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Road to the outdoors
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| (top) WHEEL FUN — Young bicyclists gather at the head of the Joe Rodota Trail in Sebastopol during last year’s Bike to Work Day festivities. (bottom) BIKE TO WORK — The Sonoma County Bike Coalition will once again sponsor the Bike to Work Day on May 17 with energizer stations throughout the county, like the one shown in the photo in the Airport Business Center. - Photo by Tim Gonzalez |
County's roads among the best for cycling
by Matthew Hall - Staff Writer
With spring's rapid ascent into summer, many of us will start to look for excuses to spend more time in the great outdoors. Sonoma County's natural wonders are well known to residents and visitors, but one of the area's best roads to the outdoors turns out to actually be roads.
As the black asphalt of Sonoma County roads winds through the same vineyards that produce world famous wines, they provide a spectacular backdrop for some of the best bicycle riding in the world.
Bill Oetinger, ride director of the Santa Rosa Cycling Club said Sonoma County is one of the nation's premier cycling destinations. “It's an immensely popular area for riding,” he said. “There is not much that is more attractive for the average cycle tourist than Sonoma County.”
David Ruggles from the Sonoma County bicycle coalition agreed, saying that the area's agricultural heritage had left a network of back roads covering a diversity of terrain.
“That's the other thing that this county has is a wonderfully varied topography,” he said. “You can go out and do flat or hill rides Š in the trees or something that is very exposed and the coast isn't that far away.”
The Santa Rosa Cycling Club maintains a list of Great Sonoma County Rides” at their website, www.srcc.com/10_rides.html designed to introduce riders to some of the county's
best trips.
For beginners, The Santa Rosa cycling club recommends a 23-mile loop between Café Noto in Windsor and the youth community park in Santa Rosa. The route circles around Charles Schultz Airport via Piner Road, Starr Road and Windsor Road along roads that Oetinger described as relatively flat. “It's almost impossible to do anything that is completely flat in Sonoma County,” he said. “There are some (rolling hills), we are famous for short but steep climbs but this is about as easy as you can get.”
Oetinger said some club members felt 20 miles was too long a stint for an absolute beginner but that trip could be completed in a little over two hours depending on the speed of the rider and how often they stopped.
Newer riders are often intimidated by traffic and Ruggles said that someone who wanted to get out on a bike without the threat of four wheel vehicles nearby could take the Joe Rodota trail between Santa Rosa and Sebastopol. “It's less intimidating than dealing with traffic, you can get out there and not be terrified by people passing you too closely,” he said. “It's a pleasant way to break into it.”
The trail parallels Highway 12 and Ruggles said a novice could get from one end to the other in approximately 25 minutes.
Oetinger said slightly more adventurous riders could head up to Healdsburg for the classic 33-mile winery ride between Dry Creek and Alexander Valleys. “That is the default for cycle tours in the wine country, it's the most done, most common and best loop that there is,” he said. “If people are coming here and are only going to do one thing, that's what they'll do.”
Oetinger said the route is generally comfortable for bike riders but that there could be unpredictable spots of traffic that might intimidate some riders. “Most experienced riders are comfortable with traffic, but if you're a beginner who is intimidated easily there are a couple of spots there that might be worrisome for you,” he said. “Still, it's a really good loop, the best basic loop around for doing the wine country.”
The path incorporates a stop at Jim Town Store, a location Oetinger said has always been friendly to bike riders. The ride is estimated to take approximately three hours to complete but Oetinger said timing a ride could be difficult as it's impossible to budget for a flat tire or to account for a rider who wants to make more frequent stops. “I tell people never make an appointment for after a bike ride,” he said. “You never know what is going to happen.”
One of the longer Great Rides is a 40-mile loop in Sebastopol that runs through Petaluma-Valley Ford Road and includes a stop at the Wildflour bakery. Oetinger warned that the trip has some steep hills and worse traffic but was rewarding for those who finished it. “It's the most advanced and longest of the three,” he said.
Oetinger said his group tells its members to always be courteous and careful when riding on streets but said people are generally tolerant of one another.
SCBL offers a monthly safety course for anyone who wants to brush up on his or her street skills. The program teaches basic street riding, rules of the road and explains safe riding habits. Ruggles said the next class would be May 6.
Anyone looking to get into cycling will find ample support during the month of May as various groups gear up for Bike to Work week May 14-18.
The SCBC will be sponsoring several events to encourage bicycle use ranging from free valet bicycle parking during Santa Rosa's Cinco De Mayo day to a “Re-cycle Swap Meet” that Ruggles described as a flea market style fundraiser.
The group will be sponsoring 20 “energizer stations” on May 17 to help support anyone traveling by foot or bike. “The idea is that we get as many people as possible out going to work or going to school on their bikes or walking,” said Ruggles. “Anything to get them out of their cars that day.”
