Biking The Bicycle Bash Billboard To St. Petersburg From Tampa

With the rolling Bicycle Bash billboard showing off its new sign for this year's bike festival, I took the Bash-board for its maiden ride across the Gandy Bridge this morning.

In years past, I took the Friendship Trailbridge from Tampa to St. Pete. With Pinellas and Hillsborough counties closing the Trailbridge last November due to structural problems, I took the Bash-boatd along the shoulder for the 3-mile across the Gandy Bridge.

My bicycle pal Ellen Pierson escorted me along on her bike and played photographer as we biked from Tampa to St. Pete. Then I met Bridget in downtown St. Pete to promote the Bicycle Bash festival on Oct. 11 and also visit the Holocaust Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of History in downtown.





Matt, owner of Tour de Pizza in the Publix shopping center at 4th Street and 38th Avenue, has drawn a ton of publicity for his "Pizza Diet." Matt supports bicycling and the Bicycle Bash by the Bay and was happy to pose next to the rolling Bicycle Bash billboard today.

Boston Bill may have lost his foot but he certainly didn't lose his spirit and his heat for bicycling.

In fact, Bill's love for life and bicycling after losing his foot prompted Jeff Klinkenberg of the St. Pete Times to write a touchy story about how Bill helped a young kid going through teh same ordeal.

Bill's story made People Magazine and Bill told me today that Disney called and he has to learn to play golf quickly because he was invited to a big fundraiser golf tourney.

It was a hoot to meet Bill on First Avenue on tyhe Pinellas Trail near the St. Pete waterfront and SWFBUD looks forward to Boston Bill's Sunglasses being at the 2009 Bicycle Bash by the Bay on Oct. 11 in downtown St. Petersburg.


It may have been 90 degrees plus this afternoon in downtown St. Petersburg. But the toasty weather didn't deter this Daniel Boone fan from wearing his raccoon headgear to the St. Pete folkfest.


Just another day at the Pier in downtown St. Pete.


On the way to St. Pete, Ellen made a good point about DOT forgetting something on Gandy Avenue -- a bike lane. Here's the message for DOT -- you dropped the ball and forgot to put a bike lane in the Gandy Ave. project.