U.S. BICYCLING HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES INDUCTEES FOR CLASS OF 2012

Published by admin on May 14, 2012 in News and US Bicycling Hall of Fame. 0 Comments

For Immediate Release
May 14, 2012

ATTENTION: Sports, Assignment, Feature and News Briefs Editors, Cycling Press

For Further Information Contact:
Joe Herget; Executive Director, US Bicycling Hall of Fame (540) 903-3613, jherget@usbhof.org
PDF version of this announcement:   2012 Inductee Announcement

U.S. BICYCLING HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES INDUCTEES FOR CLASS OF 2012

DAVIS, CA – Four legendary members of the cycling world will be inducted on November 3rd, 2012 into the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame.
Continue reading ‘U.S. BICYCLING HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES INDUCTEES FOR CLASS OF 2012′

To Drive or Not To Drive

Published by Matthew Biers on May 11, 2012 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Hamlet’s famous soliloquey deals with the ultimate question: should I stay or depart from this world. This isn’t a question I ever ponder because for all its problems, I love life. Yet I am assailed with environmental questions on a daily basis, the main one being: how do I shrink my ginormous Bigfoot carbon footprint into a petite Lotus Foot?

Hamlet pondered whether or not to plunge his bare bodkin into his gut. My existential question boils down to:  To drive or not to drive. Driving is fast, convenient, and relatively cheap when compared to public transportation. You don’t have to plan your trip with schedules, transfers, and correct change. You aren’t beholden to listening to the jerk behind you singing Van Morrison in the key of loud. You don’t stew at the station waiting for a delayed train. Rather, you simply jump in the car, put your favorite beverage in its holder, and accelerate. It is a no-brainer. A no-brainer but for the fact that every mile driven is a pound of carbon dioxide spewed into the atmosphere.

For an entire week, I went back and forth about whether I should drive my car to my friend Frank’s house in San Mateo or take public transportation. It is a relatively easy public transportation foray. Bike to Amtrak and train to Richmond, switch to BART, ride to Milpitas, and bike to Frank’s house. 3 hours, 30 minutes door to door. Roundtrip ticket, $50. Or I could drive. 1 hour, 30 minutes and $25 gas and tolls.

Extenuating circumstances included: Djina was on-call over the 24 hours I would be away, and I felt a bit guilty about leaving Solly on his own because that meant an awful lot of The Simpsons reruns. I could save both time and money if I drove, and I wouldn’t be chained to the train times. But the carbon footprint, Matt. What about that?

For five days I was on the fence, handcuffed by indecision. I started feeling the best way would be to stay home. Save money, save gas, play football with Solly. In the end, I rationalized that I’d make up the 200-mile round trip to San Mateo in eight days of bicycle commuting to work.

So I guiltily drove off.

30 miles into the trip, the engine made a new kind of sound. I pulled over and discovered a spark plug was not in its usual place. $270 and three hours later I was back on the road. Clearly, a lesson was to be learned. But what was it? It depends on whom you ask. If you ask me, the universe/God/karma/whatever was speaking slowly in simple sentences as if explaining to a small child: whenever you have a choice, don’t drive.  To Djina, the lesson was also abundantly clear: take the car in for routine maintenance, and spark plugs won’t fly out of engines. Solly’s take home was: you should have stayed home and watched The Simpsons. They had a new episode which was way better than going to San Mateo and there’s no carbon footprint.

If I am ever going to be serious about arresting global warming, I will need to learn this lesson. I suppose that goes for us all.

