After this spit of wintry weather, at last a hint of summer blew into the East Bay and the sun smiled radiantly. It couldn’t have been a more perfect Sunday to enjoy the out of doors. With notepad in hand, the reporter and I saddled up my tandem, refreshed our coordinated balance and primed up for the ride. It was slick to take care of registration online on the Bike SL page before hand. Michael Gregory greeted us in front of the Englander where everyone was registering, signing the wavers and queuing up for the ride. After a quick stretch routine the ride began, with the whole group going together to the lower Chabot Park before the hard-core bicyclists continued into the hills for another 5 miles of mountain biking. One other tandem tag teamed along with us. The short ride took under an hour even with a break at the park. We had just warmed up by the time we reached the finish line and would have loved to go further; but the fanny gave thanks for stopping when we did.
Around noon the post-ride festivities started up. We got our little gift bag and scooped out the BBQ; but the price tag and Gatorade turned us of. Instead, we took a seat under the canopy and relished in the beauty of fantastic jazz by Layce Baker Black Diamond Blues Band. There’s nothing better than beautiful music in the fresh air of a warm Spring day.
After the hard-core riders returned, the East Bay Bicycle Coalition hosted a family Bicycle Safety workshop for parents and a mini kids rodeo. It was great to see the workshop in action after approving EBBC’s request for support from earlier this year. More highlights will surely be coming on the San Leandro Patch. For now, here’s the skinny.

Bike SL

A celebration with Bicycles, Blues, BBQ & Brews

Date: June 12, 2011 Time: 10:30 AM – 4:00 PM
www.BikeSL.org

Event Description
Join the San Leandro Downtown Association for a free, family celebration of healthy, fun transportation!

Two rides to choose from
– A challenging 12-mile mountain bike ride around Lake Chabot with San Leandro City Council member Michael Gregory’
– A fun and easy 5 mile family friendly ride through the city streets of San Leandro historic neighborhood, looping from the Englander out to Chabot Park.

After the ride: Join us for a delicious barbecue.
Free Concert featuring Layce Baker & The Black Diamond Blues Band
Sponsored by San Leandro Downtown Association; Alhambra; City of San Leandro and Ghirardelli

Event Location
Englander Pub and Restaurant Parking Lot
101 Parrott Street
San Leandro, CA
Date/Time Information
Check-in begins at 10:30 am in the Englander parking lot
Bike rides begin at 11:00
Post ride festivities from Noon to 4PM