By Joe P.
Now that spring weather is here, it’s a great time to take the bike out of the garage and go for a spin. “May Is Bike Month”, now in its fourth year, seeks to answer a simple question – if everyone works together, can they ride their bikes one million miles in a month? The answer might surprise you. Last year riders in the Sacramento area logged over 926,000 miles during the month of May. This year will likely break the 1 million mile mark. Compete online with your friends and co-workers for bragging rights, and keep tabs on the whole group’s progress (link below).
Many events are planned during the month, including one right near the library. On May 7 from 6-9 am, ride on over to the Energizer Station at 1110 West Capitol Avenue, right across from City Hall. Refreshments will be provided. This will a great event for bike commuters, whether its your first or fiftieth time!
So now that you’ve signed up to log your miles, where can you ride? West Sacramento presents some great opportunities for cycling. West Capitol Avenue has bike lanes along its most of its length, as do many other city roads. You may be surprised just how many there are, I certainly was! (link below) This makes riding to work just as convenient as stopping in at the corner store. Try riding to the end of West Capitol Avenue and cross the Tower Bridge on the improved sidewalk. For those looking to log some serious recreation miles, try the American River Parkway, starting in Old Sacramento. The Parkway links up with major city streets along Highway 50, including Howe, Watt, and Hazel. Or you can head west along the Yolo Causeway bike path to Davis. Bike-friendly features abound here, which was recently named one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the country by the League of American Bicyclists. Wherever you choose to ride, there are more opportunites than you think!
Read below for a list of links, and books on biking @ your local library
Links:
http://mayisbikemonth.com
Sign up and log your miles!
http://www.cityofwestsacramento.org/gis/applications/resources/maps/BikeRidingPaths.pdf
City bike lanes and bike paths (requires Adobe Acrobat)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jedediah_Smith_Memorial_Trail
American River Parkway / Jedidiah Smith Memorial Trail
Books on Cycling and Bike Repair
Cycling
Bicycling for dummies / by Allen St. John. St. John, Allen. Foster City, CA : IDG books, c1999.
Location Davis NonFiction 796.6 ST.
How to live well without owning a car : save money, breathe easier, and get more mileage out of life Balish, Chris. Berkeley, Calif. : Ten Speed Press, c2006. Location: Davis NonFiction 332.024 BAL
Bicycling along the world’s most exceptional routes / Rob Penn. Penn, Rob. New York : Abbeville Press, 2005. Location: Davis NonFiction 796.64 PEN
Bicycling bliss : riding to improve your wellness / Portia H. Masterson. Masterson, Portia H.
Golden, Colo. : Self-Propulsion Pub., 2004. Location Davis NonFiction 613.71 MAS
Bicycles – History
The noblest invention : an illustrated history of the bicycle / by the editors of Bicycling magazine
Emmaus [Pa.] : Rodale, c2003. Location Davis NonFiction 629.2272 NOB
Bike Repair
The complete do-it-yourself bike book : everything you need to know to fix, maintain, and … Allwood, Melanie. New York : Marlowe & Co., 2007. Location: Davis New Book 629.28775 ALL
Complete bike book / Chris Sidwells. Sidwells, Chris, 1956-. New York : DK Pub., 2005. Location: Davis NonFiction 629.2272 SID
The Bicycling guide to complete bicycle maintenance & repair : for road & mountain bikes / Todd Down Downs, Todd. [Emmaus Pa.] : Rodale, c2005. Location Davis NonFiction 629.28772 DOW West Sacramento NonFiction 629.28772 DOW
