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April-May 2012 Calendar of Biking Activities for Monterey County

For future dates, see

Master Calendar for Bicycling Monterey County, and Related Activities

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Looking for April-May 2013 Calendar of Monterey County Biking Activities? Click here.

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Bike vs car challenge, Bike to Salinas City Council meeting, Twilight Ride, and much more.
No need to wait for summer–springtime is hot with bike activities!   I’m sending cards to my friends, reminding them:  We’ve got dates to ride!

To learn where Elena finds many bicycling cards, and tips on biking there, see the Shopping by Bike section.

Click on the links below for details on these April, May, and ongoing activities. And mark your calendars for an anticipated July event in Salinas, our county seat.
  1. Ongoing, on Thursdays year-round:   HER Helmet Thursdays discounts for male and female cyclists throughout Monterey County, since Nov 2009. There’s no scheduled end-date; this is a long-term ecology-economy sustainability project.
  2. Through May 13:  Got smartphone? Use CycleTracks app to help make better bikeways in Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties.
  3. Through May 13: $10! Discounted Safety Checks in preparation for Monterey County Bike Week, May 7-13.
  4. March 31 opening: The Jellies Experience exhibit opens at Monterey Bay Aquarium. The Aquarium encourages biking as a transportation option.
  5. March 31 course prep: Help Salinas High School Cowboy Racing Mountain Bike team  prepare for April 1 NorCal meet at Laguna Seca.  Click for details.
  6. April 1 meet:  Salinas High Cowboys and 500 other high school racers from NorCal league at Laguna Seca.
  7. April 5, Thursday: Discounts for cyclists today at HER Helmet Thursdays spots.
  8. April 5, Independent Marketplace, Sand City, including bike valet parking.  Swing by HER Helmet Thursdays spot Sweet Elena’s while you’re there.
  9. April 6:  First Fridays Art Walk.  Great time to bike Salinas!
  10. April 12, Thursday:  Many HER Helmet Thursdays spots will be waiving today’s  date restriction (Pebble Beach Food & Wine week). It’s fine, as usual, to call ahead and ask.
  11. April 13: HER Helmet Thursdays spot Museum of Monterey opens its exhibit Music, Love & Flowers:  An Exploration of the Monterey International Pop Festival. Bike-there tips; 50% discount if you bike there on Thursdays!
  12. April 14-16:  Monterey Bay portion of a California  distracted driving protest ride (dubbed “California Springtime Protest Pedal”) with Bob Okerblom, father of the late 19-year-old Eric Okerblom, who was killed on his bicycle by a texting driver.
  13. April 15:  First day of Monterey County Youth Center’s bike repair and safety class.  Don’t just dream about a better world, help make it happen!  You, too, can help more youth find their place in the bike community.  See “A dozen ideas to help get more youth on bikes” in “Salinas youth and others for bikes:  Bikes make life better!”
  14. April 17: Twilight Ride, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.  All ages welcome.
  15. April 17-19 and April 19-22:  Sixty thousand cyclists and bicycling enthusiasts come to town!  Get ready to greet attendees of Bicycle Leadership Conference, Interbike IBD Summit, and the Sea Otter Classic.  There’s a red carpet out for both visiting and local cyclists on Thursday, 4/19, Sea Otter Classic’s opening day, as on Thursdays year-round:    HER Helmet Thursdays discounts, for male and female cyclists countywide, will be in effect.
  16. April 18:  6-7:30 p.m. Want a bike path from Carmel Valley Road to intersection of Carpenter and Highway 1?  Attend Carmel Area State Parkways public workshop.  Click here for details, on this site.
  17. April 19, Thursday: Discounts for cyclists today at HER Helmet Thursdays spots.
  18. April 19-22:  Sea Otter Classic is a “Celebration of Cycling” for all ages. Share Bicycling Monterey’s Sea Otter Classic 2012 tips with your visiting and local friends.   Ditch the car! It’s a bike festival–including plenty of free Activities for Kids, a schedule of Women’s Outreach activities, and much more–including North America’s largest bike exposition, with 300+ exhibitors. And yes, this is the same Sea Otter Classic, now in its 22nd year, that is world famous for its pro and amateur road, mountain, and now cyclocross races!  This year includes a skateboard invitational as well.  There’s also the Sea Otter Little Bellas Day Camp….
  19. April 20-22 at SOC: Girls ages 8-14 can choose 1, 2, or 3 days with Lea and sister Sabra Davison at the Sea Otter Classic’s  Little Bellas Day Camp.  Scholarships available.
  20. April 20 at SOC: Expect to see more Mamas and Babies at the Sea Otter Classic. Why? Willow Koerber Rockwell will be there, speaking 1-2 p.m. on “Achieving Sport/Life Balance.”  Read “Koerber Rockwell begins comeback after having her baby” to learn why she’s so well qualified to give this talk.
