Several local businesses come together to hold annual 12-mile bike loop
By ALMA CULVERWELL — city@theaggie.org
On May 7, the city of Davis and Bike Davis held their 13th annual Loopapalooza, a 12-mile bike loop with several stations along the way, each highlighting different local organizations.
The celebration originally started in 2010 when community members and bicycle advocates realized that people needed better education and guidance on how to navigate Davis on bike. Loopapalooza allows Davis residents to familiarize themselves with bike routes and ways of transportation other than driving.
This year’s celebration had a total of ten stations and hosted a wide variety of local organizations, including Ken’s Bike-Ski Board, Cool Davis, Bike Davis, ASUCD Bike Barn, The Bike Campaign and more. Participants were encouraged to ride in either direction and stop at any of the ten stations along the loop. Maria Contreras, outreach director for The Bike Campaign, shared her favorite part of the celebration.
“We love meeting people and answering lots of questions about their bikes and biking in Davis,” Contreras said. “We help riders learn how to notice that they are missing reflectors if their tires are flat or worn out, how to use a bike pump and see if their chains need to be lubed. Keeping your bike in good working order is a skill that we are constantly teaching. […] Let’s all share the bike love and enjoy riding with our friends, family and other community members. Seeing each other and smiling is the best way to build community.”
In light of the recent stabbings in Davis, the last station at Sycamore Park, which was the site of the second homicide, was omitted from the event. The Girl Scouts, who were scheduled to be at the Sycamore station, moved to another park in South Davis. Jennifer Donofrio, the senior transportation planner for the city of Davis, talked about holding Loopapalooza after facing uncertainty about the event in recent weeks.
“The biggest highlight was that people came out and enjoyed the day,” Donofrio said. “All week, we were stressed and unsure if the event would happen because of the recent crimes. After the press conference on Friday afternoon with police Chief Pytel about the suspect being captured, we were relieved and felt like we got our streets and pathways back.”
In spite of the prior events, Loopapalooza still had a large turnout and was well received by community members. Donofrio talked about her favorite part of the event.
“[My favorite part is] seeing happy people bike around Davis and learn how to navigate the pathways,” Donofrio said. “I met several people last Saturday who were new to Davis and were participating in the event to become more confident using the pathways to get to places they want to go.”
Written By: Alma Culverwell — city@theaggie.org
