Acknowledgments–and How You Can Help

Monterey County does not yet have a formal bicycle coalition.  The Bicycling Monterey website serves as a local bike information hub, and the work has been honored with a Transportation Excellence Award by the Transportation Agency for Monterey County.  Many other bike community leaders are on the Bicycle Shops, Services, Clubs, and Resources page.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

This page acknowledges people who are part of this grassroots effort to encourage more bicycling. Please consider joining them by helping in one or more ways.

1. VOLUNTEER:  Volunteer time and skills.  For a list of those helping in this way, see “Acknowledgements:  Project Volunteers,” directly below.
2. DONATE:  Donate by debit or credit card, via PayPal (click on “Donate” button to the right).  For info regarding acknowledgements, donating by check, and more, refer to the About Donations page. If many people were to make a $5 donation–the average newsstand price of a single issue of a magazine–together their contributions could accomplish a lot.  For a list of those helping in this way, see Donors page.
   
3. SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS:  Savvy media professionals picked up on this work early on;  see “Acknowledgements:  Media Professionals.”  You can spread the good news too!  How? Refer to Posters, Web Links, and Other Project Resources, or contact me for ideas.  For a list of those helping in this way, see “Acknowledgements:  Spread the Good News” at end of this page.

The Bicycling Monterey website and projects are a public service of Mari Lynch and Fine Wordworking, recognized by the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments,  City of Monterey, City of Seaside, Monterey County Health Department, Transportation Agency for Monterey County, Monterey-Salinas Transit, National Steinbeck Center, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey Institute of International Studies,  California State University Monterey Bay, Stevenson School, Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Sea Otter Classic,  Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, California Bicycle Coalition, and many others, and recommended and featured by media including KUSP Central Coast Public Radio, KSBW, the Monterey County Weekly, the Salinas Californian, and the Monterey County Herald.

Acknowledgements:  Project Volunteers

The following individuals donated personal time and expertise, which is deeply appreciated.

Creator of the HER Helmet Thursdays custom database

A web expert and cyclist from Santa Cruz County recognized that HER Helmet Thursdays needed room to grow.  He kindly volunteered to provide the necessary techno leg-up!  By creating a secure custom database, free of charge–which he also generously hosts–he made the project’s growth possible.  What an awesome neighbor!

Whenever you refer to the listings page and make use of the Clickable Map or Quick Reference/Pocket Guide, you are benefiting from the professional expertise and chivalry of this anonymous donor.

If you are a Rails expert and would like to help maintain this cool application, please contact Mari.

Above-and-beyond website support

Vid Raatior

I am a Lead Pencil Girl Gone Techno.  Because of the vision of Vid Raatior of Atawe Design, this site’s design is far more user-friendly than my personal tech skills would have made possible.  Vid selected and set up a WordPress theme, whipped the original content of Tips for Bicycling Monterey County into a more user-friendly menu format, designed the site banner, coached me in the ways of WordPress, and more.  Vid is another Santa Cruz County neighbor who shared his expertise very generously.   Moreover, Vid was an absolute joy to work with from start to finish!

Creator of the HER Helmet Thursdays logo

Steve E. Anderson of Velo Club Monterey

On hearing that HER Helmet Thursdays needed a logo, Steve immediately volunteered to provide one.  He delivered it promptly and in good cheer, showing once again that our local racers often quietly serve as Knights of the Central Coast

A bike class for the Monterey County Youth Center

The following have come together to make a long-desired bicycle repair and safety class part of the Monterey County Youth Center curriculum.  Click here for details. 

1. Richard Gray and Alex Carrillo, Monterey County Youth Center
2. Joseph Crabtree, Forest Hill Bike Shop
3. Korey Ericson, bike builder
   
4.  Frank Henderson

Thanks also to Kelly McMillin of the Salinas Police Department and to the following supporters of this class.

1. Heidi Hall, Light & Motion
2. Matthew Ryan, SIDI America
3. Bear Bikes
4. Bobcat Bicycles
5. Volkswagen Sea Otter Classic
6. Monterey-Salinas Transit
7. Fine Wordworking
   

Bike safety consultant

When knowledge and research time are limited, it is so helpful to be able to count on the expertise and community-mindedness of  Frank Henderson.  Frank is a League of American Bicyclists certified  instructor and TAMC 2010 Golden Helmet Award winner.

