Salinas Youth Lead the Way in Monterey County Bike Community Firsts

The links in the bulleted list at the bottom of this post are just a sampling of Bicycling Monterey (County’s) stories about bicycling in the county seat. Why?

Because I love biking Salinas! I love the ag-town vibe of Monterey County’s largest city, nestled against the Gabilans in the beautiful Salinas Valley. I love the familiar feel of farmers and 4H-ers nearby. And I love how Salinas is not just the seat of Monterey County government…

Salinas is a hotbed of

Monterey County bike community firsts!

Below, Salinas youth Carlos Aispuro.

Photographer: another Salinas youth, Josiah Zurita.

Before looking over those 33 Salinas links, check out some of the ways that…

Salinas youth  lead the way

in Monterey County

bike community firsts:

1. First organized public high school cycling team in Monterey County: Founded in 2006, the Salinas High School Cowboy Racing Mountain Bike Team, a co-ed team, competes in the NorCal High School Cycling League. And to my knowledge, the SHS team is also the first organized cycling team of any public elementary school, middle school, high school, or college in the county.
2. First bike polo group in Monterey County. Founded in 2010, Psycho Cyclers is an informal group of Salinas Valley youth and young adults for whom bicycling is more than polo, it’s a lifestyle. Learn more–including their philosophy and purpose, and how to contact them–on Bicycling Monterey’s bike community page. Psycho Cyclers welcomes all types of bicycles and sometimes hosts group rides and races as well as bike polo games. Psycho Cyclers AKA Salinas Bike Polo will be co-presenting Monterey County’s first bike polo tournament! For details,  see March 14-15, 2015 on Bicycling Monterey’s master calendar. Also, read about Psycho Cyclers in Juan Villa’s story in the Californian; click here. And get a taste below, via Jason Camp’s video, “Northern California Bike Polo in Salinas.”
   
3. First public elementary school cycling club  in Monterey County. Founded in 2010, Monterey Park Cycling at Monterey Park School, a public school for grades K-6, led the way for Salinas City Elementary Schools and for all public elementary schools in the county. Next, they were followed by Lincoln Elementary, Salinas. Click here to learn more.
4. First high school bike tech class in Monterey County.  Founded in 2012, this class was established at the Monterey County Youth Center, located in Salinas; click here to learn more. Youth in the class come from all over Monterey County, but currently reside in our county seat. Perhaps in time other high school students in Monterey County will find bike tech classes offered for them too. Click here for related inspiration.
5. First on-campus do-it-yourself bicycle maintenance station in Monterey County.  Established in 2012, Salinas High School was the first of any elementary school, middle school, high school, or college in the county to set up a DIY bike maintenance station. Check out the photos below. CSUMB followed suit with DIY maintenance later that year, and SHS will surely inspire other Monterey County bike-friendly schools, public and private, to set up DIY maintenance stations as well.
6. First Open Streets location in Monterey County, Launched in 2013, Ciclovia Salinas is a youth-led initiative that temporarily opens public streets for active transportation and other activities, all free of motor vehicle traffic. Click here to learn more. Thanks to City of Salinas officials and the many others who respected and supported the vision, energy, and developing leadership skills of Salinas youth in making this happen. 
7. First bike party in Monterey County:  Launched in 2012, Salinas Bike Party, a courteous social bike run, hosted numerous bike parties in 2012 and 2013. While all ages were invited, older teens and young adults turned out in high numbers and showed that Salinas is a great place to get on your bike and have fun.  SBP welcomed all types of bicycles–anyone who brought a positive vibe and cruised in tune with SBP party rules. In 2014, to connect with former SBP riders for some social bike runs, check in with Salinas Social Cycling; contact info is on the bike community/main resources page.

Kudos to Salinas youth

for these Monterey County bike community firsts!

For more about biking Salinas–33 links that are

a sampling of Salinas stories on this site– scroll to

the end of this post.

Special thanks to Josiah Zurita (photo at top of this post) and SHS teacher Jim Warwick (other photos in this post).

Thanks also go to Coach Warwick and others from the Cowboys cycling team for their support of the county’s first on-campus DIY bike maintenance station.

A sampling of Salinas stories and resources from the Bicycling Monterey (County) website

• What to Do in Salinas, the Monterey County Seat (long web page of Salinas tips!)
• KUSP: Bikes are taking to the streets–and it’s not where you might expect
• Ciclovia Salinas
• Open Streets and Equity: Ciclovia Salinas at the National Open Streets Summit
• Ciclovia Salinas Summer Youth Internships
• The Alisal / East Salinas: Pleasures, Protests, and Promise
• Downtown Salinas Church Asks: What would happen if we changed the ways we moved around?
• Salinas Youth Leading the Way in Monterey County Bike Community Firsts
• Campfires and Flat Tires: Warwick Sisters on Keeping Up with Dad
• KC Fontes, Salinas High student-athlete
• Miguél Angel Frias, 1st Salinas Youth Poet Laureate
• SPC Vilmar Gilarza Hernandez
• In memory of Santiago Ramirez
• Remembering Kyle Beardshear
• Shawn Carden, BMX Racer
• Spinning Spokes and Telling Jokes: Fixed Riding in the 831
• Salinas Bike Scene: Something for everyone
• Bike Salinas: Where are street improvements needed?
• Bike to School: In Monterey County and elsewhere
• Monterey Park Cycling: For South Salinas kids, “Your community is your classroom,” and you get to class by bike!
• Little Bellas at Toro Park, Salinas
• Salinas Youth and Others for Bikes: Bikes Make Life Better
• Salinas 10-Mile Family Bike Ride for a Better Community
• Biking between Salinas and the Monterey Peninsula
• Keeping the Local Bike Scene Cool: It’s a multi-pronged effort – and Happy Bike Month from Salinas PD
• Salinas PAL Bicycle Safety Rodeo
• Salinas Criterium
• Salinas High School Cowboy Racing Mountain Bike Team
• Awesome Bike Coaches of Monterey County
• California High School Mountain Biking State Championships
• Excelente! Bike advocacy wins 6 of 10 excellence awards
• California Rodeo Kiddie Capers Parade
• Salinas Bike Party: A Courteous Social Bike Run
• Salinas Burrito Bike Rides: When car culture meets bike culture, fun ensues! – Organized by Deadend Magazine

The Bicycling Monterey site and projects are provided as a public service. Volunteers and contributions are welcome and appreciated.

This post was previously published August 31, 2012, with subsequent updates.