ABC Bicycles and Trek Bicycle Store, St. Petersburg Join SWFBUD

I'm happy to announce that two St. Petersburg bicycle stores -- ABC Bicycles on Central Avenue and Trek Bicycle Store on 4th Street -- have joined SWFBUD. I want to welcome Rick Fidanzato, who owns both stores, to the SWFBUD family of advocacy bike dealers in Tampa Bay. Rick is a bike advocate who knows the importance of how bicycling can help communities flourish.

If you appreciate SWFBUD's work such as putting on the annual Bicycle Bash and getting Hillsborough County to initiate a bicycle safety action plan in response to recent bicyclist deaths, you should thank SWFBUD store owners who pay me every month to accomplish our advocacy goals.

Show your support by shopping at your local SWFBUD bike store. Besides ABC Bicycles and Trek Store--St. Pete, your SWFBUD stores are:

Bicycle Outfitters in Seminole
Chainwheel Drive in Clearwater and Palm Harbor
Carrollwood Bicycle Emporium
Just Ride Bicycles in Riverview
Oliver's Cycle Sports in new Tampa
Street Fit 360 in south Tampa
University Bicycle Center in north Tampa
Suncoast Trailside Bicycles in Odessa
Trek Bicycle Store in south Tampa and Clearwater
The Ironman Store in new Tampa

Also, three bike-advocacy lawyers who are passionate bicyclists are members of SWFBUD:
Tom Singletary of Tampa
Christopher Burns of Jacksonville
J. Steele Olmstead of Tampa/Spring Hill

They all enable me to do my bike advocacy work and deserve your support.

SWFBUD Interviews Tampa Mayoral Candidate Rose Ferlita

This morning SWFBUD interviewed Tampa mayoral candidate Rose Ferlita about her views on bicycling and how she will approach bicycling as a public policy if elected in March. Here is a summary of today's inteview:

-- "Educating has to be done. Bicyclists and drivers have to respect each other. Bicycles are smaller but they should not be intimidated by motorists. This can't be the case."

-- We have to do traffic calming.

-- Bicycling will be incorporated as transportation policy.

-- "It's embarassing there are so many (car-bike) accidents. And it's not just happenstance."

-- Giving cyclists an ear in local government.

-- You are part of a bigger committee called a transportation department.

-- Rose was disappointed TBARTA did not include bicycling more in its planning. "Bicycling was not a big component -- and it has to be."

-- I was pleased that Rose brought up the topic of enforcement. "Education should be extended to the officers."

-- Rose is tired of reading media stories about bicyclists being killed and injured. "We don't want to be in the news because of that . . . It's a public safety issue."

-- She stressed education.

Diane Vega Ghost Bike Found And Re-installed

I was happy to hear tonight that the ghost bike that was installed at Himes and Spruce in Tampa where bicyclist Diane Vega was killed Oct. 1 has been found and re-installed.

Bike Action Plan Off And Running With First Workshop Today

TAMPA -- It was a day of bicycle safety ideas at the bicycle safety action plan workshop put on by the Hillsborough/Tampa MPO, which hired the planning/engineering consulting company of Tindale Oliver to lead the workshop.

About 35-40 planners and engineers from the DOT, MPO, Hillsborough County, city of Tampa and Temple Terrace -- along with local bicycle advocates -- gathered to come up with a game plan in response to the uptick in the number of bicyclists who have been killed by motorists in Hillsborough County and Tampa the past four months.

I was there on behalf of SWFBUD and was proud to know that our lobbying efforts with Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe and Tampa City Councilwoman Mary Mulhern paid off in both officials prompting their respective governing boards to initiate this bike safety action plan in October.

Much of today's workshop discussion focused on building on what the local governments are doing right now -- more Share the Road signs, more road markings called "Sharows," more education and outreach -- especially to the working-poor bicyclists.

There is a 6-8 PM meeting set for bicyclists and the public to weigh in with their ideas -- tonight's workshop session will be at the Hillsborough County Government Center at 601 Kennedy Ave. in downtown Tampa. Please attend and share your suggestions and ideas.

We bicyclists have to make our voices heard.

