San Diego Bike Guide • 2016

the San Diego In Partnership with the San Diego County Bike Coalition

#SDBIKEGUIDE

2016

Metro Cyclery's Kimberly Dilling with the Tern Swoop D7i

BIKE FRIENDLY PLACES • SD’S TOP 5 RIDES • TOUR OF CALIFORNIA • EVENTS & MORE!

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San Diego

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the San Diego

San Diego Bike Guide is brought to you by

2016 ART DIRECTOR Tristan Whitehouse CONTRIBUTORS Sebastian Montes, Mia Bolton, Andy Hanshaw ADVERTISING SALES Jason Noble, Paulina Porter-Tapia, Mark Schreiber, Jenny Tormey PUBLISHER Kevin Hellman SAN DIEGO BIKE GUIDE 3047 University Ave., Suite 202 San Diego, CA 92104 (619) 281-7526

Table of Contents The Infrastructure Curve 6 Bike Friendly Spots Around Town 9 San Diego’s Great Rides 14 Tour of California 16 Calendar of Events 18 Advertiser Listings 23 Meet the San Diego Bike Coalition 26

Cover Photo by Jeff Corrigan Tern Bicycles Swoop D7i, also known as the “Laid Back-one”. Sometimes how you get somewhere matters more than how fast you got there. For those well-traveled riders, the Swoop D7i has a 7-speed drivetrain that gives a relaxed ride for jaunts all over town (and a few hills too). The integrated rear hub makes for nearly maintenance-free riding, and the low-step frame means easy access no matter what your pace. Folds compactly in 10 seconds for storage and transport.

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Committing to commuting by bike

By Sebastian Montes

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an Diego enjoys wide renown for idyllic bike rides on sun-kissed weekends. The city is a haven for tourists and recreational cyclists alike. But rankings of the country’s most bike-friendly cities tell a different story. Year in and year out, places like Portland, Minneapolis, Long Beach and Washington, D.C. dominate those lists. You’ll have to scroll far down those lists to find San Diego, if at all.

The city has been unable to overcome a long history of car dependency, a lack of bicycling infrastructure and the preponderance of a mindset for biking as recreation rather than transportation, says Andy Hanshaw, executive director of the San Diego Bike Coalition.

“We’re behind the curve, when a lot of these cities were making these changes a long time ago,” he said, adding that it’s great that San Diegans can bike everywhere on the weekends, but that the vast majority of people probably drive to work.

But the wheels of change are at long last poised to start turning, thanks to a sea change in the political climate and a confluence of several long-term plans that call for a fundamental redrawing of how cars and bicycles will share San Diego streets in the decades to come.

Regional planning authority SANDAG has a $200-million plan to improve bike connectivity countywide, including corridors between Imperial Beach and San Ysidro, a Pershing Avenue path linking downtown and North Park, and an extension of the San Diego River bike path east out to Santee. Meanwhile, San Diego’s Downtown Mobility Plan calls for a network of interconnected bike paths, pedestrian improvements and urban greenways.

But the initiative with the biggest import—and the most teeth—is the city’s Climate Action Plan, a pioneering, legally-binding vision to cut emissions in half and shift to 100 percent renewable energy, done in part by increasing bike ridership.

The plan gives San Diego four years to increase its number of bike commuters six-fold. That means 6 percent of all trips within the city will need to be by bicycle by 2020, and 18 percent by 2035. That figure currently hovers at around 1 percent.

Protected bike lanes are the answer, advocates say. But wherever such lanes come up, conflict follows—particularly from property owners and Business Improvement Districts that fear the loss of parking spaces if protected bike lanes were to be built. That rancor has been especially acute in parking-starved areas like Hillcrest and Little Italy. The result is a chicken-and-egg quandary, Hanshaw said.

“I go to these meetings where people will say ‘No one’s riding in these bike lanes that we’re putting out there.’ And I’m like ‘Well if they’re not safe enough, no one’s going to ride them,’” he said. “We know from other cities that have protected bike lanes, ridership increases. But we can’t prove that ridership here will increase unless the infrastructure’s in place.”

Much of the impetus for change has come from a groundswell of bicycling activism in and around San Diego. Advocacy groups like the coalition and BikeSD are reaching a level of political sophistication now that they’ve been in existence for a few years. The San Diego

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Mountain Biking Association has climbed to the 1,000-member mark, making it the nation’s third-largest chapter of the International Mountain Biking Association. There’s an emerging scene at the border, with monthly rides to Tijuana. The Tour de Fat takes Golden Hill Park by storm every September.

