Mission gets its first-ever bike party

The Mission's in the midst of a bicycling renaissance these days, with more folks zooming along on two wheels than ever. Mission Bike, a relatively new shop on Valencia, pays tribute this weekend to its pedal-powered clientele with the first-ever Mission Bike Festival.

There'll be plenty of activities to keep bicyclists busy: a group ride to Golden Gate Park, a block party near the Women's Building on Sunday, art installations, a fashion show, and a tour of "10 Mission Secrets." What could those secrets be? Hopefully something saucy.

The party coincides with New Belgium's Tour de Fat, a beer-sponsored bike fest that pops up on Saturday way out in the Avenues.

And the fun continues the following weekend, with a tour of the Mission's sewer system. No, the tour will not be descending underground, but it will be stopping by several points of interest to watershed enthusiasts. Highlights will include frequent references to Mission Creek, which still flows this day under the neighborhood, poking its head above ground only briefly in the basement of Kink.com's Armory.

With all these bike fests and tours, San Franciscans have no excuse for puny calves. Get pedaling!