At Healdsburg's h2 hotel, there's a secure area where guests can leave their bicycles, including high-end, lightweight carbon models that sell for thousands of dollars.
For guests that don't bring their own, there is a small fleet of bikes to use for riding around town.
Catering to cyclists at the year-old hotel is just one manifestation of a pedal-powered craze that city leaders are embracing.
"We're renowned for our wines, along with being a great area for tooling around on bicycles," said Mayor Tom Chambers, who this week proposed that the city apply for a coveted certification as a "Bicycle Friendly Community."
The town, within minutes of the vine-covered Dry Creek and Alexander valleys, is a jumping-off point for some of the most scenic back-road rides in the county.
It attracts the casual rider interested in rolling, redwood-shaded routes toward the Russian River as well as more serious cyclists drawn to nearby heart-pumping climbs such as Geysers and Pine Flat roads.
"Healdsburg is becoming more and more of a cycling community. It is a destination for riders. A lot of people come up and take rides from here," said Chambers, an avid cyclist.
"Healdsburg just happens to be wonderfully positioned to start and finish bike rides from," said John Mastrianni, owner of Wine Country Bikes in Healdsburg.
City Council members this week took initial steps toward applying for the Bicycle Friendly Community designation awarded by the League of American Cyclists, a distinction that only the city of Sonoma has attained among the nine cities in Sonoma County.
"Tourists like nothing more than riding around on their bikes," Sonoma City Councilman Ken Brown said, adding that the state historic parks in the city are close together and accessible by a dedicated bike path. He said there is also an emphasis on safe cycling routes for residents.
Though Healdsburg is a mecca for cycling, it has few designated bike lanes. But cyclists say the small town's wide streets and low volume of traffic make it relatively easy for pedaling around.
"For the most part, Healdsburg drivers and riders get along pretty well," said Richard Peacock, owner of Spoke Folk bicycle store. "Compared to Santa Rosa, it's quite safe."
Healdsburg officials also are making inroads with a bike master plan and the incremental extension of the Foss Creek pathway for cyclists and pedestrians.
Becoming known as a bike-friendly place is something that can provide an economic advantage, cycling advocates say.
"If I'm going to spend the money to go across the country to go bike riding, it's pretty attractive if a place is rated a bicycle-friendly community," said Gary Helfrich, executive director of the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition.
He said that cycling is one of the main reasons people give for vacationing in Sonoma County, along with visiting wineries.
"Most of the people who ride here come from out of the area," said Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce Director Mo McElroy, who noted Healdsburg recently was named by Bicycling magazine as one of the six best "cycling hot spots" for a vacation.
Bicycle shop owners in Healdsburg attest to the tourists that flock to town.
"We get folks from all over the United States, Canada, people from Europe, Australia and New Zealand," said Mastriann, who offers self-guided bike tours.
He said his business is responsible for hundreds of hotel room bookings in town annually. A dozen or so bike-touring companies from out of town also bring people to Healdsburg.
Still, city officials want that official bike-friendly title. There are 190 communities in 46 states that have achieved it, with some like Sonoma attaining "bronze" status.
Others like Sacramento, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz have silver rankings, while gold has been awarded to only two California cities, Palo Alto and San Francisco.
Three communities nationwide — Davis, Boulder, Colo., and Portland, Ore. — have received the highest platinum rating. The award is based on an extensive checklist that assesses a community's commitment to improving conditions for cycling through infrastructure, education programs, promotion and pro-bicycling policies.
"It's a fairly rigorous process and application," said Richard Burg, a cycling enthusiast and Healdsburg retiree who approached the mayor to apply for the bike-friendly designation.
He said the more effectively that Healdsburg is promoted as a cycling hub, the better its chances of creating small business and industry that cater to it, such as those making cycling clothes or bike frames.
"It has a positive slant, anyway you want to look at this," Chambers said.
You can reach Staff Writer Clark Mason at 521-5214 or clark.mason@pressdemocrat.com
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