Social-based groups like The San Diego Urban Bike and Social Club host happy hours and take rides to breweries and taquerias. There’s some strange parallel in San Diego with bikes, tacos and craft beer—and I love that. I think we’re unique in that way,” Hanshaw said.

The next step, Hanshaw says, is to turn the teeming recreational bike community into commuters—and activists. For their part, the Coalition launched “Bikes on Tap,” a monthly meet-up at a brewery, mixed in with advocacy about planned improvements in that neighborhood.

“We can have great plans but at the end of the day we need the political will when it comes to implementation, and to make the statement that San Diego will be a top-riding city because we care about safety and we care about climate change and we care about mobility choices,” he says. “Those are the things that mayors across the region should be talking about. They should be forward-thinking that way. Quite frankly, they’re not willing to commit to that in some cases.”

But with the commitment of political leaders like Mayor Kevin Faulconer— himself an avid cyclist—Hanshaw thinks San Diego can ascend to its rightful place atop the bike-friendliness rankings.

“My vision is to see people downtown, commuting to work, and it’s the norm, to mainstream bike commuting to where we’re not having discussions of change that’s so ominous,” he said. “I see us on a Top 10 list in the near future. It should be a natural thing to have people biking all the time. The reality is, streets as they are now don’t support it. But there’s plans for that, there’s hope for that, and there’s a vision for it.”

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North Park Bikes is a full service and family oriented neighborhood bike shop. We cater to all styles and levels of bikes, new and used, with all of the accessories to match. From custom builds to service and repair, North Park Bikes has what it takes to keep you rolling!

NORTH PARK BIKES 3022 North Park Way, North Park (619) 255-3100 NorthParkBikes.com #sdbikeguide

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Where to ride for wine, beer, coffee and snacks

By Mia Bolton

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ride my bike in San Diego a lot. So do my friends. On a typical week, we ride from Ocean Beach to Barrio Logan, through The Gaslamp Quarter, past Balboa Park and into Uptown, sometimes with the occasional adventure into National City or Kearny Mesa. We have a good understanding of which streets are safest, which routes are most direct and, most importantly, the best places to stop and get a beer, coffee or snack. We know which businesses will let us wheel in our bikes, which offer bike parking and which will greet cyclists with a friendly smile.

What does it mean to be a bike-friendly business in San Diego? It’s simple. A bike friendly business makes itself welcoming and accessible for customers who choose to arrive on bike instead of in a car or by foot. It means business owners embrace and understand the value bike-riders bring. The businesses below have scratched the surface of a growing trend in San Diego and around the country: a culture of bike-friendly customer service that extends beyond the counter and the front door.

Each of the businesses you’re about to explore goes beyond the traditional and the ordinary to make themselves desirable for those of us who choose life—or at least morning coffee, afternoon snack or sunset beer—by bike.

THE WINE PUB (2907 Shelter Island Drive, Point Loma) thewinepubsd.com Looking for the perfect San Diego date night?

Nothing beats a bike ride around Shelter Island followed by dinner at The Wine Pub. You can lock your bike on the racks outside, or wheel them onto the outdoor patio to prop them up behind the couches or against a quaint fire pit. You can join The Wine Pub for bike events all year long— from Tour de Vino on July 23 to Bike for Boobs (a breast-cancer-awareness bike ride) on

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October 16. The Wine Pub even sells bike jerseys, should you really want to represent your local bike-friendly business.

BLIND LADY ALEHOUSE (3416 Adams Ave., Normal Heights) blindladyalehouse.com When you see the pennyfarthing on the door, you’ll know you’re in the right place. When you see the racks full of colorful bikes, bike frames and parts dangling from the walls inside, you’ll really know you’re in the right place. Blind Lady Alehouse has embraced bicycles as a key part of its brand in the heart of Normal Heights, and offers a 10 percent discount just because you pedaled there. It celebrates its seventh anniversary this year, cruise in for a bite, a brew and delicious taste of urban bicycle culture.

