The San Jose Cycling Classic kicked off with the Mattson Technology San Jose ViaVelo: Urban Free-wheelin’ Fun!, The first event for a week-long celebration of cycling activities beginning on Saturday, May 15 included a variety of fun rides, community booths, demonstrations, live music and other free activities. The Mattson Technology San Jose ViaVelo transformed San Fernando Street in Downtown San Jose into a car-free promenade to gather to bike, walk, dance, stroll, play games, just have a great time and enjoy a sunny May day. Events such as this have been held all over the world, but this was the first to hit San Jose streets.

You can view a video overview of the day. 

You can also download a flyer, view a map of the event location, and get view other details at the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition ViaVelo Site.

Block One: The Children’s Block, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, included the Children’s Performance stage provided by Santa Clara County Supervisor David Cortese, between Delmas and Almaden Blvd.

Block Three: Healthy Living, between Almaden Ave. & San Pedro

Block Four: Bicycle Shops and Cycling Community Groups, between San Pedro & Market

Block Six: Transit Organizations and Activities, between First & Second

Block Seven: Healthy Living, between Second & Third

Block Two—between Almaden Blvd. & Almaden Ave.—and Block Five—between Market & First—are devoted to space for everyone to enjoy open streets and their own impromptu activities.

The Kaiser Permanente Kids Course is an indoor/outdoor obstacle course designed to make physical activity fun for children, ages 4 to 10. A Community Troupe emcee introduces the participant at the start of the course, cheers the child along the way, and emphasizes the goal at the end by asking the child how he or she can continue to be physically active.

 Activities:

• Get a massage or enjoy some acupressure.
• Mix 106.5 MC'd ViaVelo and gave away prizes at the main stage.
• REI Certified bike mechanics provided tune-ups.
• The Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition's Bicycle Exchange offered tune-up trainings.
• Soula Power Yoga offered a kids' class and an adults' basic class with stretches for cyclists. The downtown studio also had a booth with interactive yoga activities and hip-opening stretches.
• VTA will be at ViaVelo with the Traveling Bus with information on cycling and commuting.

Children's Block - sponsored by Kaiser Permanente:

• Activities with Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors' Dave Cortese
• Activities with San Jose Councilmember Rose Herrera
• Activities by Lucile Packard Children's Hospital
• Button making
• Carbon footprint games
• Nutrition games
• Fit For Learning physical and nutritional activities by Santa Clara County Office of Education
• Native plant and tree games by Guadalupe River Park Conservancy
• Yoga class for children with Soula Power Yoga

Transportation-Oriented Development:

• Greenbelt Alliance - Diridon has the potential to be a world-class transit hub. Attendees were able to come by and find out how this station will enliven downtown San Jose.
• Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition - The latest in bicycle advocacy in the Silicon Valley.
• TransForm - had offered games of Bus Rapid Transit Question Wheel on Alternative Transportation.

Community Participants:

• American Diabetes Association
• Alzheimer's Association
• Community Child Care Council of Santa Clara County
• Councilmember Rose Herrera
• East Santa Clara Street Business Association
• First 5 Santa Clara County
• Guadalupe River Park Conservancy
• Livestrong Challenge, San José
• Lucile Packard Children's Hospital
• National Brain Tumor Society
• National MS Society
• New Hope Chiropractic
• San José Earthquakes
• San José State University Department of Meteorology & Climate Science
• Santa Clara County Office of Education
• Santa Clara County Parks
• Traffic Safe Communities Network/Santa Clara County Public Health
• YWCA

Sustainability and Green Living:

• Blendz
• City of San José Integrated Waste Management
• City of San José Solar Program
• County of Santa Clara Home Composting Education Program
• Our City Forest
• Pacific Coast Farmer's Market Association

Bicycles:

• Bicycle Express - Fix-a-flat clinics and wheel spin.
• iMiNUSD- Trick jam and booth.
• Hyland Family Bicycles - Basic bike repair and hosting fix-a-flat clinics.

Transportation:

• Caltrain - Bikes On Board for commuters.
• VTA - Don't know how to put your bike on the bus? Attendees could stop by try it yourself.
• City of San José Department of Transportation - DOT demonstrated the various things the City of San Jose is doing to make downtown livelier and safer.

Performances:

• Broadway San José
• Dave Stein
• Jackie Rocks Band
• Indian-Fusion Dance Academy
• Moonshiner- A Dylan Tribute
• One Eye Mind
• Overfelt High School
• Vovinam Lion Dancers 

The bicycle is the most efficient machine ever created: Converting calories into gas, a bicycle gets the equivalent of three thousand miles per gallon.

-Bill Strickland.