Bike and Barbecue Event!
If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, this looks like a fun event, the Gold and Silver Bike and Barbecue on Saturday, September 18th. Easy or moderate ride options in Washoe Valley with a barbecue after the ride. Donations to benefit the Capital Christian Center Scholarship Fund. All the info you need is right on the flyer!
Here’s a random collection of videos for your viewing pleasure!
Amazing stunt riding…on a carbon road bike
Just when you think you’ve seen it all…stunt riding on a carbon road bike! Show this to your roadie friends that say they can’t join you on the ride because they don’t have a mountain bike.
Nevada pays Reno police to ticket cyclists and peds
Here’s a video that Brent sent me. The State gave Reno police $36K to pay for overtime to enforce laws and educate pedestrians and cyclists. You know, the people that are causing all the accidents, property damage, and deaths (already about 80 on NV roads this year). Oh wait, those are auto drivers… But it’s true, there are many cyclists that need to learn some rules; however, I don’t think $120 tickets are fair though, especially when there is not adequate bicycle infrastructure in place in the first place. Urban cycling is a mix of following the rules and survival tactics.
Sexy Bike Wash
Open the windows, because you’re about to get hot watching this Sexy Bike Wash video I saw over on Bikerumor.com.
BIG BALLS
And since we’ve already sunk to that level, let’s check this one out. Another fine video I saw over on Bikerumor.com. A new cycling accessory for women. Use at your own risk!
On February 3rd, 2010, Muscle Powered and Bike Carson attended the 2010 Northern Nevada / Tahoe Regional Bicycle Summit in Reno, hosted by the University of Nevada Reno Cycling Team and the Tour de Nez Outreach. Over 40 cycling groups met in the UNR Student Union to give a brief presentation of who they were and what they were working on. The groups represented just about all the facets of cycling that you can imagine, from racing, advocacy groups, trails organizations, city and state government, urban planning, law enforcement, on and off road cycling clubs, disabled groups, various causes, and more!
Post Meeting Social: Mike Henderson, Colin Loretz, Nico Aguilera
Each group did around a 5 minute presentation, and by the end, I think everyone was pretty amazed at how many people are putting in their time to make cycling better in Northern Nevada. Rather than try to discuss all that was presented, I’ve compiled a list of attendees with links to their organizations. Some groups weren’t able to attend, and others showed up that aren’t on the list below, so let me know if your group is not represented or if the links are not accurate. I wasn’t able to find links for all the groups, but it’s nearly complete. Go explore these links and see what’s going on in Northern Nevada! It should keep you busy for a while…
A Special Thank You to Tim Healion, Executive Director of the Tour de Nez Outreach Organization. Thanks for getting us all together and directing the summit!
Attendees:
2010 Northern Nevada / Tahoe Regional Bicycle Summit
Here’s a round up of recent bicycle NEWS from around the Internet that I found interesting.
Muscle Powered to attend the Northern NV Bike Summit on February 3rd!
The Bike Summit is an opportunity for bike clubs, groups, teams, programs, advocacy folks and those with an agenda in the regional bike world to share their groups mission and for us to mediate a forum at which we can discuss how to work together and support each other. It will also be a chance for us all to find out who’s doing what and clear up misinformation.
Adventure Cycling Association announced that it has received two new grants in support of the organization’s work to establish an official United States Bicycle Route System (USBRS). The grants were awarded by Bikes Belong and New Belgium Brewing and will enable Adventure Cycling to continue its organizing and cartographic work with federal and state agencies and non-profits to establish what could become the world’s largest national cycling route network.
New Belgium Brewing awarded the Association $15,000 annually for two years. Bryan Simpson, media director for New Belgium Brewing said, “Adventure Cycling’s U.S. Bicycle Route System proposal stood out because it works to connect communities and create a safer, more bike-friendly environment nationwide. We’re excited to be able to contribute in whatever way we can to make this project a reality.”
Continue reading on Dirt Rag: www.dirtragmag.com/blogarific/new-grants-for-us-bicycle-route-system/
Trips for Kids (TFK) announced that it has been selected to receive a $30,000, two-year capacity-building grant from New Belgium Brewing Company. The funds will allow TFK to provide more support to its chapters striving to get more low-income, at-risk children on mountain bike rides.
Continue reading on BikeRumor.com: www.bikerumor.com/2010/01/15/speaking-of-30000-new-belgium-brewery-donates-it-to-trips-for-kids/
Taking your kid to school in Carson City is one of the biggest traffic messes in town. Here’s an interesting idea from Canada…
P.L. Robertson elementary in Milton, which opened this week, has been designated a “walking-only school,” where students will be strongly encouraged to use their feet – or bikes or any other active way – to get there. It is part of a broader initiative at the Halton District School Board to stop traffic jams around schools and get students moving.
Continue Reading at Free-Range Kids: freerangekids.wordpress.com/2010/01/21/suvs-go-home-school-allows-only-bikers-and-walkers/
VANCOUVER, Wash. — An 18-year-old driver who struck and killed his former high school teacher last September pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and hit-and-run. Antonio Cellestine received a five-year prison sentence in the killing of Gordon Patterson, a beloved teacher at Hudson’s Bay High School.