COFFEE & TEA COLLECTIVE (2911 El Cajon Blvd., North Park) coffeeandteacollective.com While you’re next to North Park checking out Blind Lady Alehouse, you’ll likely need a caffeine boost. Roll into Coffee & Tea Collective for a simple and elegant coffee experience—particularly for customers on bikes. This local business fought for the installation of new blue bike racks out front and as a result, offers 10 percent off to any customer who pedals in. The coffee shop also supports local Velodrome riders, which you can identify in the pink and white striped jerseys every Tuesday and Friday evenings in the spring and summer.

QUARTYARD (1102 Market St., East Village) quartyardsd.com Finding a bike-friendly bar in downtown San Diego can be tricky when everything feels fancy and crowded. Look no further than Quartyard. Just pedal over to the corner of Market Street and 12th Avenue to enjoy an outside drink by bike.

Wheel your bike into the open picnic-table seating and don’t worry about the managers getting angry. If you took bike share, there’s a station right outside for convenience. Bikes are welcome

here and, as a result, you can often find bike events like Cyclo De Mayo—a National Bike Month kickoff celebration on May 5—rolling through or bike valet hosted by local bike shops.

RYAN BROS. COFFEE CO. (1894 Main St., Barrio Logan) ryanbroscoffee.com Perhaps most subtle of all the businesses on this

list, Ryan Bros. Coffee doesn’t boast of its bike-friendliness, so I felt it my job to do it for them. In the heart of Barrio Logan, Ryan Bros. doesn’t just allow, but encourages customers to ride bicycles right into the coffee shop. On any given morning you can find group rides stopped for a bite to eat inside, dozens of bikes locked

to the small outdoor fence or merely propped up inside, leaning against tables or walls or book shelves.

To learn more about becoming a bike-friendly business, call the San Diego Bike Coalition at 858-487-6063 or visit us at sdbikecoalition.org.

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Mountains, waterfront and tracks highlight local courses

By Sebastian Montes

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t’s no secret that Greater San Diego is blessed with some of the most scenic and exhilarating rides this side of…well, anywhere.

And no wonder: With a dozen distinct ecosystems within a one-hour drive, San Diego boasts an absurd abundance of top-notch biking, from snow-frosted mountaintops that plunge into arid deserts to coastal paths soothed by balmy sea breezes.

For bicycling bipeds, that diversity means an embarrassment of riches from which to make a difficult choice.

We get it: San Diego’s surplus of sunshine can make it easy to lapse into a next-weekend complacency.

Our writers picked the brains of some of the region’s most avid cyclists and compiled a list of five must-bike hotbeds that’ll give you ample reason to strap on that helmet and get apedaling.

“It’s the kind of trail that once you’re up on that hill, you could ride a mountain bike fairly easily,” Murphy says. “For people who are a little more advanced, it does have some rocks and features you can ride over. But there are easier ways to get through.”

You don’t need to GPS your way out to the Santa Rosas when you get a hankering to get your tires dirty: A short jaunt down Interstate 15 will land you in the emerging off-road hotspot of Black Mountain Open Space Park.

More than five miles of trails have opened in the 2,300-acre park over the past year, rides that dip in and out of the chaparrals and skirt hills draped in sage. The namesake summit rises 1,550 feet above the surrounding suburbia of Camino del Sur and Carmel Mountain Road, offering up views that on clear days reach west to the Pacific, north and east to the mountains, and south to downtown.

Most of the trails are shared with hikers and horses, and enjoy easy access from four trailheads.

The 1,000-member group is all a-flutter over the 2.5-mile section they built there by hand and opened only a few weeks ago, mindful to the strike a balance between white-knuckle and a ho-hum.

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“Recreationally speaking, the Bayshore Bikeway is at the top of my list. I just love that bikeway,” he says. “You can take the ferry, which I think is really fun and unique. It’s flat, it’s scenic, and it’s the right length. It’s just a fun ride.”

Hanshaw makes no bones about getting sentimental over San Diego’s iconic rides—like the miles upon miles of boardwalk strewn throughout the region’s beaches. Some may deem those as touristy or trite, but he sees it as nothing less than a San Diegan’s civic duty.

“Riding on the boardwalk is a treasured pastime,” he says. “You have to do that to live here. It’s important. The boardwalk and the Bayshore; those are two incredible places to just go have fun.”

