Spin City: Fall finds Santa Cruz cyclists at home and abroad
By Karen Kefauver - Sentinel correspondent
Posted: 10/02/2009 01:30:19 AM PDT

October is a pivotal month for cyclists of all stripes in Santa Cruz.

On Thursday, hundreds of kids and adults participated in the 11th annual fall Bike to Work/School Day, munching on free breakfasts throughout the county. Perhaps some day one of those kids will be inspired to follow in the tire tracks of Bart Coddington, 65, who completed a three-month, 4,191-mile cross-country bike trip from his home in Santa Cruz to attend his 47th high school reunion in Rye, N.Y., today.

"I made it to Rye and with a day to spare," wrote Coddington on his blog, crazyguyonabike.com. "The ride is over, but it has not yet sunk in. For three months, I have been getting up each day and riding. I do not have to do that tomorrow."

The President of the Santa Cruz County Cycling Club also promised, "I will not complain about our roads in California any more. Most of the roads the last two days have lots of missing pavement and very poor patching. When you have no shoulder it is a real dance with the cars and getting around spots that could throw you off your bike."

While Coddington's grand adventure on two wheels has ended safely [he will fly home], another group of intrepid cyclists will go even father afield.

Six women from Santa Cruz County -- Janet Fogel, Marilyn Marzell, JoAnn Smith, Lilly Ann Popken, Jane Dejarnette and Betsy Schwartz -- will join Follow The Women [FTW]. The organization is hosting an Oct.

8-21 ride through Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and the West Bank. The ride, named "Pedal for Peace," will be a demanding undertaking for the experienced cyclists, all members of the Santa Cruz County Cycling Club. The local riders comprise half of the United States team. There are 30 countries sending women to bicycle at this event [followthewomen.com].

"The most inspiring part of this ride is the hope that we will empower women to have a voice in the peace process, just as the bicycle helped emancipate women in this country 100 years ago," said Popken.

But you don't need to pedal to New York or cycle in the Middle East to find a great biking experience. Right here in our own backyard, there are several exciting cycling events coming up.

First, AEG, the company that puts on the Amgen Tour of California, will announce later this month, possibly Oct. 22, whether Santa Cruz will host a stage of the 2010 edition of this multi-day professional road race, which attracts some of the world's best cyclists. Last winter, Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer joined other international cycling stars in Stage 2, which concluded in Santa Cruz. Despite intermittent episodes of pouring rain, thousands turned out to watch the racers duke it out across the finish line on Front Street in downtown Santa Cruz. The TOC will take place in May next year with hopes of avoiding the downpours that plagued the race last winter.

Finally, mark your calendars for one of the most colorful events coming up in the cyclocross scene: the Halloween Race. Put on by Surf City Cyclocross and the women's team Velo Bella, it will happen Oct. 31 at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville. The race to see features cyclists in outlandish costumes jumping over obstacles and running up hills.

New and experienced cyclocross riders can prepare for the race wit a skills clinic hosted by the Velo Bellas on Oct. 10, the day before the first Surf City Race of the season. For more information on the Halloween race and the Surf City cyclocross series, visit cyclo-x.com/schedule.html.

Karen Kefauver, karenkefauver.com, is a freelance journalist who also blogs weekly about bicycling for the Sentinel at santacruzlive.com/blogs/outside.

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