People responding  in a variety of helpful ways

1. Danielle Shillcock – MS Word and other support
2. Margaret Wolf -  research and support for HER Helmet Thursdays participant listings
3. Donna Murphy Typing Service – bike valet claim checks for special events
4. Melanie Gibbs Stackpole – research and support for HER Helmet Thursdays staff reference sheet
5. Casey Andrews, Sierra Dehmler – creation of first HER Helmet Thursdays quick reference/pocket guide
6. Sandi Laney – outreach for Dress-Up Challenge prizes
7. Zoe Shoats, Monterey-Salinas Transit – lights for bike safety outreach
8. Jon LeMaster of Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA.net) – permission to use OCTA’s Spanish translation of bicycle section of California Vehicle Code
9. Daniel Saenz of Daniel Saenz Designs / ArtDoor.com – technical support
10. Rebecca Robinson – research on America’s discounts-for-bicyclists programs

Bicycle consultants

For questions about bicycles, accessories, and more, here’s a shout-out to our  local bike shops, plus extra thanks to these individuals:

1. Sean Rigmaiden
2. Jan Valencia, Velo Monterey Answer Man
3. Devian Gilbert, Asana Cycles
4. Kevin Cole, Safety Director, Pebble Beach Company
   

Bike-there tips

While Mari wrote most bike-there tips, these avid cyclists helped immensely by providing detailed tips on some of the more remote locations:

1. Aaron Magenheim
2. Jeff Richman
3. Chuck Martin
4. Jan Valencia
5. Devian Gilbert

Photo models

This site would be dull without the photographs of people bicycling throughout Monterey County.  A huge thank you to the individuals who bring this site to life–and inspire others. 

Photographers

Thank you to all the photographers who generously contribute their own photos to supplement those taken by Mari.  Please note their names in photo credit lines throughout this site. 

In addition, the following photographers responded to Mari’s requests to shoot particular photos.  Special thanks to:

1. Joe Strunk
2. Leo Kodl
3. Steve E. Anderson
4. Dieter Binz
5. Simon and Joanna Bull
6. Bill and Susan Ragsdale Cronin
7. Mrs. Jim Warwick
8. Bob Simon
9. Frank Henderson
10. Dessa Murphy, Pacific Grove Middle School
    
11. Patty Ristine and Paloma Hernandez, La Paz Middle School, Salinas
12. Bryan Perez
13. Colleen Ingram for camera loan and time assisting with biking surfer photos

Guest posts or related assistance

Mari has written the vast majority of the content for this site. Let’s have a diversity of voices!  Please consider writing a guest post. Special thanks to the following for leading the way:

1. Justine Warwick
2. Rebecca Warwick
   
3. Phil Yenovkian
4. James Wrona
5. Frank Henderson
6. Jesse Martines
7. Robert Okerblom
8. Alex Cappelli

Translators

Daniel Grün – German translation

Note: Spanish translation volunteers are needed.

At 16, MoCo native Aaron Magenheim

had been supporting bicycling in Monterey County for 10 years,

since he and his dad had helped prepare the Laguna Seca course for the first bike races.  Ten years later, he’s still volunteering to help others bike in Monterey County, by contributing bike-there tips and new idea for HER Helmet Thursdays.

Dress-Up Challenge – Bike Week 2011

See separate page of acknowledgements for  those who donated prizes for Monterey County’s first Dress-Up Challenge. And see photo gallery of those modeling their love for biking in Monterey County!

Intergenerational Ride – Bike Week 2012

Special thanks to Sports Center Bicycles of Seaside for providing a mobile bike mechanic for the Intergenerational Ride during Monterey County’s 2012 Bike Week celebration.   Event co-sponsors are First Presbyterian Church of Monterey and Fine Wordworking.

Financial supporters

Monetary donations for the Bicycling Monterey website and projects are needed and appreciated.  Please refer to the About Donations page to learn more.