  21. April 20:  Strength in Numbers, world premiere from Anthill Films.  Purchase tickets. Two shows, 7 and 9 p.m.  Location:  Steinbeck Forum (Level 3) at the Monterey Conference Center (next to the Portola Hotel).  Direx:  Coming from the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail (bike/multi-use path), leave the path at the back of Museum of  Monterey or at the top of Old Fisherman’s Wharf/ Wharf I, then cut across the Custom House Plaza (scroll down for photo) and go through Alvarado Mall (you’ll see Adventures by the Sea, Pino’s Cafe, and Spa on the Plaza).  When you come out of Alvarado Mall, turn right.  (Note location change: This year’s Sea Otter week film is not at the Golden State Theatre, due to recent fire.)
  22. April 21 at SOC:  Gran Fondo fully supported recreational rides. Choose a Carmel Valley, Coastal, or Mountain Bike route. For adults, and may be appropriate for ages 12-17.
  23. April 22 at SOC:  Earth Day!   If you’re headed to the Sea Otter Classic, follow SOC’s suggestion and bring a reusable mug, cloth napkin, etc.  Aim to Ditch the Car as well.
  24. April 22:  Earth Day!  First celebrated in 1970, Earth Day is honored  in Monterey County with various activities; check Sustainable Monterey County’s Earth Day events listings as well as  local media, including the Monterey County Herald and Monterey County Weekly. Refer to “Bicycling and Ecotourism/Good Earthkeeping Right at Home” for links to more Earth-care advocates in Monterey County.
  25. April 22, Earth Day! Earth Day is a Sunday this year, and Matthew Sleeth, MD (whose son, Clark, helped inspire the Bicycling Monterey work) is delivering a call to action from the National Cathedral, including an interview with Wendell Berry. Click here for details on this event, and tune in to the live webcast.  If you’re a church-goer, bike to worship today.
  26. April 26, Thursday:  City of Monterey City Council meeting re Hawthorne/Private Bolio pedestrian and bicyclist access.  Click here for more info.
  27. April 26:   Jack Franscioni Elementary School, Soledad presentation by women who Ride America for Safe Routes.   Click here for details on their Monterey County visit.
  28. April 26, Thursday: Discounts for cyclists today at HER Helmet Thursdays spots.
  29. May 1-June 1:  Company Bike Challenge.
  30. May 3, Thursday: Discounts for cyclists today at HER Helmet Thursdays spots.
  31. May 3:  Independent Marketplace, Sand City, including bike valet parking by Green Pedal Couriers and Monterey Green Action.  Swing by HER Helmet Thursdays spot Sweet Elena’s while you’re there.
  32. May 3-6:  32nd Annual Steinbeck Festival at HER Helmet Thursdays spot the National Steinbeck Center.  What a great time to bike Salinas!
  33. May 4:   First Fridays Art Walk in Salinas.  Bike it!
  34. May 7-13: Monterey County Bike Week has a full schedule of activities. As of 4/9/12, they are still updating the Bike Week section of their website, so check back re 2012 raffle prizes and more. For other Monterey Bay region activities: http://www.bike2work.com
  35. May 7-13:  Bike to Worship. Bike to church, mosque, satsang, synagogue, or other place of worship.
  36. May 8:  Bike vs Car Challenge.
  37. May 8:  Bike to Salinas City Council meeting. For tips on biking in Salinas, click here.
  38. May 9:  Twilight Ride at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Click here for some additional notes.
  39. May 10: Bike to School Day.  See what else is happening in Monterey County schools, and elsewhere, to support kids in biking to school.
  40. May 10: Bike to Work Day. Follow the example of this bike-to-work leader at Heller Estate Organic Vineyards.
  41. May 10,  Thursday: Celebrate Bike Week! Discounts for cyclists today at HER Helmet Thursdays spots.
  42. May 12:  Intergenerational Ride (click here for details), for all ages and abilities, riding from Fort Ord Dunes State Park in celebration of Bike Week.  Mobile bike mechanic will be on hand, courtesy of Sports Center Bicycles, Seaside.  League of American Bicyclists certified instructor Frank Henderson will be participating; bring your safety questions along to ask of this local expert.  Event co-hosted by First Presbyterian Church of Monterey and Fine Wordworking.
  43. May 13: Morning Ride with the Velo Club, in celebration of Bike Week.
  44. May 13:  Last day for $10! Discounted Safety Checks, offered in celebration of Monterey County Bike Week, May 7-13.
  45. May 17, Thursday: Discounts for cyclists today at HER Helmet Thursdays spots.
  46. May 19-20:  53rd Annual Artichoke Festival, Castroville.  What a great time to bike Castroville, Monterey County’s second oldest city.
  47. May 20:  53rd Annual Artichoke Festival Parade, Castroville. Contact Denice Amerison (831/633-2465) if you’d like to bike in the parade.
  48. May 24, Thursday: Discounts for cyclists today at HER Helmet Thursdays spots.
  49. May 28, Monday, at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey: Memorial Day Concert on the Lawn, and Tours  Gates open 9 a.m. Monterey Bay Symphony concert at 2 p.m. Free and open to the public.  Just across Del Monte Avenue from the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail; bike there! Best bike parking in the county!
  50. May 31, Thursday: Discounts for cyclists today at HER Helmet Thursdays spots.
Want more bike things to do?

