least 70 riders to come out (update: ride count looks to be about 115 now). 42nd Street Bagels donated a huge bag of goodies, and Starbucks came through with the coffee. Oh, and beside those donations, I should mention (and thank) the many volunteers who set up the staging area, marked the route, drew up route sheets, etc., all the little things that add up to a complete and successful ride.

on the road - north on College Avenue

cruising along the Butte Avenue sharrows

success marked by smiles

Mel Boynton got things started with a safety and rules of the road talk, and then we were off - no mass start really, just take off when ready. Most people left about the same time though; that is the most fun, of course, riding in the big group. The short 4 mile loop through town was, well, quite run of the mill to be frank. But that is just my perspective. I was not the target audience, shall we say, for this ride. There was no lack of smiles on the faces of the other riders who I saw. It was certainly a nice introduction, a solid base upon which to build and expand over the months ahead. I would like to have seen something a little more - since the ride basically conformed to the Bicycle Priority Zone, it might have been nice to have a short regroup with a short talk about the BPZ, what it is, how it came about. That kind of thing; just a little info on the side. The BPZ is a rather unique feature of our municipality. As the ride grows, expect to see some new routes, maybe some themed rides, more challenge. We'll discuss it, and come up with something fun and interesting. Keep riders coming back each month, attract some new ones. There are more photos (slideshow) here. Unfortunately I seem to have lost my ability to take photos when stopped along Butte. That darn sun. I tried getting artsy in iphoto with some of those ones - you may like it, you may not. It's all I have this time.

it's a wrap - until next month that is