On the morning of Saturday, August 19, SVBC and local riders proved that bicycling is alive and thriving in the City of San Mateo! San Mateo Cool Citizens Adam Loraine and Carol Steinfeld, among others, led a diverse group of families, riding enthusiasts, and casual riders on an easy 6-mile ride around the city. The ride highlighted local routes in San Mateo as well as the one-year old bike share program.

Editor's note: Thank you to Amie Ashton, SVBC Board Member, for not only supporting SVBC in the 2017 Climate Ride California, but agreeing to write about her experiences here as well.Hello my name is Amie, and I have climate depression. For me, the only antidote to being profoundly sad about ice shelves breaking off in Antarctica and starving polar bears - is action. So, having dumped my car almost entirely for a bike this year, I also decided to join the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC) Climate Ride team for the 2017 California Central Coast Ride.

SVBC kicked off the spring season with a group ride through downtown San Mateo – but not just any ride. People who didn’t have (or want to use) their own bikes were encouraged to use San Mateo’s bike share service, called San Mateo Bay Bikes.