Summit 2021 brought multiple opportunities for people to meet and socialize with other bike enthusiasts. Read on to hear what people have to say about these events –

The Sunnyvale Ice Cream Bike Challenge was not a challenge to ride (a slow 8 miles on easy streets) but it was a challenge to eat that much ice cream! Everyone had some ice cream but only a few were able to patronize all the shops. We had a mix of city commissioners, volunteers, interested citizens, and families plus one Bike Party gal who kept us groovin’ with her tunes. 17 started the ride, 11 finished (6 had to spinoff to digest), and about 4 fully completed the full ice cream challenge (2 of them were energetic little kids). – Tim Oey

Bike ride with Diego : Diego and his group took a leisurely ride from SAP Center to the Jesse Frey Community Garden via the Guadalupe River Trail. After arriving at the garden the group walked throughout the ~2 acre plot of land and observed all of the different garden plots. There were many gardens with abundant amounts of summer crops including tomatoes, peppers, squashes, and corn! Shortly after the conclusion of the tour we took our bikes and rode over to Bibo’s Pizza right down the street for refreshments and snacks (and also so Diego could repair a slow leak!). – Diego Ortiz

Brandon’s bike ride through Mountain View was well attended and fun had by all. Some 19 people rode the North Shoreline area of Mountain View, which is built upon a reclaimed landfill. Participants learned about Mountain View’s history, including the Rengstorff House and the old landfill’s importance on the area. The landfill provides methane power to several Google buildings, a key recreational site for the metro, and even crucial nesting opportunities for many endangered birds. Additionally, riders got to experience the beautiful protected bikeway and intersections along Charleston Road firsthand. – Brandon Whyte

LINK by Superpedestrian served free pizza to members of the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition, and we all had great conversations with bites to eat. It was a great way to socialize among neighbors and advocates for alternative forms of transportation. – Paul Seymour

Happy hour with Josh – On the afternoon of Friday, August 13, following the Silicon Valley Bike Summit, SVBC staff Emma and Deanna and area advocates joined SVBC Board Member Josh Mello for drinks, sausages, and bike talk outside at Wursthall in downtown San Mateo. The location was selected due to its proximity to regional and local bicycle routes and public transit. Attendees traveled from Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Redwood City, San Mateo, Millbrae, and San Francisco. The ongoing roadway project along El Camino Real in Burlingame was a frequently discussed topic.

A group of cyclists from Genentech arrived shortly after and struggled to find bike parking. Seeing an opportunity, Emma and Josh attempted to recruit them as new SVBC members. Sadly, they all lived in San Francisco. We gave them business cards anyway. Fingers crossed.

Since opening in downtown San Mateo in 2018, Wursthall has offered quality food and drink in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. They make our sausages in-house and offer varieties ranging from a traditional bier bratwurst to the adventurous chorizo verde. They’ve also partnered with Impossible Foods to produce an entirely vegan sausage, as well as a vegan impossible burger. A favorite of Josh’s is the vegetarian doner kebab, a creative take on a Turkish-German classic. – Josh Mello

The Campbell Bikes and Ice Cream Fun Ride brought together a group of local riders excited to have an event in their city. The interested citizens had a blast riding through rolling hills and learning about SVBC. Lovely weather was enjoyed by all during the 8 mile ride and of course, no one was dropped or left behind. To wrap up the afternoon all riders were treated to free ice cream at the local ice cream shop. – Violeta Palatto

Groovin on a Sunday afternoon with San José Bike Party – There were a about 140 people that came along and everyone had a great time! These rides are always lively and energetic. We had four large music bikes which were synced at the stops. We also rolled three of the SJBP Raven trikes to collect trash and recycling. James Clement’s rig includes a BBQ grill, and he served hot dogs at the second stop at Watson Park. There happened to be ice cream carts/trucks at both stops, just in case anyone felt like they were missing out on Tim’s ice cream ride :). Eleni took the mic and gave some information about SVBC at the second stop. – Lloyd Cha