The privacy of everyone who makes a donation will be honored.  Those who allow public acknowledgment are listed on the Donors page.

HER Helmet Thursdays Project – Charter Participants

The strength of the foundation of the HER Helmet Thursdays Project is due to the early leadership of charter participating H-E-R businesses and organizations.  They are headed up by forward-thinking professionals who made a commitment to this long-term ecology-economy sustainability project.   These business owners/managers and organization directors, the people whose “Yes!” made HER Helmet Thursdays possible, represent these Charter Participants.

Acknowledgements:  Media Professionals

 Savvy journalists with an ear to the ground

The HER Helmet Thursdays Project was given an early boost by the following, via print, television, and the web.  I especially appreciate these highly alert media professionals who picked right up on this story:

• Mark C. Anderson, Monterey County Weekly
• Lane Wallace and Orville Myers, Monterey County Herald
• Ravi Kapur, KSBW
• Daniel Strain and Scott MacDonald, Salinas Californian

And the buzz continues about bicycling-friendly Monterey County, including HER Helmet Thursdays.  While media acknowledgements listed on this page are not comprehensive, here’s a shout-out to the Monterey County Weekly for their special bike issue,   “Spoke Word” (May 12-18, 2011), including “Moving Motivation,” “Pedal Perks,” “Two Speeds,” and more.  Tip of the front wheel to Weekly staffers and contributors, including:

• Christy Khoshaba
• Joey Large
• Kathryn Doore
• Kera Abraham, Assistant Editor
• Mark C. Anderson, Managing Editor
• Nic Coury, Staff Photographer

 

The signs of our bicycling-friendly county are everywhere.

Help spread the word by sharing posters, widgets, fliers, and pocket guides.

Acknowledgements:  Spread the Good News

People who help get the word out, and assist in other ways

Thanks to these people for helping others find the Bicycling Monterey website, including the Tips for Bicycling Monterey County guide; Monterey County Bicycle Shops, Services, Clubs, and Resources;  Spanish-language biking tips, the HER Helmet Thursdays project, and additional biking info and resources.

Online, on-air, in-print, in-person, and other support

The list below includes people who…

• share news via their websites or online social media, or by hosting presentations at meetings
• provide radio and television air time, or publish articles in print media
• offer complimentary consultations in their areas of expertise, or assist with research
• or help in other ways

Please bring others to my attention, so their names can be added.

This list is in approximate chronological order. 

1. Megan Tolbert, Monterey Green Action
2. Tony Price for the Seaside-Sand City Chamber of Commerce on KNRY
3. Monterey County’s Bike Shops and Services
4. Family Cycle Center, Capitola
5. Jim Ryan, Monterey Off Road Cycling Association (MORCA)
6. Jan Valencia, Answer Man, Velo Club Monterey
7. Steve E. Anderson, Velo Club Monterey – AKA Knights of the Central Coast
8. Julie Caris,  Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa – Cafe la Strada, Duck Club, Schooners, Vista Blue on Facebook
9. Denice Amerison, North Monterey County Chamber of Commerce
10. Em Lee’s Carmel on Facebook
11. Denise Wyer, Chef’s Pride/Fishwife and Turtle Bay; and the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce
12. Joyce Day Meuse on KNRY
13. Erik’s DeliCafe
14. Kaki Chen, Transportation Agency of Monterey County
15. MAJ Chris Bachl, Naval Postgraduate School Foundation
16. California State University-Monterey Bay (CSUMB)
17. Guy Lasnier, KUSP Central Coast Public Radio
18. Donna Brown, Sea Otter Classic – 2010  “Visit Monterey County”
    
