Len Smokes the Mayor

This morning Len Allaire and I joined the Sonoma County Bike Coalition for their annual July 4th Mayors’ Ride. We met at Julliard Park alongside Santa Rosa Mayor Jane Bender (pictured), Rohnert Park Mayor Tim Smith , and Sebastopol Mayor Sarah Gurney. Our ride began with a construction detour through the Prince Memorial Greenway, connecting to the Joe Rodota Trail led by Mayor Gurney into her town of Sebastopol. The weather was beautiful and with our 50 member peloton, we careful navigated the trail as if we were all participating in a race. As we approached Sebastopol, Len and I broke off from the group for refreshments at Coffee Katz. We continued on via High School and Occidental Roads at a brisk 17 - 18 MPH pace. The sky was blue and the weather warmed up as we sped along Sanford/Hall Roads and on to the Santa Rosa Creek Bike Path. We zoomed along, maintaining our accelerated pace, as we smoked past Mayor Bender and her husband. She gave us the “high-five” on our approach back onto the Prince Memorial Greenway. Len and I forgot about the construction, lost our way and found ourselves under tons of concrete and rebar. Finally, we back tracked, taking a detour to the 4th of July festivities at Julliard Park, where we visited with cyclists from the Santa Rosa Cycling Club, the Sonoma County Bike Coalition, and the Sonoma County Trails Council. What a great morning and perfect way to kick off Independence Day. Wahoo!