More coverage after 8 PM tonight.

Ghost Bike For Diane Vega At Himes and Spruce In Tampa Is Gone

I was disappointed to hear tonight from my friend Michelle that the ghost bike in the memory of Diane Vega was removed. Michelle, who works at Joe Haskins Bike Shop in Tampa and helped make the ghost bike, said she heard from her daughter to informed her the ghost bike for Diane who was killed on her bicycle Oct. 1 was gone.

Michelle said, "I was afraid something bad would happen. Most people won't touch it. Hope it bites them in the ASS or they fall off. Maybe they left it somewhere and someone will bring it back."

Reaching Out And Connecting With The Bicycling Poor

Hillsborough County and Tampa are working on a joint bicycle safety action plan and Monday's workshop will have to begin digging deep into educating and connecting with the working poor who rely on bicycles as their only form of mobility.

It means reaching out to ALL bicyclists -- not just ones who participate in bike-commuting programs and the fun rides we all organize.

This morning at the Fun-Lan market where many working poor buy their vegetables and fruits, I saw bicyclists riding bikes that usually don't have lights. They ride with bags hanging from their handlebars, which make their bikes unstable, and rarely wear a helmet.

At night, I make it my responsibility to stop bicyclists who are riding without lights to advise them to please become more visible by using lights. I have a few extra reflective vests and helmets that I plan to keep in my bike panniers to hand out, but I don't have enough for everybody.

I hope the bike safety workshop includes more than just technical items and infrastructure issues; that is, this bike safety plan must be a sweeping initiative that includes all government departments and agencies that deal with working-poor bicyclists such as social services and police.

The DOT and other agencies have money for bike lights and vests -- I hope the bicyclists who need them get them and then use them.

Debut Of The Tampa Critical Manners Ride On Wednesday

Bravo to Elizabeth Holland, a Tampa bicyclist who came up to me at the Hub Grub restaurant ride in Seminole Heights on Oct. 23 and told me she had an idea -- simultaneous bike rides in the Tampa area at rush-hour to show that cars and bicyclists can be on the road together while increasing the visibility of bicyclists in Tampa.

She dubbed it a Critical Manners Ride, where groups of bicyclists would show car drivers that they can bike by the traffic rules.

I told Elizabeth it sounded like a great idea -- but now it was her job to execute.

Which is exactly what she plans to do on Wednesday,

The first ever "TAMPA CRITICAL MANNERS RIDE" is set for Wednesday at 5:15 PM with the following meet-up spots:

-- University of South Florida at Pine and Alumni Dr. - the parking lot across from the Botanical Gardens.
-- Downtown Tampa at Waterfront Park, Ashley and Zack St.) This ride is point to point. It ends at Sligh and 30th (or peel off to your house or favorite watering hole along the way...maybe the Refinery, Independent or other Seminole Heights favorite.) Elizabeth hopes to get a good group leaving downtown.

Elizabeth is also for looking for volunteers to lead 30-minute rides from other locations. Rides can be point to point OR out and back.

She says, "The purpose of these rides is to improve the VISIBILITY of cyclists on our streets by engaging in safe, sane interactions with drivers. Coexistence!
We will be law-abiding and friendly. Please have appropriate lights, helmets and wear reflective clothing, if possible."

Elizabeth hopes the ride helps make in-roads into Tampa's "car-only" culture - and have fun riding!

Good luck Elizabeth.

Pinellas Trail Was Born Out Of A Bicyclist Death

When there's tragedy, sometimes people can use it as a catalyst for change and give birth to great things. In Pinellas County, the son of insurance company owner Bert Valerie was killed was riding a bicycle decades ago. Bert worked with county officils to give birth to the Pinellas Trail.

In Hillsborough County, tragedy has struck numerous times in the past few months and I hope our elected leaders and government department supervisors who have access to money can make improvements to our attitude and our infrastructure to help improve conditions for bicyclists.

There is an all-day workshop on bicycle improvments Monday from 8:30AM-4:30PM, and a 6-8 PM session at the Hillsborough County Government Center for bicyclists to speak directly to government staff members. I hope you attend and speak your mind.