MOUNTAIN RIDING, CLOSER TO HOME

“It’s just a great place for the community to get out, walk their dogs, take a nice ride, catch the views of the ocean and downtown,” says Susie Murphy, executive director of the San Diego Mountain Biking Association.

gorgeous miles of the Silver Strand, through Imperial Beach, then back up through Chula Vista and into downtown. For the optimal experience, Hanshaw suggests starting downtown and catching the ferry to Coronado.

NOBLE CANYON AND THE BLT Those looking to test their mountainbiking mettle need look no further than the centuries-old trails that span from Noble Canyon to Mount Laguna in Cleveland National Forest—widely hailed as one of the best trails in all of Southern California.

The Noble Canyon portion consists of nearly 10 single-track miles of jagged rocks and nerve-rattling switchbacks that descend through three ecosystems as meadows and oak trees give way to chaparral before drying out into the arid landscape abutting the AnzaBorrego desert.

BIKEWAYS AND BEACHES Sometimes, it pays to take the road most traveled. When it comes to quintessential San Diego riding, the conversation starts with the Bayshore Bikeway for Andy Handshaw, executive director of the San Diego Bike Coalition.

The 24-mile path—more than half of which is protected from cars—rings San Diego Bay starting in Coronado, down seven heart-stopping

It’s not for nothing that one stretch is known as the Stairway to Hell. But intermediate riders need not be scared off, just as long as you’re not too proud to walk a few stretches.

“It’s the premier trail right now—that’s legal,” Murphy says.

And with a few tweaks, riders can work their way onto her favorite ride of all: Mt. Laguna, which careens past wide expanses of alpine

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meadow ideal for riders craving something a bit more casual.

“It’s a great place because you can take kids there and ride up to a campground and it can be a really beginner-friendly ride. But you can extend other connector trails off of it and make it more of a longer, intermediate ride.” Added together, the BLT-to-Noble Canyon ride spans 29 miles.

“Laguna is great because you can have this beginner ride or intermediate ride up around the meadow, and then if you really want to bomb it downhill, you can do the Noble Canyon thing.”

CUYAMACA RANCHO STATE PARK Straddling Highway 79 on the road to Julian sits 24,000-acre Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, where riders can mix and match trails that careen past sprawling meadows that bloom in May, with campgrounds and streams strewn throughout the landscape.

At more than 6,500 feet, Cuyamaca Peak is the second highest point in San Diego County—a perch whose panorama reaches from Salton Sea to the Pacific and south into Mexico.

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The recently opened Cold Spring trail is already a favorite with bikers. And each October, the 25 miles of trails host the Poker Ride, a fundraiser for the park’s Mountain Bike Assistance Unit, one of the oldest in America.

Need to cool down after navigating all those switchbacks en route to the old gold mine? No problem: hop off the bike and take a dip in the waterfalls along Sweetwater River.

Don’t be dissuaded by the massive wildfire that decimated Cuyamaca in 2003; recovery is well underway thanks to extensive reforestation efforts.

“It’s still really pretty, and there’s a whole system of multi-use trails,” Murphy says. “It’s a much more mountain experience than a lot of other trails. It’s a premier destination, it’s pretty great.”

WELCOME TO THE VELODROME Last but hardly least, we offer up an option that’s less about the riding and more about the spectacle and the camaraderie and the rubbing of elbows with fellow aficionados.

We’re talking about Tuesday nights at the Velodrome, those 333 meters of slanted, circular

concrete hidden a few hundred yards west of Pershing Drive in Balboa Park.

“The Velodrome is a gem in this city that very few people know about,” Hanshaw says. The 40-year-old track is owned by the city, while the San Diego Velodrome Association organizes a medley of races and classes for riders of varying age and skill.

Tuesday nights bring out as many as four dozen spandex-clad riders churning their fixed-gear cycles through a series of sprints and races. With its decidedly BYO ethos—be that beer or blanket or burrito—the scene can start to feel a bit like hipster NASCAR as you take your seat in the bleachers among the 100 or so others enjoying the smooth hum of the racers whirring around the track, sun dipping behind them, music playing, engulfed in the happy chatter of friends and family who’ve come out in support.

Do-it-yourself is at the core of the track’s survival: while the city covers the cost of lighting, water and some repairs, club members pay for everything else. Spectating is free; memberships and classes are available at various levels.

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By Sebastian Montes

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The eyes of the cycling world will turn to San Diego next month for the very first time when the planet’s best racers embark on the eight-day, 800-mile AMGEN Tour of California...

