Employee Gets Bike Club Rolling

Members of a Child Welfare Services bike club out on a ride.

Adrianna Alvarez’s bike was just sitting at home, accumulating rust and spider webs.

Three weeks ago, she cleaned it up and after a bit of W-40, her bike got a second life.

What motivated her to do it?

After much convincing from co-worker Jesus Salcido, she decided to join the bike club he started at the Child Welfare Services office in Chula Vista.

“Jesus is very motivational, so I decided to give it a try,” said Alvarez, a protective services supervisor who has been working at the Health and Human Services Agency for 16 years.

Salcido, a protective services worker, is an avid street and mountain bike rider who pedals his way to work each day.

“Biking is not hard, plus it’s good for you,” said Salcido. “It’s fun and it’s better than sitting in front of the TV.”

Jesus SalcidoHe should know. Salcido has been biking for nearly 30 years and used to bike race for fun.

Salcido said he decided to start the bike club in May because there was a growing group of workers wanting to do more physical activities, encouraged by the County’s Live Well San Diego initiative. He organizes three rides per week, one for beginners, and two for the more advanced riders.

One of the club’s routes is both safe and scenic. From the corner of H Street and 3rd Avenue in Chula Vista, the group goes south to Imperial Beach and then across the Silver Strand to Coronado – 22 miles round trip along a bike path with little traffic

Another one of his routes is more challenging. He goes mountain biking in Bonita and Eastlake once a week with his more advanced riders.

He takes beginners only half way, so they don’t get discouraged.

And it’s working.

Alvarez said if she’d known how long the entire route was, she probably would have tried to convince herself she could not do it.

“The first time was a pain. But by the second I was prepared to go further,” said Alvarez.

She did. But her two teenage children did not make it all the way.

“They waited for me at the half-way point,” said Alvarez.

She is encouraging her family and other co-workers to join the group, which has 10 members so far “Right now, I am only doing it once per week, but I hope I can increase it,” she said.