Getting The Job Done On A Bike Lane

Here's a good example of a repaved road that had the surface paved across the entire width of the road.

This is Fletcher Avenue heading west toward the USF campus. The bike lane symbol was also promptly painted soon after the bike lane was striped.

Worthless Bike Lanes

Bicycle lanes are worthless when they're filled with rocks. Like this one on US 27 in Clermont in central Florida. It's dangerous stuff.

A Bike Lane Grows In West Hillsborough County

Bicycle Stories has a team of correspondents pedaling the roads of Tampa Bay and beyond and I was happy to hear from Mike Edgerley, who tells me about a bike lane on West Hillsborough Avenue as it approaches Race Track Road in the western section of Hillsborough County.

If I recall, this section of Hillsborough Avenue had no less than four westbound traffic lanes, so I'm happy to hear that some space was designated for a bike lane.

Here is the new bike lane painted on West Hillsborough Avenue from Silvermill Drive to the county line at Race Track Road. This photo shows the bike lane westbound at Hillsborough and Countryway.


Mike also notes a bike lane was cleared of dirt in the Eastbound lane of Linebaugh Avenue, east of Race Track Road. Previously, the dirt forced riders to go inside the traffic lane, so this is a huge asset to riders in this area.

New York City Drivers Complaining About Too Many Bike Lanes

It was bound to happen -- backlash in New York City regarding the city's amazing bicycle network expansion during the past few years.

Bicyclist Killed While Cycling To The Horrible Hundred Ride In Clermont Sunday

I was saddened to hear that a bicyclist was killed by a driver on US 27 prior to the Horrible Hundred Sunday morning.

Harry Nickell, a bicyclist who also loved triathlons, was killed while cycling to the HH. An 84-year-old driver drove onto the paved shoulder of US 27 north of Clermont and killed him from behind.

The bicyclist was killed only a mile from a billboard advising drivers to give bicyclists the required berth of at least three feet when passing.

I bicycled on that same stretch of road only a day earlier.

Nice News Story About Tally's 3 Feet Joe

My friend Joe Mizereck is spreading the word about giving bicyclists at least three feet in Florida. The Tallahassee paper gave Joe a great write-up in today's edition. Registration is required.

He sent me and a few friends his 3Feet yellow jersey, and we rode with them in traffic last Sunday. Stay tuned for some photos of that.

Calling All Bicyclists: Tell Local Govt Staff What Needs To Be Done About Bicycling NOV 29, 6-8 PM

Thank you Beth Alden and my friends at the Hillsborough/Tampa MPO for this lovely bicycle safety action plan flier.

A Bike Lane Study In St. Petersburg

Mike Carroll sends me an interesting item about a study about bike lanes along two corridors in St. Petersburg. My impression from the study's summary is that just slapping in a bike lane on a road won't by itself get more bicyclists to ride on the road -- the bike lane has to be part of an overall network that gets bicyclists from one place to another.

You can check out that study here.

Thanks Mike.

SWFBUD and Ed Collins Interview Tampa Mayoral Candidate Thomas Scott About Bicycling

SWFBUD is interviewing Tampa mayoral candidates to get their views on bicycling. The mayoral election is only four months away. Today, SWFBUD caught up with Thomas Scott, current city council chairman and former Hillsborough County Commissioner. Ed Collins, whose dad was killed while riding a bicycle in Tampa on Jily 29, joined me in talking with candidate Scott. Here are the highlights about Scott's views on bicycling if elected mayor:

-- Considers bicycling "a major issue" in light of the rash of recent bicycle deaths in the Tampa Bay area.

-- Will hire a national bicycle expert to identify bike routes.

-- The ciy will puruse grants more agressively for bicycle infrastructure.

-- "It has to be a priority."

-- TV Commercials will be aired to educate car drivers to watch our for bicyclists.

-- Look at including bicycle safety messages in water and energy bills.

-- His grandkids ride bicycles so he's concerned.

-- Educate the working poor about bicycling.

-- Have a public forum like a bicycle summit.

-- Look at bicycling at mobility and a mode of transportation.

-- "We have to make it happen."

