Sacramento is well known for its commitment to art in public places.

The Sacramento Wheelmen are not well known for mixing rides with a little culture.

Nevertheless, in a watershed moment, the Wheelmen co-sponsored the first annual Tour de Art with the Crocker Art Museum and the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission.

Ride leaders Peter Saucerman and Bob Dahlquist worked for months with Stacey Shelnut, Crocker's curator of education, to determine the route, coordinate artists and docents to talk about the art, and arrange for a catered lunch. Wheelmen do have to eat, after all.

On May 18, 2002, nearly 20 adventurous Wheelmen members were among the 70 cyclists who rode the streets of Sacramento. Carrying Bob Dahlquist's impressive, descriptive route map, the riders made their way from the Crocker Art Museum, through downtown Sacramento, and out to the SMUD building. The last scheduled stop was the studio/home of Wheelmen member and famed sculptor Gerry Walburg, before the group returned to the Crocker.

And a good time was had by all. Hey -- a little culture, a little exercise, a tasty lunch --this could be the start of something big!