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orld champions and Tour de France winners.

The world’s top-ranked rider. Throngs of jubilant spectators. Millions in revenue. Satellites beaming the broadcast worldwide.

The eyes of the cycling world will turn to San Diego next month for the very first time when the planet’s best racers embark on the eight-day, 800-mile AMGEN Tour of California—a moment ripe with the promise of international prestige and the prospect of vaulting the region’s biking agenda unprecedentedly forward.

The May 15 opening leg—which spans 106 miles from Mission Bay to the Santa Rosa mountains, then back—is the first of eight stages that culminate in Sacramento on May 22.

While San Diego is the birthplace of the triathlon and is well-practiced at putting on races like the Gran Fondo, cycling here has never been on so thorough and far-reaching a display. Landing the prestigious event and coordinating the complex logistics has taken two years’ effort from a diverse coalition of business, political and biking interests, said Ed Clancy, chairman of the race’s local organizing committee.

“All those elements came together to showcase San Diego in a way that’s never been seen before,” he said. “And as locals, we’re going to learn something about San Diego we didn’t know; what 16 | San Diego

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our capabilities are, what our best places to ride are, how we can be more bike-friendly.”

Over its 10-year history, the Tour has grown into America’s most important road race. This year’s lineup just might be its best ever, experts say, led by defending champion Peter Sagan, the freshly anointed world champion.

The 18-team field will burst from the starting line at Ski Beach in Mission Bay at 11:30 a.m., winding through Balboa Park and down past Chula Vista on their way to the sprint stage in Imperial Beach. From there, they’ll climb east into the mountain portion of the race. After summiting along Honey Springs Road, they’ll careen west through El Cajon and into Pacific Beach before finishing with a mad dash to Mission Bay Park’s Quivira Basin shortly after 3:30 p.m.

San Diego’s biking clubs will stake out choice spots in a raucous party. Fans will pack into restaurants along the course. Big-screen TVs will dot the racecourse.

Some of the best spectating will be when the racers teem down Friars Road, hitting speeds in excess of 40 mph, all straining sinews and aerobic marvel. For his part, longtime cycling pundit Bob Roll is looking most forward to the grueling climb along Honey Springs Road and the frantic finish in front of the grandstands.

“I expect a bunch gallop for the stage win and first leader’s jersey that should see the sprinters prevail,” he said.

Event organizers are also expecting a tidy economic windfall. AEG, the sports events firm that owns the race, pegs that figure at roughly $100 million. More than $2 million of that is expected to line San Diego pockets, Clancy said.

But more than the economic shot in the arm, the Tour comes at an opportune moment for bicycling advocates pushing to move the needle away from San Diego’s car-centric history and more toward a future of bike-friendliness.

Biking advocates and some city leaders have pushed an emphasis on San Diego as a mecca of healthy living, bolstered by a political groundswell to promote bicycling as a remedy to climate change.

“The race itself is a backdrop. This is a reflection of our community. This is what we can aspire to be, while at the same time we want to increase commuters, lower the emissions, be a part of the Climate Action Plan,” Clancy said. “How do we educate people on that? We take a world-class event and use that as a sub-narrative to what we’re trying to achieve.”

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Metro Cyclery understands your needs and has a bicycle to fit your lifestyle. Specializing in folding bikes (Brompton, Tern and Montague), cargo bikes (Yuba), commuter bikes (Breezer), the popular Electra brand of bikes and electric alternatives (Electra’s Townie Go, Yuba’s El Mundo and el Boda Boda). Metro Cyclery is also an authorized BionX dealer and can convert most bikes to an e-bike. Get to where you need to go while having fun, staying healthy, saving money and reducing your carbon footprint. Your neighborhood bike shop for fun, sport and everyday transportation.

METRO CYCLERY 1211 Morena Blvd., Bay Park (619) 276-1145 MetroCyclery.com

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year. May is National Bike Month, and San Diego’s not celebrating lightly. Enjoy a month filled with bike-tastic adventures in May—and beyond.

Because really, shouldn’t every month be Bike Month in San Diego?

For a complete list of Bike Month events in San Diego, please visit icommutesd.com/events/events_listing.

