Bikers rolled into Gilroy Gardens on May 21 for the first-ever Ride the Gardens.
The event was part of Bike to Wherever Month, where everyone is encouraged to pedal around town, to do errands, commute to work, to Gilroy’s parks, along the levee trail and anywhere else.
Event organizer Eugene Bernosky said riders filled the free event’s 300 slots in under 30 hours after registration opened.
The ride drew participants as young as 3 years old to more experienced riders in their 70s.
Beginning at 6:30am on May 21, Gilroy Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Chair Patrick Flautt and commissioners set up a tent at the intersection of Miller Avenue and Uvas Park Drive, and soon had a line of riders anxious to pick up their 2021 Bicycle Messenger Bags and Gilroy BPAC face masks, Bernosky said. By noon, 80 riders had stopped by.
Riders arrived in advance of the 4pm Ride the Gardens opening and were greeted by Flautt, commissioners and a team of volunteers from the Big Ring Riders cycling club. Many participants loaded their Bike to Wherever Messenger Bags with burritos and sandwiches from the Tacos El Abuelo and Smoke Trap BBQ trucks in the parking lot. Mayor Marie Blankley was on hand to welcome riders and she and her husband Steve did many laps riding around the park.
“By any measure, this first-time event was a success with many participants asking when the next ride would take place,” Bernosky said. “Park management has already started talking about future cycling events highlighting yet another example of what a special gem Gilroy Gardens is to the city. The volunteer event promoters and the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition thank the Gilroy BPAC, park management and Big Ring Riders for making this event such a success.”
