Register now for the California Dream Ride, a fully-supported five day semi-luxurious bicycle ride, with opportunities to meet and greet bicycle advocacy luminaries in the Golden State while riding from Santa Barbara to San Diego.
Hosted by the California Bicycle Coalition, this 265 mile fundraising ride offers scenic riding, excellent food and comfortable accommodations, as well as an opportunity to go behind the scenes in the world of bicycle advocacy. Riders will learn how advocacy is transforming bicycling in California.
With two pacing groups, the California Dream Ride will accommodate riders of different levels.
Debbie Brubaker (pictured below) returns as Tour Director for the California Dream Ride. For Brubaker, riding a bike isn’t about attaining a certain level of athletic accomplishment, instead it’s about personal empowerment—especially for women. “I want women to feel that they can ride a bike,” says Brubaker. “They don’t have to fit a particular mold of athlete, commuter or casual rider. I just want them to feel the independence and power of riding, and I designed this tour around those goals.”
The California Dream Riders will stop along the route to explore model bicycle infrastructure projects, and learn how bicycle coalitions are educating bicyclists and motorists, advocating for better bike lanes and paths, and working with local government to make their communities better for bicycling. Participants looking to become more involved in bicycle advocacy will make important connections and build skills. The tour will visit Santa Barbara’s Bici Centro, an innovative DIY community bike shop; Santa Monica’s Bike Center, which has helped the city triple bicycle ridership; Los Angeles’s bicycle boulevards and pedal-powered ice cream shop; and Long Beach’s protected bike lanes—the first in Southern California.
The registration fee includes lodging, full rest stops, most meals, nutrition and mechanic support, a CalBike jersey, advocacy education, and entertainment. For more information and registration details, visit California Dream Ride website. The website says to register by July 15, but that’s for the free bike raffle. Slots for the ride are still available.