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Newsletter

Bike/Walk Central Florida Newsletter #80 — Nov. 2, 2012

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Bike/Walk Central Florida
LOCAL NewsVegFest Thank You

Bike/Walk Central Florida sponsored a bike valet at the Oct. 27th Central Florida VegFest. Over 30 cyclists took advantage of the service, and many more folks stopped by to chat about bicycling, walking, driving, and of course, vegetables! We wish to thank Cesar Cesareo of the Diabetes Foundation for the use of the bike valet.  We also want to thank Marcus Bagnell of the UCF SpokesCouncil for volunteering, and for publicizing the event and our mission on the SpokesCouncil Facebook! Check our  Facebook  page for more VegFest photos.

Park it Here

The Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals has a comprehensive report on guidelines for parking your bike and includes the pros and cons of several types of bike racks. Read here for details. As the number of cyclists increases in Central Florida we will need to consider good rack designs. At right is a Farmers Market rack designed for, and approved by the City of Nashville. Perhaps Central Florida can design something unique… citrus-related?

Sunday Ride Starting Up

If you need a mountain fix, consider joining a Sunday morning ride that begins at David’s World Cycle in Winter Garden and winds through the hills of Clermont and Mineola. The ride will be weekly, beginning in mid-November. Call Ross at 407-654-7071 and see here for map and details.

OTHER News

Portland Survey Shows

Portland, OR has long been bike-friendly, and a recent survey found that more and more people are using bikes for communting and other trips. BikePortland.org attributes low-car life in the city to bike commuting rather than public transportation; in one area of the city, bike trips quadrupled from just a few years ago! Read article and access Metro Survey here.

Notre Dame Dean Rides

Greg Crawford, Dean of the College of Science at Notre Dame, has spent a lot of his vacation time bicycling across the United States. He is  raising awareness of, and money for, Niemann-Pick Type C, a disease that often kills children in adolescence. Dean Crawford hopes to raise enough funds to establish a center for rare and neglected diseases. Read here.

UPCOMING EVENTS 

November 4– Ride Ataxia, Clermont

Ride Ataxia benefits FARA (Friedreichs Ataxia Resarch Alliance) and offers 16, 25 and 50 mile routes through the rolling countryside. Click here for more information.

November 17  – Florida Bicycle Club Leadership Workshop

Are you the president of your biking club? Or even in a leadership position? Join the Florida Bicycle Association on November 17, 2012 from 3-6 p.m. for the Florida Bicyle Club Ladership Workshop to share ideas with other club leaders. It is being held in conjunction with the Florida Freewheelers’ Horrible Hundred. They will extend one free registration per club to individuals who attend. The Workshop will be held at Fairfield Inn & Suites, 1750 Hunt Trace Blvd., Clermont, FL. Click here to read more and to register for FREE!

November 18 – The Horrible Hundred

Sponsored by the Florida Freewheelers, rides of varying lengths, including a century ride, take you through the hills of Clermont.

RESOURCESBicycle Parking Map

From our friends at Commute Orlando: Peter Martinez has created a collaborative Bike Parking map, designed to help Bicyclists plan their routes and park their bikes on secure racks, rather than a stop sign or a tree  Read more . . . 

Operation Best Foot Forward

Best Foot Forward is a community-wide coalition formed to reduce pedestrian deaths and injuries in Metro Orlando.The five-year initiative is currently focused on Orange County and will expand into Seminole and Osceola counties as resources permit. Five cities, two towns, and Orange County have passed resolutions supporting the initiative. Orlando Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Highway Patrol, police agencies in Winter Park, Maitland and Eatonville, and police chiefs from throughout Orange County, have pledged their support to the initiative, launched by Bike/Walk Central Florida and the Florida Bicycle Association, with financial support from the Winter Park Health Foundation, MetroPlan Orlando, Orange County, City of Orlando, Florida Department of Transportation, Orlando Police Department, Orange Cycle, David’s World Cycle, and Track Shack.

When was the last time you saved a life?  Your contributions of $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, or more, can make a big difference. Checks should be made out to the Florida Bicycle Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and mailed to: Betsy Holl at: P.O. Box 916715, Longwood, FL  32791-6715. Please specify that you are donating to Best Foot Forward.

Community Calendar Link 

  http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/community-calendar/

RECURRING RIDES 

First Fridays: Take it to the Streets bike ride to promote civility: 6 p.m. on the First Friday of each month (Upcoming Dates December 7, January 4). 

UCF Bike Bus: Downtown Orlando to UCF, then UCF to Downtown Orlando. Follow bike bus in real time via GPS at http://commuteorlando.com/bikebus/

Ride With Steve: Beginner ride. Meet at Winter Garden Wheel Works in Downtown Winter Garden, 8 a.m., Saturdays. – Sponsored by Winter Garden Wheel Works  .

Sunday Ride in the Hills: Ride 30-plus miles through the hills of Clermont and Mineola, Sundays mornings at 7am, beginning at David’s World Cycle. Call Ross at 407-654-7071 to confirm.

See our Community Calendar for other family rides: www.bikewalkcentralflorida.org

 

Unless specifically designated as a trail ride, our rides take place on public streets. Headlights and red rear flashers are required for night rides. Helmets are encouraged, and are required for children under 16.

We observe all traffic laws and traffic signals.

Our rides are typically 10 to 15 miles, roundtrip, and average 10 miles an hour, a comfortable pace for most adults and teens. May be too fast for younger children and adults with health issues.

 

These rides are social in nature.

For longer, more challenging group rides, subscribe to Hal Downing’s group ride newsletter by emailing [email protected] 

If you have a social ride you would like us to help promote, please email me at the address below.

Brad

Brad Kuhn

Executive Director

brad@bikewalkcentralflorida.org

Bike/Walk Central Florida Would like to thank our sponsors: