Celebrating the Fun Rides

Hands went in after every ride. Four photos from four Fun Rides. 

After four successful Fun Rides at four different Richmond parks, we're ready to start the season. But before we do that, lets celebrate how fun those Fun Rides really were! Here's a look at the Fun Rides (Click each ride for Photos):

Ride #1 - October 22nd @ Nichol Park

Ride #2 - November 4th @ Miller/Knox Park

Ride #3 - November 12th @ Alvarado Park

Ride #4 - December 3rd @ Point Pinole

All told we had 16 different students representing 7 different high schools in the area attend a Fun Ride as well as 9 different Richmond Composite coaches and 3 Trips for Kids staff. We also had 3 rockstar parents jump on a bike to ride with us too! Over 40 students reached out to RSVP for a Fun Ride which was amazing to know that 40 high school students in the area were interested in getting out and mountain biking with us this Fall. That's a lot of numbers yes, but somehow they don't all add up to equal the amount of fun we had. That number is uncalculateable, but if we had to wager, we'd say we had more fun than trees have leaves, or something in that range.

Students who attended a Fun Ride reported highlights such as loving to get outside, being active, eating snacks, climbing (yes, climbing!), seeing the bay, views from high up in the hills overlooking Richmond, riding singletrack, meeting new friends and learning new skills.

Why did students join a Fun Ride?

"It's going to be a great opportunity to keep my mind fresh and share experiences with new people." - Harrison

"Because i love to bike and i especially love nature and ive never been out that much of my house." - Monserrat

"I wanted to try something new." -Vicente 

What's Next?

We're going to start our season shortly. We'll be having a couple of events to help students and their families learn more about what it means to be on a high school mountain bike team and then we'll start riding together weekly! Stay tuned to get involved. We'd love to have you join #RichmondComposite

11/26 Fun Ride Rescheduled to 12/3 due to Rain

Due to rain forecasted, we have to push back our final Fun Ride at Point Pinole one week to Sunday December 3rd. Good news is that you have extra time to RSVP! Link is below. See you there!

-->RSVP HERE<--

Last Fun Ride Sunday November 26th!

Our last Fun Ride is set for Sunday November 26th @ Point Pinole from 10am-12:30pm. We have limited availability. Sign up soon! RSVP here.

Now, here's a recap of our 3rd Fun Ride at Alvarado Park on 11/12/17. 

Lets just start here. 

Or should we really start here?

Or is here most appropriate?

Really though, I think this says it all. 

Our numbers are growing. Join us. After the last Fun Ride we begin the team and all are invited to participate. Keep an eye on our website and Instagram for updates on getting Richmond Composite up and rolling. 

Thank you to all who have come out for a Fun Ride thus far. See you on the 26th @ Point Pinole!

-Richmond Composite

What happens at a Fun Ride?

When you arrive to a Fun Ride you see bikes everywhere. They are leaned up against trees, on their sides in lines and likely being pedaled around a skills course made of orange cones. There are people too, the friendly kind, ready to say hello, extend a hand and welcome you to the group. 

We circle up and introduce ourselves to the group and get oriented to the bikes we’re about to ride—brakes, air, shifters, seat height and more. Then before you know it we’re all pushing the pedals, off to ride the skills course and practice some new mountain bike skills like “ready position” or switchbacks!

After we practice, we go explore. At our October 22nd Fun Ride we rode along the Richmond Greenway, a largely paved bike/pedestrian pathway that runs though the heart of Richmond. We stopped to play in the future site of “Dirt World” where someday (hopefully soon) Richmond will have a world class dirt pump track and skills park. In the meantime we’ll still enjoy the dirt rollers and mini pump track. 

At our second Fun Ride on Saturday November 4th we were riding at Miller Knox park along the shoreline near Point Richmond. We started on grass and did our best to avoid pavement as we snaked our way through picnic areas and BBQ pits toward the gravel and dirt trails out by the point. Whoops and hollers were heard as tires spit mud out in a rooster tail out the bike—signs that we were now indeed mountain biking. 

Once out at the point we took in the views. We could see the Golden Gate, Bay and Richmond/San Rafael bridges as well as seemingly every Island in the Bay. We took it all in, handed out some maps to help show where we’d be going next, snapped a few photos and jumped back on the bikes. 

We continued our ride out along the Bay Trail, a protected bike path that runs along much of the Richmond area shoreline. We stopped to share some Richmond history and see how our piers and shoreline is being used today. Oh, and of course we ride!

We reached our turning around point at the end of a leg of the Bay Trail and had to take a couple more pictures, tell a few more stories and point out where we’d be riding November 12th at Alvarado Park which could be seen as we traced the Wildcat Canyon ridgeline to it’s northern terminus.  