MAY 4: NATIONAL BIKE TO SCHOOL DAY On National Bike to School Day, thousands of schools across the country celebrate the power of riding a bike to and from school. Grab your bike and books with the rest of the country by your side, and roll into school. walkbiketoschool.org MAY 5: CYCLO DE MAYO The San Diego Bike Coalition kicks off National Bike Month in proper San Diego fashion with Cyclo De Mayo. Join the Coalition to celebrate with bikes, beers, friends and a short ride to Barrio Logan and back. The short, flat ride will depart from Quartyard at 5:30 p.m. and return for a celebration of all things pedaled. bikecoalition.org MAY 15: TOUR OF CALIFORNIA California’s version of the Tour de France, this bike road race kicks off in San Diego. Riders will depart from Mission Bay and head through Balboa Park and downtown before moving up to Pasadena for the second day. The weeklong tour draws some of the best bike riders from around the country.

The San Diego Bike Coalition will also host commentator Bob Roll for a special race preview on Friday, May 13 at 6 p.m. at The Wine Pub. amgentourofcalifornia.com MAY 16: BIKE DOCUMENTARY SCREENING. Join the Bike Coalition at the San Diego Central Public Library for the screening of a new, 90-minute bike documentary and a post-screening discussion. The event is free and begins at 6:30 p.m. sdbikecoalition.org

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MAY 20: BIKE TO WORK DAY: From 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., thousands of San Diegans will wheel out their bicycles and collectively bike to work. iCommute works with local businesses to set up more than 100 pit stops around San Diego so participants can stop in for coffee, water, snacks, t-shirts and more bike gear. icommutesd.com/events/bike-month MAY 20: BIKE-IN CINEMA: Want to enjoy a mellow Bike Month evening? Look no further. All bikelovers are invited to join a relaxed group ride at 6 p.m. and outdoor film screening of Beijing Bicycle at 7 p.m. at the North Park Digital Gym. digitalgym.org MAY 22: PEDAL TO THE PARK: Some things just feel right together. Take advantage of bikes and baseball at Pedal to the Park—a bike ride to the Padres-Dodgers game that gets you a discounted, reserved seat. All bikes will be parked in a secure, guarded Bicycle Pavilion until participants are ready to leave the game. pedaltothepark.com JUNE 16: SUMMER SOLSTICE RIDE: Bike Month may be over, but the biketastic fun doesn’t stop. The Bike Coalition returns with its annual Summer Solstice Ride to celebrate approaching the longest day of the year with local craft beers and friends.

Visit the Bike Coalition online for more information. sdbikecoalition.org continued on page 20

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Calendar of Events continued from page 19

AUGUST 28: 9TH ANNUAL BIKE THE BAY: Want the best view of San Diego County? Grab your bike and join more than 3,500 San Diegans for the only opportunity to pedal across the renowned San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge followed by a loop on the famed Bayshore Bikeway; San Diego’s premiere bike attraction. Participants in this causal 25-mile ride experience some of the county’s most breathtaking waterfront views and a vivacious after party. bikethebay.net SEPTEMBER 24: TOUR DE FAT: Dust off the ridiculous costume, shine up the bike and get ready for another epic, bewildering day as Tour de Fat rolls into Golden Hill. The day-long event is free. All donations and proceeds from beer and merchandise go to the San Diego County Bike Coalition and the San Diego Mountain Bike Association. newbelgium.com/tourdefat OCTOBER 16: BIKE FOR BOOBS: The Wine Pub teams up with the San Diego Bike Coalition and Wheel Women of San Diego, to host the fourthannual Bike For Boobs. The Shelter Island bike ride and after party raises thousands of dollars each year for The Breast Cancer Fund. thewinepubsd.org DECEMBER 8: HOLIDAY JOY RIDE: The sixth-annual, family-friendly Holiday Joy Ride encourages festive costumes for a casual tinsel-wrapped, lightstrung, two-wheeled parade in Balboa Park and Bankers Hill, followed by an awards celebration to honor five recipients who went above and beyond to make San Diego County bike friendly in 2016. sdbikecoalition.org 20 | San Diego

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Adams Avenue Bicycles 2602 Adams Ave., San Diego (619) 295-8500 aabikes.net

Baja Bike Race Tecate to Ensanada, Mexico bajabikerace.com info@bajabikerace.com

Bicycle Warehouse 5710 Kearny Villa Rd., Kearny Mesa (858) 292-8449 4650 Santa Fe St., Pacific Beach (858) 273-7300 3513 Main St., Chula Vista (619) 498-4900 328 N El Camino Real, Encinitas (760) 635-4500 2750 Auto Park Way #21, Escondido (760) 233-9900 27250 Madison Ave., Temecula 951-587-4110 bicyclewarehouse.com

