GROUP RIDE EAST: JULY 30, 2006

The Riders:

Uncertain as to who or how many people would show up for our first group ride, we were pleasantly surprised when three cyclists pulled up in front of City Hall at the same time we did. As we were talking, a few more people rode up. All tallied we had seven people on this ride; we were mighty pleased with the turn out (and we only knew one of the other riders!).

We talked to folks about the project, our plans for the ride and their reasons for wanting to come out with us. A few of the people on the ride were newly transplanted to Oakland and wanted to learn more about the city. Another rider lived in East Oakland, but she wanted to explore other areas in the region and learn about some new bike routes. In general, everyone was up for an adventure on this beautiful Sunday morning. We redesigned our survey form to better understand the impact of the ride on the group. We asked people to answer some questions before and after the ride. At the end of the ride, one member of the group remarked, “Wow, East Oakland is closer than I thought it was!”