NOV 29: Workshops On Hillsborough/Tampa Bike Safety Action Plan

Don't forget: The Hillsborough County/City of Tampa Bicycle Safety Action Plan will be discussed on Monday NOV 29:

-- 8:30am-4:30pm at the DOT building on McKinley Drive, just south of Fowler Ave.
-- 6-8 PM at the County Center, 601 E. Kennedy.

Karen Kress at the Tampa Downtown Partnership put together a nice flier on the Nov. 29 workshops.

Bicycle Safety Workshop Added NOV 29 from 6-8PM

Reminder -- The Bicycle Safety Action Plan Stakeholders Meeting is set for NOV 29 from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM at the DOT building on McKinley Drive just south of Fowler Avenue and USF. It's a day-long stakeholder meeting intended to be more technical in nature and requires an RSVP for the limited room available. Please contact Gena Torres at the MPO as possible if you are interested in this meeting.

This just added: A Public Workshop will then be held that same evening on NOV 29 from 6 pm to 8 pm on the 26th floor of the County Center at 601 E. Kennedy Blvd. Tampa, Fla. 33602 in downtown Tampa. The MPO wants you to share your ideas and experiences on cycling in our county and what we can do to reduce the alarming crash statistics. Feel free to RSVP for this Public Workshop, but you are welcomed and encouraged to attend either way!

Gena Torres -- (813) 273-3774 x357
torresg@plancom.org

Bicyclist Killed This Morning In Metro Tampa

It happened again in metro Tampa. A bicyclist killed at 5:10 am today on US 41 near St. Paul Street. St. Pete Times has this story.

The story says the bicyclist did not have lights on his bike. Also, no helmet.

Listen, don't go out at dark without lights. Period. I have no problem with police stopping bicyclists who don't have lights when it's dark. Use lights and reflective vests/gear.

It was the ninth bicyclist to be killed in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties since July 29.

Sharrows Make Appearance In Hooper Column

On Monday, St. Pete Times columnist Ernest Hooper included an item about the new sharrows on Euclid Avenue, which runs 2.2 miles from Bayshore to Westshore in Tampa.

Ernest wrote: ". . . we need more. They remind us to slow down and look for cyclists, and they can save lives . . ."

Amen.

Don't forget to order your sharrow safety vest, too. Michael Plochman, a Riverview bicyclist, has has created a line of sharrow theme protective wear for cyclists.

Lovely Facebook Post On Kay's Memorial In Japan

On Facebook, the page for "In Memory of Kayoko Ishizuka ‎(Toshi Kimura)" had a recent lovely post about Kay's memorial service in Japan. Kay was killed early Sept. 25 near the USF campus, where she was struck from behind by an SUV while riding her bicycle in the bike lane on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. Dr. Ishizuka was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Molecular Medicine and was riding home at 1:30 a.m. after working.

The post: "It was sunny warm day, and nearly 100 people attended Kay's memorial service at Chosenji Temple in her hometown, Odawara. There was sutra recitation by Buddhist priest, then family brought her ash to the grave that other family members lies buried. We burned incense and.. wished Kay rest in peace.

"After... the service, we had lunch together at the temple. Kay's photos, diplomas, and her research was displayed in the room, and family albums and items that reminds Kay were there for view. While we were eating lunch, family members, relatives, school teachers, and friends shared episodes and memories of Kay. Her strength, tenderness, curiosity, and her smile... I was glad to know that wherever she was, she was “Kay” that I know :)

"Thank you very much for those who commented on facebook. We were able to translate your comments and gave them to Kay’s family. Also, thank you very much for those who volunteered to translate comments in Japanese."

Ride 2 Recovery Is Moving

A beautiful bicycle story. More than 200 injured vets left MacDill today for a six-day ride to Jacksonville.

This Year's One-Day Lake Okeechobee Journey

If the Clewiston Inn is the backdrop for the photo, then it could only be the annual one-day, 120-mile Lake Okeechobee ride I do every November.

The weather and schedule meshed today, so I left Tampa at 4 am today so that I could be on the Lake Okeechobee route by 7 am.

At the Clewiston, I was interviewed by Nina Wills, a young woman who calls herself the "Muck Girl" for the muck and rich soil of Pahokee and Belle Glade. Nina was born and raised in Pahokee in west Palm Beach County near Lake Okeechobee and is a double journalism and political science major at Florida Atlantic University.

I reached Clewiston at 11 am at Mile 54. I met Nina at the Clewiston Inn, a must-see hotel attraction if you're touring Lake O on US 27. I'm sure Nina will be landing a newspaper job somewhere once she finishes her double-major.

In Clewiston, I biked over to the Lake Okeechobee Trail -- the trail atop the earthern berm that surrounds Lake Okeechobee. There are two paved sections of the trail -- including one stretch that goes through Clewiston.

One of the best things about cycling atop the levee -- besides offering a perch to wonderful lake and landscape vistas -- is pedaling with the birds. They're at eye-level -- egrets and great blue herons and birds of prey of all types such as eagles.




This is the coolest bridge along the Lake O Trail when the trail has to span the lake outlets that feed water to South Fla.


When you think Lake O, it's fishing and beautiful bird life.


Another 120-mile Lake O is in the books -- back to where I started on the Lake O Trail.

Seminole Heights Bicycle Club Has Fun Day At Market

Nothing says community bicycle like the Seminole Heights Bicycle Club. I set up the tent and table this morning at the Seminole Heights Sunday Market on the front lawn of the Hillsborough High School.


Nobody volunteers his time more for more bicycle causes than Jim Shirk, who ran the bicycle valet at this morning's Seminole Heights Sunday Market.


The valet held about 25 bicycles throughout the day.


A terrific bicycle advocate is Joe Mizereck from Tally, who sent me a few "3 Feet" yellow jerseys, which I gave to some friends. Today, we did a photo shoot by biking with the 3 Feet jerseys with trike cyclist Kirt doing the photos. Here's Tea, 3 Feet.


That's Dorothy and son, who live in Seminole Heights and have great cruiser bikes.


There's Dorothy, standing proud.


There's trike cyclist Kirt and Tom, who lives in Seminole Heights.


We spoke to lots throughout the day -- here's Jim chatting at the end of the day.

A Sharrow Grows In Front Of My House

Looks like Pam Iorio sneaked onto my street tonight and applied a sharrow in front of my house!

OK, maybe it was a couple of friendly bicycling gremlins who used a stencil and some paint to give an early birthday present.

Bicycle Commuter On Bruce B. Downs Faces Dangers

So, you want to be a bicycle commuter? Local government in Hillsborough County can help us out by offering better roads than this to bike on while the Bruce B. Downs Blvd. project is under re-construction.

You're looking at the road that Scott Mears has to bike on from his new Tampa hiome to Moffitt Cancer Center every day because Hillsborough County failed to make accommodations for bicyclists on sections of Bruce B. Downs during its road-widening reconstruction.

Scott sought help from the county's Bicycle-Ped Advisory Committee on Wednesday night. As a BPAC member, I saw Scott's photos and I was ticked off that the county did not offer a wider road for cars and bicycles.

Instead, the county told Scott to take two sideroads in new Tampa to circumvent the lack of a bike lane or bike trail along the Bruce B. Downs construction zone. Here is Scott's response, in part, in an email:

"I have to say I’m profoundly disappointed that the attempts to temporarily improve the situation, as suggested by Tom Mueller in his Oct. 26 email will not be carried out. I believe the photos I showed the committee last night unequivocally illustrates how dangerous these areas are, and they also show where additional pavement had been added to accommodate vehicle lane diversions, but not the additional space needed for pedestrians and cyclists.

"As Mr. Mueller had indicated in his email, he, Scott Passmore, and Tom Capell visited the areas of concern and “concluded that it appears feasible to create 18 inches of paved shoulder in both the north and southbound directions….”). Reading that gave me hope that once the contractor provided the cost estimate, we were good to go.

"However, Mr. Williams has subsequently determined the additional pavement would be a “substandard” width of shoulder to safely accommodate cyclists. I’m not certain what that means, but at face value I’d have to say that to us cyclists “substandard” is far better than nothing at all. His recommendation that cyclists use the detour leading from New Tampa Blvd. to Highwoods Preserve is in theory very possible, but it is far from practical. Many drivers, frustrated with the back-ups on BBD, shortcut down through that route, and because everyone is in a hurry, the speed limit is disregarded and drivers are frequently reckless."

A Second Driver Involved In The Death Of Bicyclist Anthony Weeks

There's a new twist in the death of bicyclist Anthony Weeks, 33, of Thonotossassa who was killed recently while pedaling home along Fowler Avenue at the I-75 interchange.

A second driver was involved. Apparently, the driver forced the pickup driver who struck Weeks to veer into the path of Weeks.

The bicyclist was pedaling against the flow of traffic.

FREE Bicycle Commuting Skills Course at USF on NOV 17 and DEC 1

Things are stirring on the bicycle safety front. Circle the date -- the bike safety action plan's first workshop is NOV 29, 8:30am-4:30pm at the DOT building on McKinley Drive, just south of Fowler Ave. and the USF campus.

And my friends at Penn’s Cycling School and Tampa BayCycle are presenting a Safe Cycling Commuter Skills Course.

Who: Anyone who wants to know how to ride safely in traffic in order to use their bicycle for commuting

When: Wednesday November 17th, 2010 and Wednesday December 1st 2010

Time: 11:30AM – 1:00PM

Where: USF – Marshall Center, Room: 3704

What: USF Students, faculty and staff will become familiar with riding their bicycles in traffic and how to drive their bicycles as a vehicle. Attendees will put their knowledge to use by participating in a short campus ride at the end of the class (optional). Learn how to check your bike for common mechanical problems and become a competent commuter.

Cost: FREE (includes Materials and PIZZA and SODA) Pre registration required – space is limited

To Register Contact: Jessica Brenner (813) 974-9215 or jlbrenne@mail.usf.edu

Questons Contact: Sharon Monahan (813)-482-4364, kidsrp.coach@juno.com

Website: pennscyclingschool.blogspot.com

Important Information:

All riders must sign a release

All riders must have an approved Helmet and 2 wheeled bicycle in good working order – see your local bicycle shop for tune-up details.

Bicycle Safety Action Plan Meeting NOV 29, 8:30am-4:30pm

SWFBUD is proud to have prompted Hillsborough County and Tampa to initiate a bicycle safety action plan and the first meeting is set for NOV 29 from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM at the Florida District 7 DOT office on McKinley Avenue, just south of Fowler Ave. and the USF campus.

I realize the meeting is during the day when most people are working but please try and attend to tell local engineers, planners etc. what needs to be done to help bicyclists on the roads and increase public awareness.

I have heard from dozens of bicyclists about the problems around here and now it's your turn to tell people face-to-face what needs to be done.

In a few weeks, there will be also be an evening meeting scheduled as well.

Beth Alden of the MPO tells me that if you attend the Nov 29 meeting to RSVP by Nov 24 (the day before Thanksgiving) to Gena Torres at torresg@plancom.org or 813-273-3774 x. 357? Seating is limited at this workshop, the primary audience for which is technical staff.

Beth says the MPO is working on getting a larger facility for a meeting with the general public as soon as possible -- possibly in January.

HART Buses Send The 3-Foot Message

SWFBUD asks that public agencies with signs or vehicles to use their resources to post bicycle safety messages.

SWFBUD received a positive response from Tampa Police Maj. John Newman, who uses his District 2 portable sign boards to show bike afety messages. And thank you HART for using the back of its buses to display bike safety messages like this one I saw yesterday on Rowlett Park Drive.

SWFBUD's Persistence To Clean Bike Lane Pays Off

It took a while and a few phone calls, but this bike lane showing lots of dirt and sand along Fletcher Avenue about three miles from the USF campus


was finally cleaned up. It's not perfect, but at least the Hillsborough County government froad crew returned to Fletcher Avenue and scraped the sand off.

Colorado Hit-and-Run Case Draws National Attention

If you thought motorists around Tampa Bay get away with murder for killing bicyclists, wait until you hear the case of the district attorney in Colorado who charged a money manager with two misdemeanors instead of a felony for the hit-and-run of a bicyclist in Eagle County.

