By Camas Frank
A retired Atascadero businessman has brought the famous Eroica Vintage Bike Ride to the Central Coast.
Not only is it the first time the enthusiasts have come to California, it’s their first event in the U.S. The Eroica premise is that participants may only use a bicycle that was built before 1988, according to an announcement from organizers, with many riders using two-wheelers built prior to World War II.
Eroica California will be held April 11-12, with registration limited to 1,000 riders and a cost of $150 per entrant.
“The vintage cycling concept started in Italy and they’re still the biggest,” said event director of Eroica California, Wesley Hatakeyama. “This year they had 12,000 applicants. In the United Kingdom they have an event with 3,000 riders. Right now Japan is the smallest and Spain will follow us in June. For us to bring 1,000 riders to California is a big deal. The Italian organizers wanted to go to Napa or Sonoma but I called them and told them it was a mistake to do that before they’d visited Paso Robles or SLO. I’ve been here for 45 years and I know cycling here. It’s exactly what they were looking for.“
The local event, much like the annual SLO Concourse event is a coupe for local charity as well, with a portion of the net proceeds going to the non-profit Hospice of San Luis Obispo County.
The Hospice also benefits from the Concourse event, and the two have something in common, people are just as proud to show off their vintage bikes, dressing in period costumes before, during and after the all-terrain ride.
Along with the ride, the weekend will include a “Classic Bicycle Concours” in Downtown Paso Robles, with merchants flogging classic bicycles parts and other items.
Registration for the event opened in mid-February but, Hatakeyama noted that a waiting list of 3,000 had started even before their website was finished and registration began.
“Eroica means ‘Hero,’” he explained. “It lets you experience cycling from days before our current, modernized form and environment. It’s recreating eras when a bike meant freedom. We’re doing it on fabulous dirt roads, no mountain bikes. Racing back then meant using the tires and equipment that was used everyday.”
For Hospice SLO, it’s a chance for volunteers to be part of something big while helping their cause of advancing respect and human dignity for individuals and families facing end of life decisions.
Kris Kington-Barker, the executive director of Hospice said that the event “will offer tremendous international exposure for our area and a broader awareness by international vintage cycling enthusiasts who value the original culture of cycling. We are so grateful to be a part of this historic event.”
Approximately 100 Hospice volunteers will be helping in Cayucos, Cambria and Paso Robles for the event’s three routes; making sure riders are well looked after at the rest stops.
“It’s a very busy time for us,” said event coordinator Gracie Ray, adding that they’re also gearing up for the Eighth Annual Concourse Event and the 29th Annual California Festival of Beers, their two largest fundraisers of the year. “As soon as we wrap one up,” she said, “we start planning for the next year.”
For more information on Eroica California see: www.eroicacalifornia.com.
