This and That

Good luck to SWFBUD bike shop owners David Luppino of Just Ride Bicycles, Brian Eckman of Carrollwood Bicycle Emporium and Randy Myhre of Oliver's Cycle Sports who are all attending the National Bike Summiot this week in Washington, DC.

The National Bike Summit draws hundreds of bicycle activists, bike shop owners, advocates, bike planners and bike industry reps to network, attend advocacy seminars and lobby their local congressmen to support bicycle legislation.

I don't give credit enough to the SWFBUD bike shop owners like David, Brian, Randy and the rest of the SWFBUD stores who go beyond the retail scene to advocate and support bicycling here in the Tampa Bay area.

When you shop at a SWFBUD store, you support advocacy because those stores' owners pay me monhtly to do what I do -- lean on local government leaders and workers to include bicycling in local plans, to put on events like the Bicycle Bash and to increase the profile of bicycling in the Tampa Bay market.

Your other SWFBUD stores are Chainwheel Drive in Clearwater and Palm Harbor, ABC Bicycles and the Trek Bicycle Store of St. Petersburg, Bicycle Outfitters in Seminole, Street Fit 360 in south Tampa, University Bicycle Center in north Tampa, the Trek Bicycle Store in Clearwater and south Tampa, and The Ironman Store in new Tampa.

Please shop in these SWFBUD bike shops and thank them for supporting bicycle advocacy.

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Good to hear that my bicycle friend Ed Hillsman is OK after a motorist crossed two lanes in front of him to turn into a side street while Ed was biking east in a bike lane on Fletcher Avenue last week. Ed ended up broad-siding the car because the motorist drove so quickly across the two lanes of Fletcher in an attempt to turn into 52nd Street near the USF campus.

Ed, who bikes to and from his job at the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR), was slightly hurt when his left leg went into the end point of his handlebar. But otherwise, Ed seemed OK when we chatted Saturday at the USF Amazing Race bike scavenger hunt.

Everyone, be careful and alert for motorists who don't see you. Make yourself as visible as possible and anticipate motorists making turns in front of you. Ed was looking for breaks in the traffic that allow cars to make turns in front of him, but this driver went so fast and the break was not even seen.

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Gas is hitting $3.50 per gallon and I'm sure it will hit $4 soon. So, expect the bicycle commuting stories to crop up. They did the last time gas hit $4 per gallon.

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Enjoy a free Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game tonight if you ride your bicycle to the Ice Palace/Forum. Game starts at 7 PM for the match between the Lightning and the Washington Capitals. It's part of Bicycle Month in Florida and catch www.tampabaycycle.com for more March bike activities.