Big City Tattoo 2939 El Cajon Blvd., North Park (619) 299-4868 tat2inc.com

Bike the Bay Community Bike Ride Sunday, August 28, 2016 9th Annual Ride the Coronado Bridge bikethebay.net

Bikes on Tap The 4th Thursday of Every Month Talk “bikes” at different breweries while enjoying a beer! sdbikecoalition.org

Brewery Tours of San Diego Wherever your favorite breweries are!

(619) 961-7999

brewerytoursofsandiego.com

Broken Spoke Mobile Bicycle Repair 2953 Comstock St., San Diego (858) 945-2453 brokenspokebikerepair.com

Brooklyn Bicycles 3437 Adams Ave., Normal Heights (619) 283-1926 brooklynsd.com

Cal Coast Bicycles 3020 Adams Ave., Normal Heights (619) 281-7433 calcoastbicycles.com

Ciclo De Mayo Thursday, May 5th @ 5:30pm Bike Month Kickoff Celebration @ Quartyard sdbikecoalition.org

Juice Crafters 935 Silverado St., La Jolla (858) 459-0569 401 University Ave., Hillcrest (619) 297-0235 1740 India St., Little Italy (619) 231-4329 935 Silverado St., La Jolla (858) 459-0569 937 South Coast Highway 101, #106, Encinitas (760) 230-2427 juicecrafters.com

Meshuggah Shack Blind Lady Alehouse 1188 Market St., East Village 3416 Adams Ave., Normal Heights 4048 Goldfinch St., Mission Hills (619) 255-2491 (619) 518-5421 blindlady.blogspot.com

meshuggahshack.com

Bluefoot Bar and Lounge 3404 30th St., North Park (619) 756-7981

Metro Cyclery 1211 Morena Blvd., Bay Park (619) 276-1145

bluefootsd.com

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North Park Bikes 3302 North Park Way, North Park (619) 255-3100 northparkbikes.com

Panama 66 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park (619) 696-1966 panama66.blogspot.com

Pedal Pushing Bicycle Shop 6969 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego (619) 460-0760

Solar Rain Water solarrainwatery.com

The South Park Abbey 1946 Fern St., South Park (619) 696-0096 thesouthparkabbey.com

Tern Bicycles 3 local dealers to serve you: • Black Mountain Bicycles, San Diego • Metro Cyclery, Bay Park • North County Family Bicycles, Carlsbad

People for Bikes P.O. Box 2359, Boulder, CO 80306 ternbicycles.com peopleforbikes.org

Pizzeria Luigi 1137 25th St., Golden Hill (619) 233-3309 2121 El Cajon Blvd., North Park (619) 294-9417 pizzerialuigi.com

Terra Rhythm 4222 Voltaire St., Ocean Beach (619) 892-2733 terrarhythmbikes.com

Tiger!Tiger!

3025 El Cajon Blvd., North Park (619) 487-0401

Rack-it Car Racks 7582 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., San Diego (858) 560-8877

tigertigertavern.blogspot.com

Re-imagine Normal Street Normal Street Between University and Harvey Milk in Hillcrest May 12-15 (619) 299-3330

sandiegotourofca.com

rack-it.com

fabuloushillcrest.com

San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) gobybikesd.com

San Diego County Bicycle Coalition 1111 6th Ave., San Diego, CA (858) 487-6063 sdbikecoalition.org

San Diego Mountain Bike Association San Diego’s Hub for Multi-Use Trails and Trail Advocacy

Tour of California Special Events May 13 & 14 San Diego Race Day May 15 (858) 263-5092 Velo Fix Bikes (855)-VELOFIX velofix.com

Wheel Fun Rentals Wyndham San Diego Bayside 1355 N. Harbor Dr., San Diego, CA Hotel Del Coronado 1500 Orange Ave., Coronado, CA Marriot Marquis & Marina 333 W. Harbor Dr.,San Diego, CA Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina 1380 Harbor Island Dr., San Diego, CA Imperial Beach Pier Plaza 10 Evergreen Ave., Imperial Beach, CA (619) 342-7244 wheelfunrentals.com

sdmba.com info@sdmba.com #sdbikeguide

San Diego

2016 | 25

An inside look into the region’s only countywide bike advocacy organization

By Executive Director Andy Hanshaw “What’s the Bike Coalition up to lately?”

