Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition

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Pro Bike/Pro Walk 98 Conference

photo of riders

Ralph Fertig, at left, prepares to lead a morning ride for Pro Bike/Pro Walk 98 participants. Along for this ride are local volunteers Charles Coffey, middle rear, and Lee Carter, at right. Benjamin Sawyer, with clipboard, is coordinating the ride start. Photo by Bruce Burgess.

  • "Pro Bike" was a super success !
  • A standing ovation by 500 bicycle/pedestrian professionals and advocates thundered toward Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition volunteers. It was during the closing plenary luncheon for Pro Bike/Pro Walk 98, the Bicycle Federation of America's biennial conference for which many of us had worked hard over the past 30 months. It made us beam with misty-eyed delight.
  • Local coordinator Ralph Fertig was stopped and thanked by dozens of participants for all the effort that we had invested in the success of Santa Barbara's Pro Bike. The same happened to other volunteers who staffed our information tables, helped with the individual sessions, led walks and rides, offered accommodations for participants, and helped with registration.
  • Many said that it was the best Pro Bike conference they had ever been to. Over and over, we heard how well things went, how great all our tours were, how helpful our volunteers were, what a blast the Courthouse dinner was, how great the DoubleTree Hotel food and staff were, how useful the sessions were, what professional tour maps we printed, and how everybody wants to move here.
  • The conference identified us a progressive bicycling community, not just a pretty tourist destination. Over 30 people from Santa Barbara County attended the sessions, and perhaps 100 traveled here from all over California. A California bike summit resulted in the consideration of many statewide issues. Although there was scant local publicity, our community leaders and advocates were aware of yet another progressive event highlighting transportation issues.

Bike and walk flyers praised

photo of flyers

  • Participants in Pro Bike/Pro Walk all received a package of 19 flyers of local bike rides and walks that they could take. The printed flyers featured trip highlights, maps, photos, and route sheets. The 11 bike rides were crafted by Ralph Fertig, and the 8 walks, by Ann Lawler, Suzanne Hammel, and Benjamin Sawyer. The walks were mostly self-guided, but the rides were led by Fertig and Wilson Hubbell.
  • We have posted on this site descriptions of the bike rides. Each ride has a route sheet, map, and ride features. You can print them out and do the rides any time.
  • Channel Drive ... 4.8 miles
  • Casa de la Guerra ... 3.9 miles
  • Eastside Santa Barbara ... 5.0 miles
  • Santa Barbara Mission ... 7.4 miles
  • Montecito Village ... 7.9 miles
  • El Presidio ... 6.0 miles
  • City College ... 6.7 miles
  • Westside Santa Barbara ... 4.6 miles
  • Stearns Wharf ... 4.8 miles
  • Eastern Montecito ... 8.8 miles
  • South Coast Tour ... 26.5 miles

Thank you !

  • Our sincere thanks goes to the many local individuals who volunteered their time and effort to make the conference a great success:
  • Dave Beamer, Alan Bergquist, Robert Bernstein, Kevin Brown, Bob Burgess, Lee Carter, Ann Coates, Joe Coito, Charles Coffey, Gail David, Dave Davis, Erin Davidson, Rob Dayton, Jeff Dean, Pierre Delong, Ralph Fertig, Dan Gira, Nicola Gordon, Ann Hagemann, Suzanne Hammel-Sawyer, Wilson Hubbell, Jeff Irelan, Shoba Kalwani, Judy Keim, Barry Kroepelin, Ann Lawler, Mike Lawler, David Lawson, Abe Leider, Harriet Miller, Lee Moldaver, Mindy Norris, Christina Parrelli, Alex Pujo, Curtis Ridling, Benjamin Sawyer, Naomi Schwartz, Shelly Sund, Jean Thomsom, Alex Triger, David Wheeler, Sandra Wintermoss, and Gary Wissman.

