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.
Davis Bicycle Advisory Commission meeting
Monday, Apr. 2, 5:30–7:30 pm
Community Chambers, 23 Russell Blvd.
BAC meetings offer residents the opportunity to voice any bike-related concerns to the city. You can view the meeting agenda on the BAC web page
Biking the Yolo Bypass: A Day at the Wildlife Area
Saturday, April 7, 8am–2pm
Tickets $50
For years the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area has prohibited bikes, but allowed cars and people on foot. Why? Concern about disturbing nesting migratory birds, who apparently do not feel threatened by cars and people but are confused and frightened by people on bikes. This will be a leisurely bike ride in the Wildlife Area along gravel roads and grass-covered paths with local water management experts Steve Macaulay and Dr. Stephen McCord. How about donating $50 for a good cause, the Yolo Basin Foundation, and have a nice tour with lunch with two experts who will talk about anything you want to know about water? After a grand perspective from the levee of the expansive farmland and wetlands, ride into areas inaccessible by car and too far for hiking. Hear about the remarkable water management activities that address multiple beneficial uses of the Bypass: flood control, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, water quality management, potable water supply, irrigation, grazing and more throughout the water year. Your questions are encouraged! Energetic riders can continue on after lunch to see where Putah Creek enters the Bypass and connects to the Delta. More information from the Yolo Basin Foundation, click on “Ticket Purchases”
Bicycle Dreams, award-winning film about the Race Across America
Monday, Apr. 9, 7:00 pm
Varsity Theater, 616 2nd Street
Tickets: $11 in advance, $15 at the door
This film, which has won numerous awards at film festivals all over the world, “is an up-close look at what RAAM riders go through,” says Stephen Auerbach, the director and producer of Bicycle Dreams. To capture the mammoth scope of the race, Auerbach worked around the clock with a complement of 18 cameras. Embedded camera operators traveled inside the racers’ support crew vehicles, gaining unprecedented access to the cyclists and their teams. Their footage captured emotional and physical breakdowns, late-night strategy sessions, and great moments of personal triumph, all in intimate detail. Auerbach then took on the enormous task of editing hundreds of hours of material and forming it into a powerful and inspiring look inside the most difficult race on the planet. More information…
Tireside Chat #2 on history of bicycling in Davis, April 15
See similar listing above, 2nd paragraph.
New bike hill climbing challenge: “April Alpinsanity”
Get out on your bike and climb as much as you can during the month of April. For every 100 ft. of elevation gain that you achieve (including bridges over railroad tracks and freeways around Davis), the Davis Bike Club will donate 5 cents from its philanthropy budget to be distributed equally between the Food Bank of Yolo County and Davis Bicycles! More information…
Volunteers needed for bike rodeos and bike barcode scanning at Davis schools
Rodeo Volunteers: Davis Bicycles! is looking for volunteers to assist with its after-school bike rodeos at Birch Lane Elementary on April 18, and North Davis Elementary on April 25. Those rodeos need helmet-checkers, bike-checkers and people who can help operate the skills course. Plan to be at the schools from 12:30 to 3:30 PM. We are also looking for volunteers to help at Davis Police Department school-time rodeos, primarily with helmet-checking and skills course assistance. We sometimes have a short lead time for gathering volunteers, so we’re looking to develop a list of volunteers who are generally available mid-day to early afternoon. Thank you very much to all who are already on our list of ready volunteers.
- Report on the National Bike Summit last week, including an update on the federal transportation bill
- On April 12, Santa Maria bicyclist Bob Okerblom will leave Sacramento (via Davis, we assume) for a 10-day trip down the California coast to protest the governor’s veto of two bills that would have made our streets and roads safer for bicyclists, including Senate Bill 910, our 3-foot-passing bill. This fully supported ride ends in San Diego.
Enjoy the ride!
— Russell Reagan, Secretary, Davis Bicycles!
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