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    • Feb 3, 2022

Bike Riding Events Support Tourism and Local Charities



Tent, Picnic, Fish, Boat, and Bike!


It’s never too late to think about participating in, or even organizing, a bicycle riding event.


Bicycling is only getting more popular; before the pandemic struck in 2020, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy estimated that recreational cycling was increasing every year. During the pandemic, demand for bicycles surged, and more Americans than ever took to cycling. Approximately 8.5 million Californians will take a bike ride at least several times this month. Before the Covid pandemic there were twelve bike events in Caltrans District 10, making Northern California’s the Central Valley, Motherlode and Sierra a Northern California popular bike riding destinations. Many of those rides are returning and some cancelled because of the pandemic; and there’s a list at the end of this letter of events coming or anticipated in 2022.


Cycling in the time of Covid has become a popular way for people to gather and socialize; being outdoors together is considered by many a safer way to build community. So it’s only natural that people might flock to organized cycling events.


Organized cycling events are invaluable for sponsoring communities and organizations who use them as fundraisers. Bicycle events like the ones listed below attract new visitors who may not have realized the attractions of a particular region.


Bicycle events get “heads in beds,” with increased overnight guests supporting the local hospitality industry. Studies have shown that bicyclists spend more nights in an area compared to non-cycling visitors. In addition, because bicycling is a physical activity, bicyclists require food and drink. Lots of it.


From Bob Fores, Stanislaus County Ride for Mom Coordinator, “Over the past eight years, over 2,000 riders and 500 volunteers have participated in the event. Including 2020, due to the generous support of sponsors, volunteers and participants, RFM has distributed over $100,000 in grants and bicycles to local beneficiaries that personify “Be Active Eat Healthy Live Better”.


CalBike prepared A Toolkit for Organizers of Bike Rides and it is a step-by-step manual for anyone who wants to sponsor a bike ride to raise money for local charities or projects. This Toolkit for Businesses is a how-to manual for businesses and organizations that want to be known as bicycle-friendly. All of these resources are provided online, and, in printed format, as appendices in this document.



In 2022, bicycle events continue to raise money for charities and bring tourists to four counties in Caltrans District 10.


The following bike events in Caltrans District 10 are scheduled or planned for 2022.


The economic values of each bike ride event are an estimate of potential fundraising earnings and increased tourism opportunities.





CALAVERAS COUNTY


Ride&Walk 4 Art

March 20, 2022

150 participants @ $50 = $7,500

Proceeds for County Public Schools Art Education Programs


Party Pardee

April 2, 2022 Registration Sold Out

1,400 participants @ $65 = $91,000

Proceeds support the Sacramento Cycling Community, Programs and Events


Mr. Frogs Ride

May 7, 2022 250 participants @ $60 = $15,000

Proceeds Support Feeney Park Foundation


SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY


Delta Century

April 30, 2022

300 participants @ $ 45 = $13,500

Proceeds distributed to local charities and non profits


Tour delle Vine

May 14, 2022 350 participants @ $65 = $22,750

Procceeds support the Lodi Sunrise Rotary Club community service projects


Best Ride

May 21, 2022

150 participants @ $40 = $6,000

Proceeds support bike advocacy and events in San Joaquin County


STANISLAUS COUNTY


May 8, 2022 250 participants @ $60 = $15,000

Proceeds support Be Active, Eat Healthy, Live Better Grants


Golden Hills

250 participants @ $60 = $15,000

Returning 2023

Proceeds support the Second Harvest Food Bank’s Food 4 Thought program, bicycle safety, bicycle advocacy, helmets for kids, ride leader training, and Share-The-Road-Signs


ALPINE COUNTY


Ebbett’s Pass Century

Event Planned for 2022, Date Not Set

250 participants @ $95 = $23,750

Proceeds support Bear Valley Charities


Alta Alpina Challenge

June 25, 2022

250 participants @ $95 = $23,750

Proceeds support youth mountain bike cycling programs, bike advocacy road safety, trail development.


Death Ride

July 16, 2022

1,200 participants @ $170 = $204,000

Proceeds support the Alpine County Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center


Sources

Surge in demand


https://www.peopleforbikes.org/news/how-bicycling-changed-during-a-pandemic



    • Jan 25, 2022

First Bike Event in 2022!


Cyclists and walkers will enjoy the rolling green hills and rural roads of West Calaveras County during the Calaveras County Arts Council’s Sixth AnnualRide & Walk 4 Art on March 20, 2022. With three bicycle ride choices—30, 45, and 100 miles—or a 4.5 mile walk along the shores of New Hogan Lake—there’s something for everybody.


This year, organizer Rob Williams, chair of the Motherlode Bicycle Coalition, the organization that helps manage and coordinate the event, has freshened the popular fundraiser that supports the arts in Calaveras County schools. The biggest change is a new starting venue. The new site, the Jenny Lind Veterans Memorial Park in Valley Springs, offers many benefits. “It’s just a better site,” Williams said. “There is parking for over 200 cars. There are indoor bathrooms. And it starts and ends the ride at a safe neighborhood location. No one is crossing any highways to start the ride.”


“I also like supporting the veterans center. It has really nice amenities and it’s a brand new facility.”


Another change has been the addition of a Century Ride, 100 miles of hill climbs, downhill coasting, and heart-thumping views. “On a clear day you can see across the Central Valley, and into the High Sierra,” Williams said.


    • Dec 6, 2021

Motherlode Bicycle Coalition End of Year Newsletter


CalBike developed the website BikeValleytoSierra.com to promote bike tourism in the northern San Joaquin Valley and the Sierra Foothill counties to the east. The website has attracted 435 followers who have received news articles and updates about every other week, on average, for the last two years. This is an audience of community leaders and bicyclists who have expressed interest in and support for this effort.


To maintain this audience and keep the momentum of interest garnered so far, the Motherlode Bicycle Coalition (a project of the California Bicycle Coalition Education Fund) will sponsor the website indefinitely, and coordinate the maintenance of its content.

Contributors will be bicycle advocates from organizations throughout the five county area, business development and tourism bureau officials, and others as recruited by the Motherlode Bicycle Coalition.

For More Information about the MLBC

Read the End of Year Newsletter




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