Patterson was hit and killed on St. John’s Road while riding his bicycle home from the high school Sept. 15. At the time, Cellestine was on his way home from an appointment with his probation officer and was text messaging on his cell phone up until the crash.
Continue reading: www.kptv.com/news/22317957/detail.html
Interesting Note: According to Nevada DOT, 1.4 million car crashes are caused every year in U.S. by drivers on cellphones. Think we might have a problem with distracted drivers?
Los Angeles doctor Christopher Thompson was convicted of mayhem, assault with a deadly weapon (his car), battery with serious injury and reckless driving causing injury, and sentenced to five years in prison.
Peterson and fellow cyclist Christian Stoehr sustained major injuries in the incident in Mandeville Canyon Road, California on 4 July 2008. Peterson hit the rear of the car and suffered a partially severed nose, broken teeth and lacerations to his face. Stoehr hit the car and crashed into the side of the road in the oncoming traffic lane and suffered a separated shoulder.
Continue reading over on Bike Radar: www.bikeradar.com/news/article/relief-of-la-cyclist-as-road-rage-driver-is-jailed-24606
We had our Bike Month meeting last night, and I’m happy to say that the calendar of events was completed! The first 2 weeks in May will have more bicycle events than you can stick a shake at. I’ll get the Bike Month and Calendar pages updated soon.
This Team Wonderbike video really sums up why I like to ride to work! If only there was a celebration like the one in the video when I arrive though! All I get is a pile of email.
Bike More. Drive Less.
Fellow Bike Carson rider Jesse is in the market for a new bike. He isn’t real familiar with full suspension bikes, so I loaned him my Kona Coiler for the day. Loaning such a brute of a bike isn’t providing the most accurate portrayal of a fully suspended trail bike, but at least the 34 lb free ride rig gave him a basic idea of how they soak up the bumps. I don’t ride this bike too much these days, but it is nice to have if I’m riding a trail with a lot of rocks or other gnarly terrain. The Coiler worked great on last year’s El Dorado Canyon ride! Read Jesse’s account of the experience HERE.
Kona Coiler
It’s my understanding that the Carson City BMX track will be having their open house this weekend. Volunteers have been out at the track redesigning it and getting it all ready for the season. I’d direct you to the Carson BMX site for more details, but my web browser displays it as a “Reported Attack Site”! They must have gotten hacked. I’ll get the details sometime today, and update this post.
In the meantime, I’ll leave you with this Rad video from the 80′s (thanks for the video tip, Jesse!).
Rad!
Update! Here’s the BMX info for this weekend (thanks, Tom!)
Welcome to Carson City BMX website. Check us out. If you are interested or have any questions, drop an email or you can call 775-246-3660. In BMX, everybody races, no one sits on the bench.
We start our 2009 Season on Sunday, 5 April 2009. Will hold an Open House on Saturday and Sunday, 28 & 29 March, between 1:00 – 3:00 pm.
Anyone can ride the track as long as they complete a free one day membership/release, have a helmet, long pants & sleeves, closed toe shoes and the bike is safe…must have functional brakes and bar ends must be covered or plugged. The bike cannot have a kick stand, reflector brackets, fenders, chain guard or freestyle pegs and the axle bolts can’t protrude more than a 1/4″ beyond the nut.
CC BMX has had a crew out there for the last couple of weeks reconfiguring the track and it is being rolled today to pack it in. We will be putting the finishing touches on things tonight to be ready for Saturday. The track is a work in progress and will get better as we continue to massage the dirt, but it would be a good time to check it out and see what Carson City BMX is all about!
When I got home on Friday, there was a surprise waiting for me. A Kona Ute was sitting in my living room! Kristy meant to save it for my birthday, still over a month away, but she hates suspense.
Kona Ute
Over the last year, I’ve gotten the commute to work thing down. The next frontier is to take care of more of our daily errands by bicycle. There have been several times that I wanted to ride somewhere, but didn’t have the cargo carrying capacity on the bicycle. Other times I would ride somewhere, and not have enough room in the pack to take everything home. A utility bicycle would have been the solution in almost all the cases.
Deck doubles as coffee/beer table
Well that excuse is gone now, so the next adventure in cycling is about to begin. I’ll be looking for errands to run and cargo to haul this week, so stay tuned for a full report!
Two NDOT reps attended last Thursday’s Muscle Powered meeting; Michelle Gardner-Lilley, Long Range and Small Urban Manager, and Bill Story, coordinator for Safe Routes to School. They were both informative & sincere in requesting involvement from Muscle Powered in the planning process. Thank you Michelle and Bill for taking the time to speak at our meeting.
From the NDOT’s website:
Statewide Transportation Plan (20 year) Survey
The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) is in the process of updating the Statewide Transportation Plan. Let us know your vision for transportation services (airports, rail, bus, pedestrian and bicycles in the State of Nevada) by filling out our transportation planning survey. We are looking forward to hearing from you.
Please take a few minutes of your time to complete this survey. This is a great opportunity to voice your opinion.