Thank you to Hilary Kave of Skratch Labs for her April 13 gift in support of youth participating in our cycling education rides: one box of Energy Chews; seven .8 oz and one 4.2 oz Hydration drink mix; and three Energy Bars.

We met Hilary at Sea Otter Classic, where she was celebrating the SOC racing of Skratch-sponsored athletes Haley Batten and Caroline Wreszin!

We’re grateful to Skratch Labs https://www.skratchlabs.com/ and all who contribute supplies for Bicycling Monterey projects: https://bit.ly/SuppliesBikeMRY.

#SeaOtterClassic #BicycleFestival #BikeExpo #BicycleRaces #CyclingRacing #cyclists #hydration

Over 70K people attended the 4-day Celebration of Cycling in Monterey County this month, Sea Otter Classic.

Our Bike Buzz, Special Edition shares the viewpoints of some of those people, in four posts — including youth, women, first-time and long-time attendees, people speaking languages other than English, and people visiting from other countries:
https://bikemonterey.org/reports-from-sea-otter-classic-2025.html

#BikeTooter #MontereyCounty #PeopleWhoBike #cyclists #cycling #bicycling #biking #BikeAdvocacy #BicycleFestival #BicycleRaces #BikeExpo

This eve we biked in to Monterey. It was a gray day but there was sun in our💖 thanks to one of the joys of biking: the ease of pausing to chat with folks!

We talked with pedestrians, including: a dad on Webster with 2 young kids he takes biking—he’d just exited vehicle, cautiously & was interested in Dutch Reach; a man outside PO who was picking up his 9yo son from drum lessons nearby; a young woman at library curbside, who has never learned to bike (we welcomed her to call us); a family from Los Angeles on Alvarado with a teen, looking for ice cream; a fam from Fresno with 1yo & 7yo, about to check in to Portola; a fam from Modesto with 1, 7 & almost 11 yo—we sang him a birthday song—by Wedo’s Taco Truck; and 4 young women knitting—1 jelly our daughter is at a Lucy Dacus concert in NY tonight.

Also met a young driver from Pacific Grove, alongside us at Casa Verde & Del Monte light, who welcomed tips on bike-friendly driving.

None of these sweet interactions would’ve happened if we’d driven.💚
#BikeTooter

Sometimes people don’t use the bike lights legally required in their locale because they don’t know the laws (e.g., for California, https://bikemonterey.org/wp-content/uploads/CA-bike-law-summary-bilingual-2025.pdf). Other times, there are other reasons—in some cases, it’s that their family budget hasn’t allowed purchasing a reliable light.

Our gratitude to Shawna Wagner and Patrick Presco of NiteRider for contributing on April 13 a Lumina Micro 650 Front Bike Light. https://www.niterider.com/products/6784-lumina-micro-650?_pos=2&_psq=lumina-micro&_ss=e&_v=1.0 This allowed us to gift the light to a court-referred Salinas Valley teen participating in Bicycling Monterey’s project Alternatives to Fines for Traffic Citations. Thank you, NiteRider! https://www.niterider.com/

#TrafficSafety #TrafficFines #BikeLaws #BicycleLights #BikeLights #cycling #biking #bicycling

Trevor Gibney of KOM Cycling groks the value of the Bicycling Monterey projects, including our project providing court-referred youth an alternative to paying hefty fines for traffic citations (https://bikemonterey.org/youth-bike-and-sometimes-receive-citations.html). On April 11, Trevor generously contributed a KOM Cycling Quick Release Light, 350 lumens, and Computer Mount (which also mounts light) in support of that project.

Below: Trevor and associate at KOM’s booth at Sea Otter Classic 2025. To learn about their Quick Release Lights, go to: https://komcycling.com/collections/cycling-lights

#BikeCommunity #MakeADifference #cycling #bicycling #biking #KOMCycling #BikeTooter #MontereyCounty

Hear teens ages 13+ from Idaho, Oregon, and California in four short videos shot at Monterey County’s 4-day Celebration of Cycling, Sea Otter Classic, last weekend: https://bikemonterey.org/voices-of-youth-at-sea-otter-classic-2025.html. Pictured are two bike valet volunteers from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

#BikeTooter #MontereyCounty #SeaOtterClassic #CalPoly #SanLuisObispo #CalPolyCycling

California poppies and more are in full bloom at the Jay Bartow Memorial Garden in Monterey. Quiet, peaceful rest stop for people who bike, walk, or otherwise get about, right near downtown. All welcome. ICYMI: https://bikemonterey.org/rest-stop-tip-jay-bartow-memorial-garden-monterey.html

#Poppies #BloomScrolling #HolyWeek #GoodFriday #Monterey #PresbyterianChurchUSA #church #WelcomingCommunity

Languages and countries repped at Monterey County’s Sea Otter Classic 2025. - Short videos in #French and #Spanish, with #cycling #infrastructure talk and more from #China, #Denmark, #Norway, and #Sweden. https://bikemonterey.org/languages-and-countries-repped-at-monterey-countys-sea-otter-classic-2025.html

#BikeTooter #MontereyCounty #California #SeaOtterClassic #bicycling #biking #bicicleta #ciclismo #biciclette #bici #CondadoDeMonterey

California Highway Patrol was at Sea Otter Classic. Among free items they were distributing: free bicycle helmets, reflective neon green magnetic straps (often used to keep pant cuffs out of bike chains), and Share the Road brochures, all of which we especially appreciated. (We had some Salinas Valley youth with us who were very glad to get the free helmets—one of their siblings had been cited for no helmet, required by law for minors in California.)

CHP was also distributing inexpensive front and rear lights, spoke reflectors, stickers, and miscellaneous items.

The URL on the CHP Share the Road brochure we received that day leads to an error message. Here’s an updated URL: https://www.chp.ca.gov/Programs-Services/Services-Information/Bike-and-Ped-Safety.

Photo credit: #CHP at #SeaOtterClassic photo shot by Sieg Magenheim for Bicycling Monterey.

#MontereyCounty #CaliforniaHighwayPatrol #TrafficSafety #highways

Our only regret about these Never Second bars is that we didn’t shoot a photo of Bill Armstrong when we met him at Sea Otter Classic last weekend. SOC is a 4-day Celebration of Cycling, and in the mass of SOC Expo vendors—often understandably weary on the final day—Bill immediately stood out for his uplifting, positive energy and genuineness.

Thank you to Bill of #NeverSecond for thoughtfully contributing three boxes of Never Second C30 Fuel Bars to Bicycling Monterey, so we have fuel "at the ready” for youth needing a boost on our next rides. https://never2.com/products/c30-fuel-bar

We’re grateful to Bill and all who contribute supplies for Bicycling Monterey projects: https://bit.ly/SuppliesBikeMRY.

#cycling #biking #bicycling #athletes #exercise #EnergyBars #FastEnergy