HomeMy WebLinkAbout1/16/2018 Item 9, Spreitzer
To the San Luis Obispo City Council:
Biking. To most people when they hear the word “biking” often times “sport” comes to mind. However,
biking to me, and many others, is more than that! Biking isn’t just a sport, it’s a refuge from the stresses
of daily life. It’s a healthy choice. It’s a community, a family.
Moving to this area from the Midwest all alone, I didn’t know many people. I’ve always been active and
liked to bike. However, I really didn’t mountain bike in the area at all since I was afraid to get lost with
such vast unfamiliar trails, but then I came across a great little mountain biking group in Orcutt. It
changed everything! Now, not only did I have people to ride with to learn the trails and something to
look forward to each week, but an amazing group of people that made me feel a part of the community
and gradually became my “family”. This group created more opportunities to network out from there,
including helping assist coach for Righetti High Mountain Bike Group, meet other bike groups to ride
even more trails, and even more friends.
October through March is half the year. That’s a long time. Many of us on bikes are working the
average 9-5 jobs that when we get out of work, its dark already at that time of year, but that doesn’t
mean we don’t want to get out on our bikes. After a long day at work, it only makes us want to get out
even more to release our stresses healthfully in the great outdoors on our bicycles.
Through this sport I have had the opportunity to meet so many people from various walks of life and
become part of this community. Every person I have met young or old; for 5 minutes, or a person who
has become a lifelong friend; has been positive, kind, courteous, and often times helpful. New groups
I’ve rode with always watch out for me and others even if we’ve just met. Many of these people are
also the ones to take the time to keep the trails in great riding condition.
We are so blessed to have such a beautiful area with great trails and amazing weather yearlong to enjoy
this awesome “sport”. To limit so many of us to riding only when the sun is up during this dark time of
year seems like we would be doing more of a disservice to this community if nothing else. Please take
the time to consider what a positive, healthy, and community building activity mountain biking is for the
people of this area and how allowing or disallowing the sport to continue on in the darker evening hours
of our short winter days would impact the “biking” people of our community.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Jean Spreitzer
Speech Language Pathologist
Grover Beach, CA