Davis Bicycles!: Pushing the limits

Published by Matthew Biers on May 9, 2012 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments
By Pam Cordano
How does a non-athletic, mother-of-two who’s immersed in a very busy life decide to ride her bike 545 miles down the coast of California?
In my case, it started with the chance meeting with an AIDS doctor who sent me a link to the AIDS Ride, an annual event in which 2,500 cyclists ride their bikes from San Francisco to Los Angeles in seven days to raise millions of dollars to provide critical services to people living with HIV and AIDS.
When I registered for this daunting ride late in 2010, my sedentary life thankfully turned upside-down. The only athletic thing I had ever done had been at the age of 16, when I joined a YMCA camp and rode my bike from San Jose to Yosemite. I didn’t know a soul doing the AIDS ride, but somewhere in my bones I believed I could do it, so I got a thumbs up from my husband and kids, gathered my courage and dug my barely-used bike out of the garage.
Initially, I was most worried about the fundraising component (each cyclist must raise a minimum of $3,000), but that proved to be the easier part, thanks to the generosity of family and friends. Training was the larger challenge, and believe me, it took me physically and emotionally beyond where I thought I could go.
I started riding to Winters and around Pleasant Valley Road when I could, and I joined a Saturday training team in Orinda to start a new and exciting relationship with hills.  We started with gorgeous rides along The Three Bears, Grizzley Peak and Morgan Territory, and our grand finale was Mount Diablo. Is there any better way to spend a Saturday?  These rides left me exhausted, but exhilarated and inspired. Bit by bit, I was gaining strength and confidence.
When I started riding 60 to 70 miles at a time, I ran into a major problem. At about mile 60, I hit a wall.  I got unbearably uncomfortable and wanted nothing but to get off the bike. The fresh air and flowers meant nothing anymore … I couldn’t go on.
Realizing I needed some help with this, I went to my go-to-guy at Wheelworks, Adam Smith. He was excellent in helping me find ways to dig deeper when I hit that wall. I learned something about the satisfaction that comes from pushing through hard miles and finding unexpected energy and resilience when I thought I was at the end of my rope.
Then I started having problems with my left iliotibial band (outer thigh) and knee. Hideshi at Fitness Garage helped me with tape, massage and exercises to do at home. He also taught me to say “I will do it” instead of “I can do it” on the road. Through the help these guys gave me, I learned about the invaluable importance of a support team.
My months of training culminated on June 5, 2011, when 2,500 cyclists from 40 states and 11 countries left the Cow Palace, along with 600 roadies and 250 vehicles. We averaged 80 miles a day and camped in Santa Cruz, King City, Paso Robles, Santa Maria, Lompoc and Ventura before a triumphant arrival in L.A. From the first moment, there was a brilliant synergy of seriousness and playfulness along the way. We raised a record $13 million, made lifelong friendships and had an unforgettable time in the process.
In my heart, I wanted to do the ride again this year, but worried that my kids might be tired of my being gone on Saturdays. When I asked them about it, they said, “Mom, you’re a lot nicer when you’re riding your bike!” So I’ve committed to another ride down the coast this June.

— Matt Biers-Ariel and Mont Hubbard are co-editors of the Davis Bicycles! column, published every other week in The Davis Enterprise. To offer a Davis Bicycles! column, write to them at column@davisbicycles.org or log on to www.bikedavis.info to see instructions for authors.

Why we participate in the May is Bike Month Challenge at North Davis Elementary by Kristen Muir

Published by Matthew Biers on May 7, 2012 in Davis Bicycles! Column. 0 Comments

By Kristen Muir

1.  For the mother who has a limited income and has left an old bike in the garage for too long and won’t use it since it is so beat-up, who comes to the Davis Bicycles! Bike Rodeo with her bike, learns how to grease her chain and works with the mechanics on site to bring new life into her bike, who then rides her bike with her children after driving her car for so many years.

2.  For the kindergarten student who has been riding with training wheels and was too scared to work on taking them off, until May is Bike Month comes along and gives her the reason to do just that. After seeing all the kids on the blacktop, riding through a variety of bike courses, she goes home with her mom and asks her to take off the training wheels, spends several hours over the next few days and is now riding her two-wheel bike!

3.  For the third-grader who announced, “I don’t know how to ride my bike.” When given the challenge by me, and her classmates, to use this month to learn, goes straight home and works with her parents on learning to ride her bike. Who talks with me and works with her parents to estimate how many “miles” she is riding when she is practicing over and over again. And who, by the end of the month proudly announces, “I can ride my bike!”

4.  For the students who get excited about the UCD Cycling Team members coming to our blacktop to participate in a Criterium-like “race.” Who stay and listen to those same cyclists as they talk about bike safety, the importance of following the street signs and wearing helmets.

5.  To hear students tell me that their parents are letting them ride to school with a group of friends for the first time, now that they see that they can ride safely. To hear parents tell me that their children are asking to ride their bikes to school instead of being driven.

6.   To see the amazement on students’ (and parents’) faces when we create a cool drink with a bike blender.

7.  When several students share their unicycling abilities and teachers and staff share their unique bikes (quad cycle, tandem, recumbent bike, etc.).

8.  So that Peter Wagner can come talk with students about his innovative bicycles, to discuss how he began creating his unique bikes as a sixth-grader. To see that glimmer in a few students’ eyes when they think to themselves, “I could do that!”