19. Kate and Ali Daniels, Women’s International Perspective news site (thewip.net) – WIP Talk/Sundays at Five radio show
20. Devian Gilbert, Asana Cycles
21. Dorothy Becker, First Presbyterian Church Women, Monterey
22. Natasha Merkle, Naval Postgraduate School Earth Day Celebration
23. Monterey County Weekly – Earth Day editorial on HER Helmet Thursdays
24. Trish Sullivan, Destination Salinas – National Train Day
25. Frank Pinto, Joselyns Bicycles, Monterey
26. Nicole Gustas, Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau/See Monterey blog:  BlogMonterey.com
27. City of Monterey Solid Waste and Recycling Division – website Transportation page, and Facebook
28. Anais Schenk, Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) – Commute Alternatives
29. Asana Cycles
30. Ray Napolitano
31. Janie Rommel-Eichorn and the Rotary Club of Carmel Valley
32. National Steinbeck Center
33. BLUE Ocean Film Festival 2010:  A Global Film Festival and Conservation Summit
34. Sustainable Pacific Grove
35. Sustainable Salinas
36. MAJ Arleigh (Bill) Dean and the Naval Postgraduate School Foundation Cycling Club
37. Giovanna Kha Marino of the NPS Foundation
38. InfluenceGuy on Twitter
39. Burnham Coaching on Twitter
40. Shawna Routh, Monterey Institute of International Studies
41. Cath Tendler-Valencia, Velo Club Monterey
42. Stuart Thompson, Monterey Wine Groupie
43. Bobby Richards, Lamp Lighter Inn, Carmel-by-the-Sea
44. NorCal Bikers
45. Mark Davidson of Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz
46. Aquarian Bicycles, Monterey
47. MacGregor Eddy, Living Car-Free in Monterey County slideshow and workshop
48. Eric Squires of Light and Motion
49. Hunter Harvath and Zoe Shoats, Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST), Transit Tips
50. Focus the Region Conference
51. Lacey Raak, City of Monterey
52. Bobcat Bicycles, Salinas
53. Casey Andrews, CSUMB Otter Radio
54. Cima Collina Winery – Food and Wine Notes
55. Mirabel Group
56. Cantinetta Luca
57. Sea Otter Classic 2011 (“Ditch the Car” and “Visit Monterey County“)
58. Sports Center Bicycles, Seaside
59. Earth Cycles, Santa Cruz
60. Todd Wills, Naval Postgraduate School Earth Day 2011
61. Kevin Smith, Director of New Media – Monterey County Weekly – Local Blogs section
62. Sally Smith, Big Sur International Marathon
63. Abe Lincoln, Chair of Local Organizing Committee, Seaside Stage of Amgen Tour de California
64. Tina Rosa, City of Seaside Police Department, Police Activities League (PAL)
65. Monterey Green Action on Facebook
66. Tripwise at CSUMB on Facebook
67. Michael Baroni, Green Pedal Couriers, on Facebook
68. Megan Joyce, Monterey Institute of International Studies – MIIS Office of Student Services
69. Susan Ragsdale-Cronin – letter to the editor and essay acknowledgement
    
70. James Serrano, Transportation Planner for the City of Salinas
71. Rich Deal, Ride Ambassador for Bike Week 2011, and City Traffic Engineer for the City of Monterey
72. Hotel Les Maurs, Healdsburg, CA – on Facebook
73. Kaki Cheung, TAMC, Monterey County Bike Week 2011
74. Bike to Work Santa Cruz / Santa Cruz Bike Week
75. Velo Club Monterey
76. Scott MacDonald, The Salinas Californian
77. Erik and Anneka Esborg, People for Bikes
78. Gabe Alvizo
79. Diego Tapia
80. The City of Seaside
81. Jerrod Adams, Jarrod Gillam, Seth Hooper, Cameron Ingram, David Ramsaur, and others of the NPS Cycling Club
82. Lalo Villegas and Kevin Mead, City of Salinas Police Department
83. Darius Rike and Michael Do Couto, Monterey Off-Road Cycling Association (MORCA)
84. Juan Quintana
85. Jesse Martines, bike courier, on Facebook
86. Jay Bartow, Mark Peake, Joe Callaway of First Presbyterian Church, Monterey; John Clark of Steady Job, Steady Life program; and Real Goods Solar installers
87. Carol Ferrantelli and Elaine Cole of First Presbyterian Church, Monterey – Bike Week/Month “Bike to Worship” announcements
88. Anna Brones, Light & Motion on Twitter
89. Officers Tucker and Kastor, City of Monterey Police Department
90. John and Kimberly Beardshear, Remembering Kyle
91. Richard Graves, Clutch Couriers, In Memory of Zachary Parke
92. Steve Laufer, Central Coast Public Radio KUSP
    
