Excited cyclists convene at local bike breakfasts around san Luis Obispo. Similar events will be held throughout this month. Photo courtesy of ksby.com
Cyclists at San Luis Obispo High School and in the community are getting stoked for this year’s Bike Month.
Bike Month, taking place in May, is the annual local celebration of all things bike and sponsored by Rideshare.org.
Every year it features several events including parties hosted by local businesses, entertainment events such as bike rodeos, and, of course, bike breakfasts. This year, the celebration’s flower-inspired theme is “Pedal Power.”
“[Bike Month] shows what the bike community is in SLO for people that weren’t previously in it. It gives them a reason to come and join by being out on their bike and getting breakfast with a ton of people,” said sophomore Magnus Chase.
The festivities began last Friday with a kickoff party at Central Coast Brewing at The HUB in SLO. The first bike breakfast will feature waffles served at the Caltrans district office. It will be held tomorrow morning at seven. This year, there are about 25 scheduled bike breakfasts, which are arguably the most coveted element of bike month. Fares vary from cereal and oatmeal to waffles and breakfast burritos.
“I like the fire station one where you get blueberry pancakes and you can pretend to drive the fire trucks,” said senior Payton Shoresman-Roberts. Senior Gabe Jantos is also a fan of the pancake breakfasts.
“My favorite’s gotta be the Ashley and Vance Engineering sourdough pancakes. Those ones get my tummy rumbling,” said Jantos.
Tummies and fire trucks aside, bike month has significance beyond the breakfasts.
“It allows for younger generations to interact with their neighborhoods and their community,” said Shoresman-Roberts.
It also can serve as publicity for the bike community and bike commuting in general. Biking and bike commuting has been shown to have individual and global benefits.
Substituting one car commute for a bike ride reduces the average person’s transportation carbon emissions by 67 percent. It also strengthens the heart, lungs, and muscles, and has been shown to improve mood, sleep, and immune systems.
Jantos was a little more frank about Bike Month’s benefits.
“It gets lazy teenagers off their bums,” said Jantos.
This year’s Bike Month is extra special for Jantos and Shoresman-Roberts, as it is their last as SLOHS students.
“It’s a little bit sad but we’ll definitely look forward to similar events in the future wherever we end up,” said Shoresman-Roberts.
Saddle up, ditch the car, and grab some free food before school, Tigers! The environment, your health, and Gabe will thank you.
For more information, check out the link: https://rideshare.org/bike-month-calendar/
Sources: rideshare.org ucla.edu