People ask me this every day, but it never gets easier to answer.

There are a million things I could say. Of course, our upcoming events and meetings come to mind first, but that’s not the answer my inquirers want. It’s a surfacelevel answer, because there are (and will always be) upcoming events and meetings. Instead, I try to give a more comprehensive response to a question that often feels too broad to begin answering.

Let me begin answering it here.

spoken out for safer streets and our work has led to the installation of hundreds of miles of bike paths, lanes and trails throughout San Diego County. Currently, downtown San Diego has proposed an entire network of bike infrastructure to plan for a significant increase in population and employee growth that will make biking downtown safer and reduce traffic and parking congestion.

Oceanside is planning to improve Coast Highway for all road users, including bikers, and North Park and Uptown are going to be the first places

For nearly 30 years, the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition has been a respected and educated voice for people on bikes in the region. We’ve spent decades advocating for and protecting the rights of all people who ride bikes. All people. Not just the commuters. Not just the Saturday morning group riders. Not just the boardwalk cruisers.

All people.

We do a lot for bike riders, yet we are a small organization with a dedicated staff that strives to make change for a better San Diego by bike.

At the core of our organization, we believe that anyone who lives, works or visits this beautiful place we call home should have safe, connected and accessible choices wherever and whenever they pedal.

As a result, we spend our days advocating for bikes, educating San Diego about bikes, and celebrating all that bikes do to improve our quality of life and our economy.

We live in a place where the typical weather (70-andsunny) affords us the option to ride a bike almost any day of the year. We don’t need to wait for summer to ride our bikes, like Washington, D.C. does. We don’t need to pedal between thunderstorms, as in Portland. And when we do pedal, whether it’s a quick ride down the street to get groceries, a commute to work or a cruise through our neighborhoods on a Sunday morning, our choice to ride a bike supports local and statewide efforts to reduce the harmful impacts of climate change and create a healthier San Diego. (Not to mention all the health benefits that come from riding your bike!)

As I write this, I think our bike-friendly future looks promising. Our region has plans to increase much-needed and long-overdue bike infrastructure all over the county. We’ve 26 | San Diego

donuts on May 20 for Bike to Work Day and hosting a variety of events and educational classes throughout the month to encourage you to get on your bike and ride more safely and more often in this beautiful place we call home.

When May ends, we’ll count on you to help us continue our Bike Month momentum. Join us for the only opportunity you have to pedal over the renowned San-Diego Coronado Bay Bridge on August 28 for our 9th Annual Bike the Bay. Then cruise into New Belgium Brewing’s Tour de Fat, a craft beer, bike and costume-obsessed carnival in Golden Hill Park on September 24 that raises funds and awareness for the Bike Coalition and the San Diego Mountain Biking Association.

2016

where a new network of protected bike lanes will evolve—and that’s just the beginning. With your help, we will continue to push for more because this is what we need to become in order to be a sustainable region and accommodate our own growth.

And with more bike infrastructure, bike share and more bike accessibility, now more than ever we need to teach people to ride safely. We do that by teaching thousands of school children and hundreds of adults every year to be more confident in their bike handling skills.

We love to advocate, and we love to educate—but we especially love to celebrate. The Bike Coalition has a full lineup of fun adventures that anyone who likes bikes can look forward to. Join us to kick off National Bike Month on May 5 with Cyclo de Mayo. You can find us serving up

Yet, we consider ourselves a tremendous organization because we have the support of all of you, and the work we do together will have an impact for generations to come. We’re fortunate to be supported by passionate members, bike riders, educational program grants, volunteers, partners and donations from companies and individuals who care about and share our vision of making San Diego one of the most desirable and bike-friendly regions in the country.

Please support our work to make biking better. If you have $25 a year to become a member, or if you can make a donation, your money goes directly to teaching more bikesafety classes in our schools and communities, strengthening our voice at city council and SANDAG meetings and providing more fun events and activities that celebrate the joy of bicycles.

Lastly, thank you for making it so easy for me to answer the question, “What is the Bike Coalition doing lately?”

“We’re making biking better—for everyone.”

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San Diego

2016 | 27

28 | San Diego

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