I'm sure you can see the joy on my face in this photo. It was taken along West Dry Creek Rd in Healdsburg while I was leading a Biker Chicks ride. While I've ridden bikes since I was a child, there was a huge gap during my adult years until I rediscovered joy on 2 wheels. It started when I moved close to downtown Santa Rosa and realized a bike would allow me to explore more of my new neighborhood. Not knowing if I'd enjoy it, I bought a used 3 speed beach cruiser for $200 thinking I wouldn't have wasted much money if I hated it. Well I loved it, and I mention the cost of that bike, which I still have and ride regularly, to illustrate that cycling need not be costly or require any fancy equipment. After a 30 mile ride one day, I realized a different sort of bike would give me more flexibilty than the 37lbs steel 3 speed. I bought a hybrid bike that allowed me to ride as far as Sebastopol, Graton, and Forestville, and to ride offroad on dirt trails. 

About the time I bought that hybrid, a coworker told me about Biker Chicks Sonoma County, and encouraged me to join an upcoming ride. Biker Chicks is sponsored by the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition and is a fabulously supportive group that encourages women of all ages, shapes, sizes, and abilities to get on a bike and experience the joy of exploring on two wheels. I started riding with them and haven't stopped. Initially I was a rider, then a sweep, and now I lead one of the rides most months. I couldn't be happier or more proud to be a part of this amazing group. But ...that hybrid wasn't cutting it as I built up my endurance, and the carbon road bike in the picture was added to my stable to bikes. I never thought I'd be one of those people wearing spandex, clipping into pedals, and climbing hills, but here I am - and I love it. Besides helping me make many new friends, it's opened up a whole new glorious world for me.

Thanks to these bikes, I rarely drive my car since that first beach cruiser takes me to the grocery store, the library, and many other places around town. I rarely have to fill the gas tank on that car, or deal with freeway traffic, and that's a good thing for so many reasons - my health, the environment, my bank account, and more.

All of this is to eplain why I support (and am a board memeber of) the non-profit Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition . SCBC works to make Sonoma County a great place to ride a bike, through advocacy and education. They provide bike safety classes for adults and to students in our local schools.  SCBC also advocates at the city and county level for safe, connected bike infrastructure. The organization aims to make cycling in our county safe for people who would like to cycle to local destinations but don't because they fear sharing the road with cars. 

This is why I support SCBC's vision and work. I hope that you will join me by donating to the organization that is working to make our community safer for all people on bikes.  Thank you.

The Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition is celebrating 21 YEARS of pedal power...and we couldn't have done it without the support of our peloton of supporters!

Help us power into our next decade by making a contribution, introducing new people to our organization, and encouraging your friends & family to GO RIDE A BIKE!