For the 10th straight year, bicyclists in San Diego will get their once-a-year chance to ride across the Coronado Bridge. The annual "Bike the Bay" ride is this Sunday, August 27.
"This is a ride, not a race," says Andy Hanshaw, the Executive Director of the San Diego County Bike Coalition.
"It's great for families, friends, casual riders and all types of riders."
In addition to getting the great view from the top of the bridge, the ride takes cyclists on a 25 mile tour of the South Bay, going around the harbor and through Coronado, Imperial Beach, Chula Vista and National City. You can see the full route here.
The ride helps the Bike Coalition promote bicycle accessibility across the city. In 10 years, they've raised more than a half-million dollars. They use the money to advocate for a more bike friendly city.
Here's the route for #BiketheBay on Sunday... On @10news at 6 am, how this ride helps make all of #SanDiego a more bike friendly city pic.twitter.com/ZY3KHCaIau
— Jared Aarons (@10NewsAarons) August 25, 2017
"It's good for the climate, it's good for our communities, it's good to get healthy and have a great lifestyle," says Hanshaw.
The Bike Coalition has helped local governments make plans to add more bike paths and protected bike lanes. Hanshaw says that can help cities meet their goals for transportation and climate change.
"We need to balance our transportation systems and give more people the choice to bike," he says. "It's gonna connect employees and it's going to connect visitors in a safe manner."
The City of San Diego released their Bicycle Master Plan in 2013. It calls for a comprehensive local and regional bicycle network across the city. It outlined more than 40 miles of bikeways either in the planning or design phases.
"There's a lot of work going on to make things better," says Hanshaw. "But there's still a lot of work we need to do."
Sunday, he expects more than 3,000 to participate in Bike the Bay. Every year, he says, they help the coalition spread their message.
"San Diego is the perfect place to ride a bike all year round," he says. "And we should have the opportunity to do that."
Registration for Bike the Bay is still open, and will be until Sunday morning when the ride begins. You can register at bikethebay.net.
