Monta Vista High grad Phil Yeh loves to take to the streets with a pair of rollerblades on his feet. He hooks up with a few friends and they skate Cupertino, Saratoga, Los Altos and other locations in the area. But when those friends are busy or away, it isn't always easy finding someone to skate with even though rollerbladers can be spotted all over the city at different times. That's when Yeh with the help of In-Line Sports got the idea for the Tri-City Trek. Figuring that bikers have biking trips, runners have 10K runs and surfers have the beach, Yeh is putting together a rollerblading trek from Cupertino to Los Gatos on Sunday, July 24. "It's just like a bonding thing for rollerbladers," Yeh said last week. "Everyone I talk to wants to do it." He expects around 100 rollerbladers to participate in the event. As of last week, he had about 45 people signed up. Yeh was able to get many flyers posted up and he's been passing them out around Cupertino. "I rollerblade personally about five to 10 miles a day around Stevens Creek Boulevard, Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road and down Homestead (Road) and I pass out flyers to people," he said. The theme of the trek is one of unity, he said. The idea is to get everyone together to exchange phone numbers. Roller-hockey enthusiasts are also welcome. "The only thing we have in common is we rollerblade and we love it," Yeh said. Other rollerbladers are frustrated "all the time," according to Yeh, when they can't find someone else to skate with. The one-way trip along Highway 9 is about 10 miles long and will only take an hour or so depending on the skill of the individual skaters, he said. There will be stops along the way and water available, Yeh noted. Some rollerbladers will be equipped with a walkie-talkie. "There's one strip that's a little dangerous, but it's Sunday morning and it shouldn't be a problem," he said of the route, explaining that he has gone up and down it before without trouble. There is a $5 registration fee to help pay for T-shirts that will be awarded to each participant, Yeh said. Anyone wishing to participate in the Tri-City Trek can call 231-BLADE and leave a name and number. If the event is a success, Yeh plans to hold future activities. |