Chico Velo

Mission Statement: promote bicycling for transportation, recreation, and health through public education, advocacy, and community stewardship.

History of Chico Velo

Ed McLaughlin founded Chico Velo's non-profit organization in 1980.

Initially, it began as a bicycling club however, Ed had bigger dreams for the community.

With visions to ensure safe cycling routes and a world of active transportation via cycling

All legislation involving bike lanes, bicycle racks, new development, and improvements for cycling infrastructure have all occurred united with Chico Velo.

Ed McLaughlin dreams have became a reality to a safer cycling community.

"Eat, Breathe, Drink, Pedal; it's what Ed would have done."

What events has Chico Velo been involved in?

Wildflower

Wildflower is the biggest cycling event hosted by Chico Velo as a nonprofit event where all proceeds go directly to supporting Chico Velos regional advocacy for safer biking infrastructure, community education and trail work programs.

This event first begun in 1981 with one route and only 150 participants. Today this ride has grown adding 7 different routes ranging from 12-125 miles and bringing in over 2,000 riders.

Each year Wildflower kicks off with a Wildfest that is free and open to the public as a pre-ride party. The following day is then Wildflowers ride-day where participants will ride from 5:30am-6pm.

Provides Bike Valet for Local Market(s)

Biking Valet is offered at the Saturday Night Markets year-round as well as the seasonal Thursday Night Markets. For local cyclers to be able insure a safe place to park their bike while enjoying the communities local markets.

Bike Month

The month of May is also known as "Bike Chico", this has become fun free bike events such as, Bike Movie Night, Chico Bike Music Festival, night-light rides, and the vintage "Seersucker Rider" in addition to Bike to Work to School events.

What Chico Velo has provided.

Biking Events

These include rest stops, check-ins, and SAG biking tools

Biking Valet

Providing a safe and secure way for people to park there bikes

Trail works

Working on sustainable trails in Butte County

Kidspedal

Rodeos for kids to promote and educate bike safety

Adopt-a-Trail

The City of Chico is currently working with Chico Velo on implementing an "Adopt-a-Trail" Program which will support local Class 1 Bike Paths. This program will allow individuals and organizations to adopt a trail in designated areas in order to provide waste clean-up, monitor vegetation pruning and reporting issues of concern to the City.

Get Involved with Chico Velo!

Chico Velo has tons of volunteer opportunities some of these include hands to help with rest stops, checkin, SAG drivers for events. Others may include providing and securing a safe place for people to park their bikes at Chico Velos biking valet. Working on sustainable trails is another way to help prepare for events hosted by Chico Velo to insure safety. And lastly, kidspedal, helping putting on bike rodeos where kids are presented bike safety in a fun way!

For more volunteer opportunities with Chico Velo click the link below!

VolunteerChico Velo Volunteer

How Sociology helps better understand Chico Velo

The work of Dr. Robert Putnam on social capital and civic engagement is useful in understanding the value that Chico Velo provides to our community. Putnam's theory of social capital emphasizes the importance of social networks and civic engagement in building strong communities.

Putnam argues that social capital is essential for solving collective problems and promoting economic growth. Chico Velo does this by fostering community bonds through the creation of community that features active transportation as a way of life and supports that lifestyle through cycling routes and improved cycling infrastructure throughout Chico.

Beyond day-to-day improvements in safety and quality of life, Chico Velo also plays a leadership role in creating moments to celebrate bicycling in our community.

What Chico Velo implies for the future

While it's clear that Chico Velo provides tremendous value to our community through their non-profit outreach and efforts, sociology can provide us some useful guidance for those who apart of Chico Velo as it looks to continue to grow its outreach and advocacy efforts. On this front, the work of Max Weber and his theories of bureaucracy was the most efficient and rational way to organize complex social systems, such as government agencies or large corporations. According to his theory, bureaucracies are characterized by several key features:

Hierarchy:

Bureaucracies are organized in a hierarchical fashion with clear lines of authority and a well-defined chain of command. Each level of hierarchy has its own specific responsibilities and duties.

Division of Labor:

Bureaucracies are organized around the principle division of labor, with each employee specializing in a specific area of work. This allows for greater efficiency and productivity.

Rules and procedures:

Bureaucracies are governed by a set of rules and procedures that are designed to ensure fairness and consistency in decision-making. These rules are typically written down and applied uniformly to all employees

Impersonality:

Bureaucracies operate on the principle of impersonality, meaning that decisions are made based on objective criteria rather than personal preferences or biases. This helps to ensure that decisions are fair and unbiased.

As the reach of Chico Velo continues to grow, reflecting on the organizational structure through the lens of Weber's theories will allow Cycle Velo to rise to meet whatever challenges it may face and do so in an efficient, just and inclusive manner.

Chico Velo. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2023, from https://www.chicovelo.org/

Claridge, T. (2021, September 30). Putnam on social capital – Democratic or Civic Perspective • Institute for Social Capital. Institute for Social Capital. Retrieved April 27, 2023, from https://www.socialcapitalresearch.com/putnam-on-social-capital-democratic-or-civic-perspective/

Ed mclaughlin obituary (2012) - chico, CA - Chico Enterprise-Record. Legacy.com. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2023, from https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/chicoer/name/ed-mclaughlin-obituary?id=10020066

Nickerson, C., & Charlotte NickersonResearch Assistant at Harvard UniversityUndergraduate at Harvard UniversityCharlotte Nickerson is a student at Harvard University obsessed with the intersection of mental health. (2023, April 20). Max Weber's key contributions to sociology. Simply Sociology. Retrieved April 27, 2023, from https://simplysociology.com/max-weber-german-sociologist.html

Way back with the chico wildflower. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (2023, April 12). Retrieved April 27, 2023, from https://sierranevada.com/blog/beyond-the-brewhouse/way-back-with-the-chico-wildflower/

Wildflower century. CHICO WILDFLOWER. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2023, from https://www.wildflowercentury.org/

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