We turned around and jammed back the way we came, making sure to hit as much dirt, gravel and some fun singletrack on the way back, practicing our ready position and switchbacks with finess! When we returned high fives were given generously, favorite parts of the day were shared and a hearty “See you next week at Alvarado Park!” Was exclaimed. “Hands in. Richmond Composite on three. 1...2...3!”

Want to get involved? Join us for a remaining Fun Ride by clicking this link. All are welcome and we’ll even bring you a bike! We ride again: 

Sunday November 12th @ Alvarado Park - 10am-12:30pm

Sunday November 26th @ Point Pinole - 10am-12:30pm

Fun Rides Have Arrived

We're thrilled to announce our first series of Fun Rides in collaboration with Trips for Kids. Please download the flyer (English or Español) and share at your school/apartment/favorite restaurant/office/park/etc. 

>>>RSVP FOR THE FUN RIDES HERE<<<

Fun Rides are Coming!

Each Fall, leading up to the high school mountain bike season in Northern California teams host what are called "Fun Rides". These rides are chances to introduce people to mountain biking by, well--mountain biking! They are chance to garner interest in youth joining the team where everyone is invited to come try out the sport in a fun and safe atmosphere. Parents and guardians are invited to come and support their youth while pedaling alongside them with the guidance of team coaches. 

Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline looking out over the bay. *Hint, hint, we'll be riding around here for one of our Fun Rides.

We're very excited to take the first actual pedal strokes into making this team a reality by announcing a series of Fun Rides very soon. We'll be hosting these rides in four different locations throughout the greater Richmond area with the hopes of introducing as many new youth to mountain biking as possible. We're partnering with an amazing organization to provide all the gear (bikes, helmets, water bottles, etc.) so that all people have to bring are themselves and some comfortable clothes to ride in. Oh, and did we mention that these Fun Rides will be Free? Will you share these Fun Rides with a youth you know in the Richmond area? What about a parent or teacher or friend? 

We scouted some of the Fun Ride locations this weekend. Check out the slideshow below to see for yourself some of the beauty Richmond has to offer. We'll be visiting all of these locations and more during the Fun Rides. Stay tuned to our website for the Fun Ride announcement with locations, dates and much more info this week. We'll be rolling soon!

Can you guess where all these photos were taken?

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Want to receive an email as soon as we announce the Fun Rides? Fill out this 3 question survey. 

Volunteering in Richmond for Coastal Clean Up Day

Saturday September 16th was Coastal Clean Up Day, an international event where people around the world volunteer to help clean up litter in our communities and creeks that end up in the ocean. We teamed up with Trips for Kids (from Marin) and YES Nature to Neighborhoods to volunteer and help get local Richmond area youth on mountain bikes for the first time to learn some skills, ride the Richmond Greenway and of course pitch in for Coastal Clean Up. 

Sarah practices her "smooth and even" braking with textbook two fingers on each brake lever

After a great introduction students got on their bikes and Trips for Kids led a fun orientation to the bikes--how they brake, shift, how to check the air in the tires--and we were on our way weaving through an orange cone skills course laid out on the grass at Nicholl Park. 

After mastering the skills course we hit the Richmond Greenway, having to hike our bikes up and over the BART tracks on a tall staircase. Students were getting the best of urban riding right out of the gate including learning how to navigate city obstacles like huge concrete stairs and learning how to carry a bike safely. 

Making out way over the BART tracks and safely down the other side to access the Richmond Greenway

Once we hit the greenway, we were off! We wound our way down the paved path until meeting up with other volunteers from the community for a clean up. Over the next hour we spread out in teams on foot and proceeded to clean up the area around the Richmond Greenway next to Dirt World. When we were finished we celebrated the dozens of bags of trash we'd picked up and marveled at the many strange findings--fake tree with christmas lights, stripped bicycle with a santa hat seat cover, Rick James LP album cover--wondering where they are came from and how we could each take action to reduce our consumption moving forward. 

This was all picked up from the Richmond Greenway in about 2 blocks distance. We passed much more along our way that day that needed picking up. 

After the clean up we made our way to the western edge of the greenway before turning around and making our way back, stopping at a number of sites along the way to take in some of the beauty, mystery and challenges that make up Richmond. We ended with high fives and Clif Bars back where we started. Students shared something they were going to take away from the day. I can't remember all the words, but the general feeling was of gratitude, responsibility and a high level of stoke to ride bikes together in their community. 

We've got some fun announcements very soon that came from this great day out. Stay tuned!

50 points if you can tell us who this mural is of?

Getting Up & Spinning

We're in the early phases of putting together the Richmond Composite Mountain Bike Team for High School students in the Richmond area. Lots more info is coming soon, so stay tuned!

Reach out!  richmondcomposite@gmail.com