Holiday-Themed Rides Geared to Kids, Adults

Jessika Nelson is not the first person you’d think of to lead one of the holiday rides for the Orange County Wheelmen this year.

She is 7 years old. And that’s just one of the things that makes this ride a bit out of the ordinary for the Wheelmen, the county’s biggest recreational bicycle club.

Parents will be along, of course, but the focus of the Saturday morning ride will be the kids. The ride starts at Food Park in Irvine, the club’s usual rendezvous point, and will roll from there to Crystal Court, where the youngsters can see Santa and gawk at the huge Christmas tree in the middle of the mall.

“I thought this would be a fun one for the kids to just ride their own bikes,” said Theresa Nelson, Jessika’s mom. The elder Nelson said kids sometimes come along on the adult rides, but in a trailer or on the back of a tandem bike.

A kid-focused ride is new for the club.

“It’s going to be all sidewalks, so the little ones can come along safely,” said Theresa Nelson, who will help her daughter supervise. “It’s pretty easy, because it’s going to be a three-mile ride, then a big break and a three-mile ride back.”

Nelson is also a leader of another holiday-themed ride in Huntington Beach on Sunday night, this one with a grown-up focus. It’s sponsored by Teamwork Tandem, a Wheelmen chapter devoted to tandem bikes, but any kind of bike is welcome. Because it’s an evening ride, participants must have legal road lights.

“People decorate their bikes with battery-operated Christmas lights and wear Santa hats,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

The route runs from Sea Bridge Park to Huntington Harbour, where riders will check out the lighted homes along the canals.

Both events are expected to be low-key, with no rushing and perhaps a couple dozen participants. Both are open to non-members of the Wheelmen, but Nelson asks that people call ahead.

Orange County Wheelmen organizes dozens of group rides every month, for cyclists of every ability.

* What: Children’s Christmas Ride, Christmas Bike Parade.

* When: Children’s ride: Saturday, Dec. 17, 9 a.m. Bike parade: Sunday, Dec. 18, 6:30 p.m.

* Where: Children’s ride departs from Food Park, Irvine; bike parade leaves from Sea Bridge Park, Huntington Beach.

* Whereabouts: To reach Food Park, take the MacArthur Boulevard exit from the San Diego (405) Freeway and go north one-tenth of a mile to Main Street; park behind RL’s Cookery. To reach Sea Bridge Park, take Golden West Street south from the San Diego (405) Freeway and turn right on Edinger Avenue. Continue on Edinger to the end, just before the bridge into the marina, and turn left on Countess Drive. Park’s at the end of the drive.

* Wherewithal: FREE.

* Where to call: (714) 892-6545.