Celebrating the Outer Sunset – By Bike!

Did you Spin the Sunset with us on Saturday? Or ride the rodeo at the Bicycle Safety Fair? In the post-rain haze of Saturday morning, we had a wonderful time in the Outer Sunset. Over a hundred people attended throughout the day, some bringing their kids to participate in Freedom From Training Wheels at the Bicycle Safety Fair and some joining in our neighborhood bike tour described below. One of our stops on the ride was Swell Bicycles, a local bike shop and an SF Bicycle Coalition discount partner. Special thanks goes to Supervisor Katy Tang and Assemblymember Phil Ting for putting on such a successful event!

Before jumping on our bikes for the Spin the Sunset Ride, we gave a rundown of the Rules of the Road. The ride was part of the Discover Your District neighborhood program, so we wanted to highlight how easy and convenient it is to return a book at the library, get a coffee at your favorite cafe or check out the surf at Ocean Beach on a bike. About fifteen people, many of them youth, joined for the bike ride. During the ride, which started from Sunset Elementary School, we experienced the new Ortega Street bike lanes, visited Swell Bicycles, explored entrances to Golden Gate Park and biked along the Great Highway path before looping back to the school. Gabriel Ho from the SF Municipal Transportation Agency also was on hand to receive feedback on how the improvements on Ortega Street have calmed traffic speeds and encouraged more students to bike to school.

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Our community organizer, Chema Hernández-Gil, gave a quick rundown of the ride before we checked out the new bike lanes on Ortega Street.

Scores of parents and children also came out for the Bicycle Safety fair, which also took place at Sunset Elementary School on Saturday. Bay Area Bike Mobile tuned up and repaired 40 bikes, and 50 children took part in the Presidio YBike bike rodeo, an obstacle course for youth to test their abilities and practice their balance. Best of all, with ample safe space at Sunset Elementary as well as the expert coaching of SF Bicycle Coalition teachers, every single child who participated in Freedom From Training Wheels was riding on his or her own by the end of the day!

Thanks again to everyone who made it out this Saturday. If you’re not a member, join today to support events like these, during which we teach bike education and hold beginner-friendly rides all over the city. Already a member? Celebrate your membership by coming to Winterfest on November 16!

Become a member and you'll improve your commute and get discounts at shops across the city.