9.  To empower our students to make a difference in their daily life.

10. To meet a new family from Roseville who came to Bike Loopalooza to ride our Davis 12-mile bike loop, to see the elementary schools and homes in the area as they look at moving here.

For the children of Davis, the bicycle may be their first taste of freedom. They can go where and when they want without the help of their parents. What a great blessing to bequeath our children.

May is Bike Month, which is a great time to get more students on bicycles. But why stop at students? May is Bike Month is a great time for adults to reaquaint themselves with the beauty of biking. There are many activities to do: log your miles and help Davis reach a million bicycle miles, and go on the Tour de Cluck and the Bike Loopalooza, to name just some of the highlights.

And don’t forget, Wednesday, May 9, is Bike to School Day.

— Kristen Muir runs a PTA-funded physical fitness program at North Davis Elementary School and coordinates the school’s May is Bike Month activities.

 

City Council candidates respond to transportation-related questions

Published by Robb Davis on May 4, 2012 in Davis Bicycles! Announcements. 0 Comments

Davis Bicycles! and the Davis Bike Collective asked candidates for the June, 2012 Davis City Council Election five (5) transportation related questions.  Please read their responses and come to the Transportation Forum at Bike 4th on Monday evening, May 7 from 7-9 pm.

DB! March Announcements

Published by Russell Reagan on March 30, 2012 in Davis Bicycles! Announcements and News. 0 Comments

Davis Bicycles!
Late March Announcements

Tireside Chat with Ted Buehler: History of Bicycling in Davis
Sunday, Apr. 1, 4:00 pm
U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame, 3rd and B Streets
Davis bicycling researcher Ted Buehler is the featured speaker for the first of two “Tireside Chats” on the history of bicycling in Davis. Ted’s presentation is based on his master’s thesis research at the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies. The first public presentation of Buehler’s research famously filled the Davis Varsity Theater in February 2007 when Davis Bicycles! was founded. Ted will present the seeds of policy favoring the bicycle in the 1950s and early 60s supported by UC Davis, grassroots organizing and the election of a pro-bike slate of city council members in 1966 and the first bike lanes in 1967. He will also present highlights of support for bicycling since the 1960s, the rebirth of bicycle advocacy in Davis since 2005. He will conclude by discussing possible next steps for Davis. In addition to founding Davis Bicycles! in 2007, Ted also co-founded the Bike Church, now the Davis Bike Collective. He currently lives in Portland where he participates in the Bike Temple and the advocacy group Active Right of Way.

The City of Davis this year is observing the 45th anniversary of bike lanes. The U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame will host an additional presentation on this history on Sunday, April 15, also at 4pm. This Tireside Chat will feature former Davis city council member Maynard Skinner who was elected in 1966, and former Public Works Director Dave Pelz who helped design and implement the first Davis bike lanes.

Both talks will conclude around 5pm, leaving time for participants to ask questions and meet the speakers.  Admission is free for members of the USBHOF and Davis Bike Club, or is included with the daily Hall of Fame admission fee of $3 Student/Senior and $5 General.

Continue reading ‘DB! March Announcements’

‘Being the change’ to ride our bikes more

Published by Russell Reagan on March 2, 2012 in Davis Bicycles! Column. 0 Comments

Although I do a lot of bicycling for exercise and recreation, staying motivated to keep doing it is still a challenge for me. Many of us have aspirations to start riding, to ride our bikes more frequently and farther, or to ride up hills. Social rides and challenges offered by the Davis Bike Club and other groups are a great way to motivate oneself.

After moving from San Francisco to Davis several years ago, I missed the many hills and interesting sights. So I was less inspired to ride and missed getting as much exercise biking compared to before.

Then I joined the Davis Bike Club and signed up for its “March Madness.” To participate, you choose a challenging mileage goal for the month of March and pay a registration fee. You are on the honor system as you ride to your goal. Any miles you ride your bike count: around town, to work, to school or long excursions. Proceeds go to school bike safety efforts.

After I started participating in this challenge, I was riding more than ever. From there, I proceeded to fulfill lifelong ambitions to ride the Big Sur coast and the 200-mile Davis Double Century.

Currently, I am helping to organize and lead a series of hill climbing rides with DBC. We started with a modest amount of hill climbing, and are working our way up step by step to mountain-size ascents.

At the same time, another informal group is training for the “Cinderella Classic,” a 65-mile womens’ ride a few weeks from now. This informal group is organized by my friend Susan Ashdown, who embodies what this essay is about: inspiring and motivating less experienced bicyclists.