Pro Bike/Pro Walk: participants thank us

  • It was great to meet you all. Santa Barbara was gorgeous—no wonder I've heard so many terrific things about it over the years—and I thoroughly enjoyed Pro Bike.
  • I told our Events Director, about your offer to host a League Rally in Santa Barbara, and we're both quite excited. However, it seems that UC Santa Barbara is booked for 1999, so it looks like we'll have to think about 2000 or 2001. But we will definitely be in touch, and looking forward to the same fantastic hospitality and tours that you gave to Pro Bike attendees. Thanks so much!
    Jody Newman
    Director, League of American Bicyclists
  • I just want to reiterate what a wonderful time the Hawaii contingent had in Santa Barbara during the week of the 1998 Pro Bike/Pro Walk conference. Thank you for all the hard work that you and the others in the SBBC did to make this a truly successful and rewarding week for national cycling advocacy.
    Khal Spencer
    Vice-President, Hawaii Bicycling League
  • Thanks for all your (and your team) effort to make the conference successful. But then I was positive that Santa Barbara could be nothing but an unqualified success. Nice going. Hope to get back there again in near future.
    William W. Hunter
    Assoc Director, Highway Safety Research Center
  • Alas Ralph, I didn't get a chance to thank you in person. But the conference was terrific, the site was great, and we all had a wonderful time. Thanks!
    Dave Burch
    Bay Area Air Quality Management District
  • Thank you for a fantastic, inspiring week in Santa Barbara. It seems a sign of the changing times that three years ago, when I first came to Santa Barbara and met Ralph, I was there for the "Campus Parking Management Association", a small and grumpy crowd of people complaining that universities needed more asphalt.
  • This time, I got to come as the first-ever staff member of our bicycle coalition, and judging from the e-mails and calls I've gotten this week, Pro Bike inspired at least one more California bicycle coalition (San Diego's) to take the plunge, hire a director, and aim for making a really big impact.
  • By bringing Pro Bike to California and making it a great time, you've brought people together in ways that will have a lasting impact on this state.
    Patrick Siegman
    Exec Director, Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition
  • The best part was really experiencing how wonderful it is to be in a bike friendly community. Thank you so much for all your help and for the super volunteers who handled everything with grace, humor and a friendly smile! We had a great time and learned a lot from the Santa Barbara Middle School kids and Rob Dayton, too!
    Annie Brody
    Executive Director, Earth Force
  • Thank you, Ralph Fertig, for your vision and your dedication to bring this incredible event to Santa Barbara. Pro Bike/Pro Walk was a success because of the work of many hard-working people. A big "Thank You!" to Ralph for your clear and constant vision and vigilance. And many thanks to all of the rest!
    Robert Bernstein
    Vice President, Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition
  • A well deserved ovation, Ralph. Bravo!!!!
    Dan Burden
    Director, Walkable Communities, Inc.
  • I'd like to offer my opinion that this was a successful conference. Despite the many differences of opinion that I have had (and I'm sure will continue to have) with BFA, they and the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition should be commended for hosting a very productive and enjoyable conference.
    Richard C. Moeur
    Traffic Engineer, Phoenix
  • Thanks for bringing the Pro Bike conference to S.B. and for letting me take part in all the activities Thursday . . . I had a grand time! Volunteering was fun.
    David L. Lawson
    Secretary, Bicycle Coalition at UCSB
  • Congratulations. It was a great conference, and smoothly organized. I was very happy that I got the opportunity to be there and to make my presentation. My overall impression is that "cycling America" is becoming more professional.
    Tom Godefrooij
    President, Fietserbond Enfb.
  • Thanks again so much for all your great efforts in making the Pro Bike conference in Santa Barbara the best I've been to yet (I've been to four)!!!! Great work you are all doing! Keep it up!
    Jeffrey Miller
    Executive Director, Bicycle Coalition of Maine
  • Your tireless and generous efforts, Ralph, made Pro Bike 98 the success it was. You personally deserve the lion's share of any accolades that accumulate. I feel I was fortunate to just be a part of the effort. My hat's off to you!
    Alan Bergquist
    Director, Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition
  • I never really had the opportunity to say what a pleasure it was to have had the "red carpet" (should that be red recumbent?) rolled out for all of us who participated in Pro Bike/Pro Walk 98.
  • I knew from the quality of your coalition's web site, as well as words of praise from Rob Dayton on the phone several months ago, that we were in for a special treat, but I could have not known how extraordinary it would really be!
  • It is inspiring to see the level of commitment that your group had for organizing such an event, and supporting it from start to finish—and you did it with such panache!
    Kelley Roberts
    Bicycle/Ped Coordinator, Fort Collins

Conference photographs

  • We have posted several Pro Bike/Pro Walk 98 photos here.