Leon Sorhondo has been at the helm of the Txirrindulari Bike Club ride in the San Francisco Bay Area for the past few years. The ride, which seems to gain more followers every year, always includes a challenging ride and a more leisurely one. The club sponsors a ride in the spring and another in the fall. A recent October ride wove through the scenic South Bay, ending in Woodside. The rides typically end with a delicious lunch.

In fact, the bike ride is so popular that a former participant who moved to Boise organized a similar event there, said Sorhondo. Boise held its first Basque bike ride in Sept. 2014.

The next ride in the Bay Area is Saturday, May 21, starting at 8 a.m. in the Napa area, about an hour north of San Francisco.

The challenging ride is 36-40 miles, while the shorter ride is 28-30 miles. A sag crew follows the riders to provide direction, food, drink, cheers, motivation and other assistance as needed.

If you are interested in participating in this event or have any questions, let Leon know at Irisarrtara@yahoo.com or call and leave a message at (415) 285-0748.

For more information and photos of rides in past years, click here.

For information about future Boise rides, email Delfina Krakau at dellydear@gmail.com.