Bicyclists converging on Pasadena next month

PASADENA –  The streets of Pasadena will be filled with bikers, walkers and runners May 11-17, when daily bicycle events tour the city as part of Pasadena’s eighth annual Bike Week festivities. The Kaiser Permanente Ride, Roll and Stroll on May 17 will culminate a full week of community activities designed to promote bicycle culture by encouraging residents to ride along. The week is presented by the Pasadena Department of Transportation and Los Angeles Based bicycle advocacy organization Cyclists Inciting Change thru Live Exchange (C.I.C.L.E.).

Thousands of local families are expected to explore Pasadena by bike, foot, skates or any non-motorized means of transportation as part of the Ride, Roll and Stroll. The open-streets bike race will feature an organized bike ride with Mayor Bill Bogaard in celebration of the final day of Bike Week Pasadena and the Amgen Tour of California.

The Ride, Roll and Stroll begins at 11 a.m. Participants can register online by clicking RSVP at visitpasadena.com. The event is free to both participants and spectators.

Later in the day, Stage 7 of The Amgen Tour of California, America’s largest and most prestigious professional cycling stage race, will enter Pasadena on the historic Colorado Street Bridge and then traverse through downtown before concluding with a spectacular finish in front of City Hall at approximately 3 p.m. The Amgen Tour of California Lifestyle Festival will offer a daylong celebration and gathering place near the finish line.

The 2014 Bike Week activities include:

Bike Ed Day on Sunday, May 11, featuring presentations on bicycle traffic safety at 10 a.m. and bicycle maintenance at 11 a.m. at Incycle, 175 S. Fair Oaks Ave.;

A Taste of Pasadena Ride on Monday, May 12, as riders visit the Pasadena Playhouse restaurants, Whole Foods and the Luggage Room Pizzeria to sample some of the city’s cuisine. The event begins at Memorial Park at Raymond Avenue and Holly Street at 6:30 p.m.;

Shop by Bike Day on Tuesday, May 13, will spotlight participating Pasadena shops and businesses that will offer discounts and incentives for those who arrive on bicycle;

Women on Bikes Night on Wednesday, May 14, is a women-focused social ride and workshop that rolls along city streets to Pasadena Cyclery for a safety clinic with Team Luna Chix. The event begins at Memorial Park at 6:30 p.m. and will conclude with an optional social gathering at a local restaurant;

Bike to Work Day on Thursday, May 15, is an opportunity for people who live and/or work in Pasadena to commute by bicycle for the day. Pasadena City Hall will offer morning coffee and snacks for bicycle travelers, while seasoned bike commuters will provide safe riding tips and routes through the city. Morning refreshments will be available at City Hall from 6:30-8:30 a.m.;

Bike-In Movie Night on Friday, May 16, is a two-wheeled version of the drive-in movie experience. “The Goonies” will be screened outdoors at Paseo Colorado, and there will be snacks and a bicycle raffle, including an REI Flyby Folding Bike and a New Belgium Bicycle Cruiser. Riders will meet at Caltech’s Beckman Lawn on Wilson Avenue.

Kaiser Permanente Ride, Roll and Stroll and Bike Ride with the Mayor on Saturday, May 17, beginning at City Hall from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; and

Amgen Tour of California And Lifestyle Festival on Saturday, May 17.

More than 12 miles of collector and arterial roadways in Pasadena have bikeways. The city also offers parking for more 1,000 bicycles in the form of bicycle racks at bus stops, city-owned parking lots, churches, private office garages, local business and apartment buildings.

The events also are part of a larger effort to attract visitors and tourism to Pasadena, which will help boost the local economy, said Michael Ross, chief executive officer of the Pasadena Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“The Kaiser Permanente Ride, Roll and Stroll will draw a local and regional audience who will be encouraged to spend the day in the downtown, shopping and dining while remaining to spectate as the Amgen Tour arrives later that afternoon,” Ross said.

Volunteers are needed to assist with a variety of duties throughout the day, including race positions such as Course Marshal, a critical race duty in which the volunteer assists race staff, and local law enforcement authorities along the race route.

Other jobs along the race route help to monitor pedestrian traffic, barricades and road closures, as well as keeping spectators informed as the race progresses while acting as liaison with the cyclists and their teams. Volunteers can register at visitpasadena.com.

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Published: April 17, 2014 - Volume 13 - Issue 01