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PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES

March 23, 2004

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15th Annual Go Greenbelt! Bike Tour Begins Sunday, April 18

Challenging 7 Day, 480 Mile Bay Area Bike Tour Raises Funds and Awareness to Protect the Greenbelt

San Francisco—More than 70 bicyclists will participate in the 15th Annual Go Greenbelt! bike tour that takes riders on a seven-day, 480 mile circuit through the nine counties of the Bay Area. This epic journey begins on Sunday, April 18 at 8:30 am at the Crissy Field Center (603 Mason at Halleck) in the Presidio of San Francisco, and concludes on Saturday, April 24 at the Thoreau Center in the Presidio of San Francisco.

"Go Greenbelt! is part endurance test, part eco-tour, and one hundred percent fun," says Steve Van Landingham, Greenbelt Alliance's tour organizer for the last eight years. "This year's ride goes through some of the Bay Area's most beautiful landscapes, including areas that are permanently protected as well as those threatened by sprawl development."

The weeklong bicycle ride raises funds that enable Greenbelt Alliance to protect the Bay Area's farmlands and open spaces by stopping sprawl development and promoting smart growth within city boundaries. This year more than 70 riders will participate in Go Greenbelt!, ranging in age from 11 to 72.

The ride starts in San Francisco and heads south along Skyline Ridge to Los Gatos (Day 1), then loops through the Santa Clara Valley to East San Jose (Day 2). The toughest climb of the ride comes next, as riders go uphill for 19 miles to the 4,200' peak of Mount Hamilton, then east through the Diablo Range and north to Livermore (Day 3). Riders continue north through eastern Contra Costa and Solano Counties to Fairfield (Day 4), and then they ride through the wine country in Napa and Sonoma Counties to Santa Rosa (Day 5). On the final days of the tour, riders head to the Sonoma coast and then south to Olema in western Marin (Day 6), and finally up to the top of Mount Tamalpais and down to San Francisco for the finale picnic at the Thoreau Center in the Presidio (Day 7).

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For 50 years, Greenbelt Alliance has been the San Francisco Bay Area's advocate for open spaces and vibrant places, with offices in San Francisco, San Jose, Walnut Creek, Fairfield, and Santa Rosa. www.greenbelt.org