Update: This event has been updated to reflect the move from to December 6 to December 13 due to rain

San Diego Bike Coalition welcomes holiday bike decor at eighth annual Holiday Joy Ride

Golden Gears Awards to honor six better biking community leaders

San Diego CA— On Thursday, December 13, the San Diego Bike Coalition will celebrate community leaders who worked toward better biking this year at its annual Holiday Joy Ride. Community members are invited to join the leisurely community ride complete with bicycles covered in string lights and tinsel to commemorate a year of great bicycling.
“A lot of people got on bikes this year for the first time, which is great,” says Bike Coalition Executive Director Andy Hanshaw. “The increased ridership showed us how we can be better with San Diego’s infrastructure and education to protect everyone on bikes – both new and veteran riders.”
Beginning at 5:30 p.m., people of all ages and abilities will head to Panama 66 for a two-wheeled tour through the neighborhoods surrounding Balboa Park. Following the ride, guests will reconvene at Panama 66 to raise a glass to the top bicycle achievements of 2018. As tradition calls for, the Bike Coalition will host its annual Golden Gear Awards to recognize the people who have gone above and beyond to make San Diego County more bike-friendly this year.
The full list of Golden Gear honorees includes:

• Advocate of the year – San Diego Mountain Bike Association: The organization was a large advocate for connecting trail networks and preserving open spaces in our region.
• Bike Friendly Business of the Year – Mixte Communications: This public relations agency encourages all staff to bike to work, and was the recipient of the national gold-level designation by the League of American Bicyclists.
• Elected Official of the Year – Councilmember Georgette Gómez: Councilmember Gómez’s offered great leadership with Climate Action Plan, MTS and support for equitable bicycling.
• Public Partner of the Year – City of Imperial Beach: This city played a large role in growing the connection to the border with the Bayshore Bikeway.
• Community Partner of the Year – Bike San Diego: This organization supported the movement for building protected bikeways across the city of San Diego.
• Volunteer of the Year – Mary Elliot: As an active Bike Coalition volunteer for years, Elliot has been passionate about improving bike safety in her community of Talmadge.

“With our annual Golden Gear Awards, we get to honor people who showed strong support for the bike community this year, like adding an extra bike-to-work day to their calendar or prioritizing biking as a way for people to move around town,” Hanshaw says. “By highlighting these leaders, we can encourage others in the community to ride into the new year motivated to continue the push for better biking.”
Proceeds from this year’s Holiday Joy Ride will benefit the San Diego Bike Coalition’s efforts to make San Diego a better, safer place for bicycling.
To purchase tickets to Holiday Joy Ride on Thursday, December 6, please click here. For daily updates, roll along with the San Diego County Bike Coalition on Facebook and Twitter or at http://www.sdbikecoalition.org.