The district attorney's decision prompted more than 1,000 emails to his office after District Attorney Mark Hurlbert decided to offer a plea bargain of two misdemeanors to suspect Martin Erzinger for hitting bicyclist Steven Milo and then fleeing. The bicyclist survived the hit-and-run.

Here is a story on the case.

Here's another story.

On Facebook, Talahassee bike advocate Joe Mizereck issued a CALL TO ACTION: "Are you disgusted with Colorado Eagle County (Denver) District Attorney Mark Hurlbert's failure to pursue felony charges against the Morgan Stanley "wealth manager" Martin Erzinger after he nearly killed a Colorado cyclist in a hit and run collision? Then call Mr. Hurlbert's office directly (970) 328-...6947 EXT 12 to express your disgust and tell him to 'make it right.' "

Here's a petition effort to convince the prosecutor to not drop the felony charge against the wealth manager.

The Ghost Rider Bicycle Bash Report

Jack "The Ghost Rider" Sweeney, who has showed up many times on this blog, organized a bike ride from Seminole Heights to the Bicycle Bash Sunday and posted a terrific report on his stellar bikecommuters.com

Read Jack's words and see the photos here.

Bicycle Media Coverage Growing In Tampa Bay

Tragically, it took bicyclists losing their lives on the roads of Tampa Bay for the media to start covering bicycle conditions in Tampa Bay.

Now, the stories on TV, in the newspaper and on radio come nearly on a daily basis.

SWFBUD's Bicycle Bash 2010 Sunday drew extensive coverage. The St. Pete Times published a story on the front of its Sunday metro section about the Bash and bicycle safety.

TBO's Ken Knight also wrote an item about the Bash on Saturday.

Sunday, Channel 28 ABC Action News, Channel 8 and Channel 13 all sent reporters to talk with bicyclists at the Bicycle Bash.

Here's the Channel 28 Action News report.

Channel 13 came out with this story Sunday.

Josh Green of WFLA-TV did a nice report that I saw last night and I'm still trying to find a Web link for that one.

Creative Loafing also did a report on the Bash.

And WUSF radio offered a report by a young radio reporter who went out biking with her tape recorder on roads around the USF campus.

SWFBUD's Bicycle Bash 2010 Brings Smiles And Bikes To Flatwoods Today

So many warm memories from SWFBUD's Bicycle Bash 2010 today.

There was retailer David Luppino, who has sold more bicycles than just about anyone in this town, giving people rides on his highwheeler bicycle, And Michael Ploch selling his cute pink "I love my bicycle" T-shirts. And the little girl who biked around Flatwoods' paved seven-mile loop and asked with a smile, "Can I have a prize?" (I gave her an orange-and-black bicycle cap and she responded, "It's Halloween colors."

And Karla Price with city of Tampa trails and Tina Russo from Hillsborough County parks and the rest of the SWFBUD store owners and the SWAMP club and All Children's Hospital doling out free helmets to the kids and Tampa police on bicycles and Clay at American Classic and the SWFBUDDY Awards and a whole day of bicycle purity under a cloudless sky at Flatwoods Park. So many great exhibitors and velo lovers.

I was proud to hold the Bicycle Bash today at Flatwoods Park and I congratulate our presenting sponsor, Cure on Wheels, for holding a successful bike ride for 325 riders also staged in Flatwoods Park. They will present huge checks to Moffit Cancer Center and All Children's Hospital.

The smiles of kids riding bicycles and young adults with tires slung over their shoulder and middle-aged adults testing road bikes and people of all ages relishing a bright sun and crisp feel to the air.

It was a wonderful selling the beauty of bicycling -- in all its forms -- during the first weekend of legitimate fall weather in Tampa Bay.

Thank you to all my volunteers who made the Bicycle Bash 2010 possible -- Margaret, Kate, Donny, Doreen, Michelle, Bill, Jim, Jared, Tanja, Lee and the incomprable Bridget. You all made it possible for the Bicycle Bash to make so many people happy about bicycling today.

Here are some of my favorite photos from today's wonderful day.