The above isn’t even a comprehensive list of all the biking activities in Monterey County!  In addition to the calendar list above, check the calendars of Monterey Off Road Cycling Association, Naval Postgraduate School Cycling Club, and Velo Club Monterey to see what else is happening around the county.  Then peruse the Bicycling Monterey website some more!

Many Monterey County activities may not be specifically bike-related, yet are much more fun when you bike there!  Check this See Monterey calendar for more events.

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More bike news

  1. Very special thanks to Joseph Crabtree of Forest Hill Bike Shop, Pacific Grove; Korey Ericson, bike builder of Monterey; and Frank Henderson, local League of American Bicyclists certified instructor.  Joe, Korey, and Frank will be the volunteer instructors for a new Bicycle Repair and Safety Class for teens at the Monterey County Youth Center, Salinas, starting in April.  In partnership with a wider community effort to fight gang activity and other youth traps, the Monterey County bike community came together to make sure this need is met. Learn about Joe, Korey, Frank, and other supporters in the post about the class.
  2. Did you know Salinas High has the only high school biking team in the county?
  3. Heard about Monterey County’s new fixie riders group,  FNB, started by Jess Martinez? Jess has organized a group of fun-loving fixie riders with a safety-conscious street cred.  Jam on a helmet and join them!  See details in “Spinning Spokes and Telling Jokes:  The birth of the FNB ride group.”
  4. Catch the bike-friendly winners in the Best of Monterey County awards.
  5. There was some discussion in the bike community about having a bike presence in the July 14 Colmo Parade in Salinas. Due to lack of volunteer and other response, this idea is tabled for 2012.

Sizzling in Salinas: 

Colmo Night Parade

What’s hotter than July?   The crowd-pleasing  Colmo Night Parade (July 14) in advance of the California Rodeo, Salinas (July 19-22).   The Kiddie Capers parade begins at 6:30 p.m., and the Colmo Parade at 8 p.m.  If you plan to bike there, see tips on biking in the dark. 

Perhaps in 2013 there will be a large Monterey County bike community presence in the parade.   This year, the parade permit deadline is June 8, 2012 (extended from an earlier date).  To my knowledge, no official bike community presence is planned for 2012.

For more tips on biking in Salinas, click here.

See you on the bikeways!

Besides the Tips for Bicycling Monterey County 20-section guide, there are tips in over 250 posts and 70 web pages of information on this site. Find info to help you bike in these and other parts of our increasingly bike-friendly county: 

Questions?  Contact me.

Prior publication date:  3/29/12

This post was published on 25 April 2012. One or more changes last made to this post on 16 August 2021.

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