National Bike Month
May is National Bike Month; to celebrate, get out and enjoy the Bay
May is National Bike Month, promoted by the League of American Bicyclists and celebrated in communities from coast to coast. Established in 1956, National Bike Month is a chance to showcase the many benefits of bicycling — and encourage more people to give biking a try.
Bike to Work Week is May 17-23, with Bike to Work Day (aka Bike to Wherever Day) on Friday, May 21, 2021.
Plan your route to work or school for Bike to Work Day!
Benefits of biking:
Cycling can help to protect you from serious diseases such as stroke, heart attack, some cancers, depression, diabetes, obesity, and arthritis.
Riding a bike is healthy, fun, and a low-impact form of exercise for all ages.
Cycling is easy to fit into your daily routine by riding to shops, parks, school or work.
For more benefits, check out this article on Cycling - Health Benefits from Better Health.
Buying a bike locally:
Are you looking to get a new bike and adventure in the great outdoors or does your existing bike need a little TLC? Look no further than some of our favorite local bike shops.
Family-friendly trails:
Big Break Regional Shoreline: The park entrance is on Big Break Road off Main Street in Oakley. From the parking lot, it’s a flat, scenic 2.44-mile ride on a paved trail east to the Marsh Creek Regional Trail, which is also a great ride. When the pandemic is over, the Big Break Visitor Center will reopen and it’s well worth a visit, too.
Contra Costa Canal Regional Trail: This paved trail follows the canal from Highway 4 frontage road in Martinez all the way to Willow Pass Road in Concord, with multiple access points. Most of it is flat; there are nice, shady stretches in Martinez, Pleasant Hill, and elsewhere along the way.
Iron Horse Regional Trail: Extends for more than 30 miles down the Diablo and San Ramon valleys between Concord and Pleasanton, again with multiple access points. You can plan as long or short a trip as you wish.
George Miller Regional Trail: A scenic 2-mile ride between Martinez and Port Costa. Roadside parking is available on Carquinez Scenic Drive at the east end and there is a parking lot on the Port Costa side. Great views of Carquinez Strait and Benicia. Mostly flat.
San Francisco Bay Trail: Park at the end of Buchanan Street in Albany. From there, a new section of the trail heads south toward Berkeley. There’s a long gradual hill in a short distance; parents with younger kids can turn back and enjoy the beach.
Fun and flowy single tracks:
China Camp: The most fun, sweetest, and scenic beginner-level single track you can find in the Bay Area.
Crockett Hills: A true mountain biking gem that unexpectedly shot up to being the most desirable East Bay park for sweet single track and great views, not to mention three flow trails.
Demo Forest (Flow Trail): This route uses the newest trail at Demo to complete the loop, which is only the second flow trail built anywhere around the Bay Area.
Fernandez Ranch: A small park that can reward with a surprising percentage of single track as well as a pretty and scenic setting especially in the right season, as long as you're okay with a short ride.
Joaquin Miller: A small city park with trails for all skill levels, most of them single track. This place is the East Bay's only claim to first-class single track.
Mount Diablo (Mitchell Canyon to the peak): A killer climb that takes you to a killer mountain peak with killer views. While the ride is mostly on fire roads, you'll still get to flex some technical single track riding and tricky loose descent muscles as well.
Rockville: A short ride without much climbing in this little park with plenty of single track trails. This 7-mile ride feels more like 10 or 12-miles due to the technical nature of the trails.
Support local trails:
Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay: Trail work and advocacy - Trail work is sweat equity. It's fun, rewarding, and a great workout. It also helps assure continuing trail access for mountain bikes. BTCEB trail crews are active in Joaquin Miller Park, Dimond Canyon, Mt. Diablo State Park, Pleasanton Ridge, and Camp Tamarancho in Marin.
Their advocacy work is also essential in keeping trails open for mountain biking. By joining BTCEB you'll be supporting grass roots mountain bike advocacy. If you ride a mountain bike in the East Bay, please join to support the important work they do for better trails today.