San Diego County Bicycle Coalition Exploration Rides

Bird Rock Roasters
Bird Rock Coffee Roasters. Photo by TurboBob

“Exploration Rides” are the new incarnation of a free ride monthly ride that the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition (SDCBC) has been offering for a long time. They were formerly called “Ride and Learns” because of their emphasis on teaching safe bike riding practices. This emphasis on safety has not changed, but in an effort to make the ride more attractive to a wider audience the SDCBC’s education coordinator Maria Olivas along with her team of League Certified Instructors (LCI’s) rebranded them as “Exploration Rides.”

Exploration rides are five to ten miles long, last about two hours, and follow routes that are low traffic and less intimidating for beginner riders. They all have an educational component that covers the “Need to Know Material” from the League of American Bicyclists Bicycle Safety Curriculum.

Maria has encouraged the LCI ride leaders to use creativity in planning the exploration rides and to make them fun for everyone.

La Jolla Bike Path
Participants at a recent SDCBC Exploration Ride. Photo by Turbo Bob

The SDCBC’s most recent Exploration ride was entitled the “Tour de Café.” It started and ended at the Bird Rock Coffee Roasters. Before the ride Bird Rock Coffee Roasters owner, Chuck Patton, explained the origins of our coffee and gave a tour of the roastery. After getting caffeinated, about two dozen ride participants headed out with myself to explore the La Jolla Bike Path and later circle back around on the bike route along La Jolla Cove. The ride was educational, scenic, and fun. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and hopefully we will have many more fun exploration rides to come.

To find out more about future exploration rides check the events page at the SDCBC’s website and keep an eye on the SDCBC’s Face Book events page for invites to upcoming events. Also, if you have not ridden up to Bird Rock Coffee Roasters just south of La Jolla, you should. It is arguably the source for the best coffee in San Diego, and certainly worth the trip.