93. Katie DeClercq, Project Bike Trip
94. Jenn Gerard of Monterey Green Action, Environmental Film Cafe
95. El Mariachi Restaurante
96. Erik Esborg, Bikes Belong and People for Bikes; Jeanne Le Page, Ecology Action of Santa Cruz;  Patricia Lopez and Tina Rosa, Seaside Police Activities League; and Zoe Shoats, Monterey-Salinas Transit;  all of whom made the National Night Out outreach to cyclists so successful.
97. Denyse Frischmuth, Sustainable Pacific Grove
98. Caz at London Cycle Chic and the Bicycle Muse for donating helmets
99. Jan Stotzer, Monterey Jazz Festival
100. Carey Beebe Harpsichords
101. Hartnell College
102. Chris Johnson, Carmel-by-the-Sea Police Department
103. Mike Deighton, Lighthouse Lodge & Suites, on Facebook
104. Karen Rose Corcoran, Museum of Monterey, on Facebook
     
105. Kristina Montellese, Montellese Family Chiropractic, on Facebook
106. Veronica Lezama, San Benito County Council of Governments
107. Laura Ramirez – proofreading of Spanish outreach flier
108. Brighid O’Keane, Dave Snyder, and Jim Brown, California Bicycle Coalition
109. Monterey Bay Aquarium
110. Dave Clark, Monterey Park Neighborhood Watch on Facebook
111. Ariana Green and Cory Caletti, Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission
112. Susan Kent, Monterey County Health Department
113. Connor Barr, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
114. Henrietta Stern and Fort Ord Recreation Trails Friends
115. Kelly McMillin, Salinas Police Department
116. Claudia Meléndez Salinas, School Bytes Blog, Monterey County Herald
117. Sarah Sponaugle, Blue Ocean Film Festival 2012
     
118. Matthew Sundt and Steve Blum, Velo Club Monterey
119. Kaki Cheung, Debbie Hale, and Kristen Hoschouer, Transportation Agency for Monterey County
     
120. Paraiso Vineyards
121. Jackie Pelley, Portola Hotel & Spa blog; and Portola Hotel & Spa events calendar
122. Souza’s Alisal Pharmacy, Salinas
123. CopyMat of Salinas
124. Terry Gomez and Omar Chombo, Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas
125. Constantino Lozano, Over the Top Cycling
     
126. Bike Shack, Watsonville
127. Novie Ayson Monterey County Youth Center
128. Jane Leatham, First Presbyterian Church of Monterey
129. Stephanie Nelson, Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments
130. Dena and Tyler Donnell, Naval Postgraduate School Cycling Club
131. Jeannie Pruitt-Retamoso, Sea Otter Classic
132. Jeff Lindenthal, Salinas High School Cowboy Racing Mountain Bike Team
133. Alex Cappelli, Velo Club Monterey
134. Mark Roth, Sports Center Bicycles, Seaside
135. Warren Anderson, Stevenson School
136. Dave & Holly Cycling the Pacific Coast, benefiting leukaemia & lymphoma research
137. Rita Dalessio and Neil Agron, Ventana Chapter of the Sierra Club, Beyond Oil Campaign
138. Shawn Calden and Dawn Allen
139. Jeanie Ward-Waller, Ride America for Safe Routes

Bicycling Monterey “Street Team”

This is a grassroots effort, and those who share the news with others are making a vital contribution.  Thanks to all who display posters or fliers.  And gratitude also goes to those who step up (or pedal up) and share news word-of-mouth or via mini-fliers. Team up with them by keeping some minis in your pocket or pack!

Derrick Chao and Kyle Ingebretson of the San Francisco Bay Area just learned about the Bicycling Monterey resources and the HER Helmet Thursdays Project.

Taqueria Del Mar was one of the first 100 participants in HER Helmet Thursdays

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If you found information on this site valuable, please consider making a donation to help maintain and expand these resources.  Even the smallest donation is meaningful and appreciated.