Like me, Susan doesn’t claim to be the expert with all the answers about training for longer rides. “I am what you call a spark,” she says. “If I don’t know the answer I will try to find it and get back to you.”

She became the organizer “… because I always wanted to provide a connection point for women to cycle together, to provide a supportive place. I had gathered a few good folks to help them begin cycling further than the grocery store.”

Susan’s training group often has multiple rides a week. Since they started training in January, their long weekend rides have increased by five miles each week, with gradually more hill climbing. Participants include a large age spread, and a few men.

A recent training ride for the Cinderella Classic enjoyed a stop at Danny's Donuts in Old Sacramento.

In addition to March Madness, the Davis Bike Club offers its members two yearlong challenges: riding a century (100-mile ride) or a metric century (100 km, or 62 miles), once a month. A hill climbing challenge is planned for April. More information on these and Susan’s group rides are at http://www.bikedavis.info/?p=689

Susan, who plans to organize more training rides throughout the year, sums things up better that I can:

“It comes down to people wanting to do these things: cycling, or raising funds for others. They just need the connection point and spark. I guess that is what I provide.

“I feel, and I know others do as well, that cycling is a way they can contribute to others in need and ‘be the change.’ Often not only being the change for others in need, but also in their own life by making the donation or by cycling in a fundraising event, creating a ‘hero’ effect.

“Because that is what people are when they step out of their own world and step up to say ‘yes, I will be the change’ for you.”

— Russell Reagan produces the online newsletter of the Davis Bicycles! advocacy group.

Bicycling challenges and Davis Cinderella Group contact info.

Published by Russell Reagan on March 2, 2012 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

These are some opportunities for distance riding challenges and group training rides described in the DB! column in the Enterprise on Friday, March 2.

The Davis Bike Club offers these mileage challenges:

The Hill Climbing ride series is also among the many rides organized by DBC.

Susan Ashdown’s Davis Cinderella Training Group is on Facebook. If you’re not on Facebook, contact Susan via e-mail:

smasha13@gmail.com

Bring Your Film to the Inflatable Big Screen!

Published by admin on February 21, 2012 in News. 0 Comments

Bring Your Film to the Inflatable Big Screen!
New Belgium Brewing is Seeking Film Submissions for “Clips of Faith” Tour

You make the film. We make the beer.

Ft. Collins, CO – February 21, 2012 – New Belgium Brewing, maker of Fat Tire Amber Ale, is calling all filmmakers, beer-lovers and videographers! New Belgium’s Clips of Faith (www.clipsoffaith.com) is in its third year and searching for short films of the tasty variety.

Clips of Faith is an 18-city tour where people can savor beers from New Belgium’s esoteric Lips of Faith series, along with some popular classics, while enjoying short films and raising money for local nonprofits.  Since its inception two years ago, the tour has raised more than $91,000 for local philanthropic organizations and shown nearly 40 amateur films.

“We really enjoy working with all the creative folks in our community of beer drinkers to bring the event together,” said Christie Catania, Clips of Faith Manager-at-Large.  “The whole evening is a remarkable collaboration of passions – hand-made films with hand-made beer.  We look forward to bringing out some new unique beers and putting together the final cut of the 2012 show.”

Over the last two seasons, New Belgium has received nearly 200 film submissions, with approximately 20 selections making each tour. This year, all selected entries will receive a custom gift from New Belgium and screenings in 18 cities.    Continue reading ‘Bring Your Film to the Inflatable Big Screen!’

A UC student pedestrian dies after being hit by automobile driver, the third death in 7 weeks.

Published by Jason Moore on February 9, 2012 in News and Opinion. 0 Comments

Renne Lyra Morrow, 19, died after being hit by a person driving car at the intersection of Arlington and Shasta. This terrible news especially since two other students have been killed in the last several weeks in the same manner. This should be a clear signal to the city that something is wrong. Davis is touted as a bikeable and walkable community. If so, we should tolerate absolutely zero deaths due to automobile drivers running over our pedestrians and bicyclists. I am extremely saddened and I feel more unsafe with each new news story. As I was biking home on Tuesday, happy that my latest dissertation chapter was done, I was also almost killed by an auto driver who decided to go in reverse down C street without looking behind her. She realized her error as her SUV collided into me and my bicycle. Luckily I was to the side of the vehicle and avoided being completely run over by the wheels. Pedestrians and bicyclists should not have to fear being run over by auto drivers, especially in this town. Let’s start making some serious change to our policies so that we have zero deaths and injuries resulting from auto drivers running over people.

Links to stories about Renne:

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