The stations will be manned by volunteers and will provide a range of breakfast items depending on the sponsor. In past years some groups have offered full pancake breakfasts and Ruggles said an interactive list of locations will be placed on their website www.bikesonoma.org" prior to the event.
The SCBC will also be organizing a “Ride-in Movie” at Rialto Cinemas Lakeside where anyone riding a bicycle to the movie will be given an as yet undetermined prize.
As the black asphalt of Sonoma County roads winds through the same vineyards that produce world famous wines, they provide a spectacular backdrop for some of the best bicycle riding in the world.
Bill Oetinger, ride director of the Santa Rosa Cycling Club said Sonoma County is one of the nation's premier cycling destinations. “It's an immensely popular area for riding,” he said. “There is not much that is more attractive for the average cycle tourist than Sonoma County.”
David Ruggles from the Sonoma County bicycle coalition agreed, saying that the area's agricultural heritage had left a network of back roads covering a diversity of terrain.
“That's the other thing that this county has is a wonderfully varied topography,” he said. “You can go out and do flat or hill rides Š in the trees or something that is very exposed and the coast isn't that far away.”
The Santa Rosa Cycling Club maintains a list of Great Sonoma County Rides” at their website, www.srcc.com/10_rides.html designed to introduce riders to some of the county's
best trips.
For beginners, The Santa Rosa cycling club recommends a 23-mile loop between Café Noto in Windsor and the youth community park in Santa Rosa. The route circles around Charles Schultz Airport via Piner Road, Starr Road and Windsor Road along roads that Oetinger described as relatively flat. “It's almost impossible to do anything that is completely flat in Sonoma County,” he said. “There are some (rolling hills), we are famous for short but steep climbs but this is about as easy as you can get.”
Oetinger said some club members felt 20 miles was too long a stint for an absolute beginner but that trip could be completed in a little over two hours depending on the speed of the rider and how often they stopped.
Newer riders are often intimidated by traffic and Ruggles said that someone who wanted to get out on a bike without the threat of four wheel vehicles nearby could take the Joe Rodota trail between Santa Rosa and Sebastopol. “It's less intimidating than dealing with traffic, you can get out there and not be terrified by people passing you too closely,” he said. “It's a pleasant way to break into it.”
The trail parallels Highway 12 and Ruggles said a novice could get from one end to the other in approximately 25 minutes.
Oetinger said slightly more adventurous riders could head up to Healdsburg for the classic 33-mile winery ride between Dry Creek and Alexander Valleys. “That is the default for cycle tours in the wine country, it's the most done, most common and best loop that there is,” he said. “If people are coming here and are only going to do one thing, that's what they'll do.”
Oetinger said the route is generally comfortable for bike riders but that there could be unpredictable spots of traffic that might intimidate some riders. “Most experienced riders are comfortable with traffic, but if you're a beginner who is intimidated easily there are a couple of spots there that might be worrisome for you,” he said. “Still, it's a really good loop, the best basic loop around for doing the wine country.”
The path incorporates a stop at Jim Town Store, a location Oetinger said has always been friendly to bike riders. The ride is estimated to take approximately three hours to complete but Oetinger said timing a ride could be difficult as it's impossible to budget for a flat tire or to account for a rider who wants to make more frequent stops. “I tell people never make an appointment for after a bike ride,” he said. “You never know what is going to happen.”
One of the longer Great Rides is a 40-mile loop in Sebastopol that runs through Petaluma-Valley Ford Road and includes a stop at the Wildflour bakery. Oetinger warned that the trip has some steep hills and worse traffic but was rewarding for those who finished it. “It's the most advanced and longest of the three,” he said.
Oetinger said his group tells its members to always be courteous and careful when riding on streets but said people are generally tolerant of one another.
SCBL offers a monthly safety course for anyone who wants to brush up on his or her street skills. The program teaches basic street riding, rules of the road and explains safe riding habits. Ruggles said the next class would be May 6.
Anyone looking to get into cycling will find ample support during the month of May as various groups gear up for Bike to Work week May 14-18.
The SCBC will be sponsoring several events to encourage bicycle use ranging from free valet bicycle parking during Santa Rosa's Cinco De Mayo day to a “Re-cycle Swap Meet” that Ruggles described as a flea market style fundraiser.
The group will be sponsoring 20 “energizer stations” on May 17 to help support anyone traveling by foot or bike. “The idea is that we get as many people as possible out going to work or going to school on their bikes or walking,” said Ruggles. “Anything to get them out of their cars that day.”
The stations will be manned by volunteers and will provide a range of breakfast items depending on the sponsor. In past years some groups have offered full pancake breakfasts and Ruggles said an interactive list of locations will be placed on their website www.bikesonoma.org" prior to the event.
The SCBC will also be organizing a “Ride-in Movie” at Rialto Cinemas Lakeside where anyone riding a bicycle to the movie will be given an as yet undetermined prize.
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