Friday, June 6, 2008
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Appearance on FOX-Channel 13's Your Turn Friday
With the cost of gas burning a hole in your pocket, a lot of the local media are doing stories and panel discussions on getting around without using a car.
FOX=Channel 13 in Tampa has a having a roundtable discussion on getting around without a car at its Your Turn panel discussion show at 12:25 p.m. on Friday.
I will be one of the panelists representing SWFBUD, along with Fran Kane, owner of Flying Fish Bikes, a bike shop in South Tampa.
Tune in.
FOX=Channel 13 in Tampa has a having a roundtable discussion on getting around without a car at its Your Turn panel discussion show at 12:25 p.m. on Friday.
I will be one of the panelists representing SWFBUD, along with Fran Kane, owner of Flying Fish Bikes, a bike shop in South Tampa.
Tune in.
Florida Cycling Hall of Fame Nominations Wanted
I'm happy to say there's an efforts to recognize some of the best cyclists and bicycle advocates in the state of Florida.
The Florida Cycling Hall Of Fame Needs Nominations and a Voting Committee.
Many of the state's top cyclists have gone unrecognized for many tears and there is no long lasting record of past champions of cycling or the ambassadors of cycling to recognize their achievements. Those who are elite cyclists or contributed to the development of cyclists are deserving of recognition. Who started cycling clubs and who orchestrated the building of Florida's mountain bike trails? Where is the record of Florida's most achieved cyclists?
The Florida Cycling Hall of Fame intends to gather this information and create a system to identify the deserving contributors and achievers in Florida cycling. This program hopes to be dedicated to preserving the history of Florida cycling with an upcoming 2008/9 Hall of Fame inductee process.
Various cyclists have been nominated with a number of categories.
Check them out here.
And there's a blog, too
Some categories:
Male and Female Cyclist of the Year: (to be expanded to Past - non active cyclists) currently this program is aware of some of the names of past cyclists that come from Florida and moved on to race with Pro Teams. We ask assistance in gathering the appropriate information to nominate these individuals.
Multi Discipline Cyclists of the Year
Male and Female Junior Cyclists of the Year (under 18)
Cycling Business Contributor of the Year
Cycling Club Founder/Trail Builder/Cycling Ambassador of the Year
This program also needs to develop a committee that will be voting on the nominees. These nominees need to be both male and female cycling advocates as well as cycling with extensive competitive cycling experience. Should you have an interest or information on who might be interested please so advise.
Contact Kurt at info@buildingchampioncyclistsfl.net for more information.
The Florida Cycling Hall Of Fame Needs Nominations and a Voting Committee.
Many of the state's top cyclists have gone unrecognized for many tears and there is no long lasting record of past champions of cycling or the ambassadors of cycling to recognize their achievements. Those who are elite cyclists or contributed to the development of cyclists are deserving of recognition. Who started cycling clubs and who orchestrated the building of Florida's mountain bike trails? Where is the record of Florida's most achieved cyclists?
The Florida Cycling Hall of Fame intends to gather this information and create a system to identify the deserving contributors and achievers in Florida cycling. This program hopes to be dedicated to preserving the history of Florida cycling with an upcoming 2008/9 Hall of Fame inductee process.
Various cyclists have been nominated with a number of categories.
Check them out here.
And there's a blog, too
Some categories:
Male and Female Cyclist of the Year: (to be expanded to Past - non active cyclists) currently this program is aware of some of the names of past cyclists that come from Florida and moved on to race with Pro Teams. We ask assistance in gathering the appropriate information to nominate these individuals.
Multi Discipline Cyclists of the Year
Male and Female Junior Cyclists of the Year (under 18)
Cycling Business Contributor of the Year
Cycling Club Founder/Trail Builder/Cycling Ambassador of the Year
This program also needs to develop a committee that will be voting on the nominees. These nominees need to be both male and female cycling advocates as well as cycling with extensive competitive cycling experience. Should you have an interest or information on who might be interested please so advise.
Contact Kurt at info@buildingchampioncyclistsfl.net for more information.
SWFBUD Store Updates
A couple of notes about two SWFBUD member stores.
In a St. Pete Times story about people finding alternatives to gas-guzzling cars, Revolution Bicycles got a nice mention. According to the Yimes,
Revolution Bicycles in St. Petersburg has seen a 15 percent increase in bike sales in recent months, mostly from people gone pale at the price of gas, said Greg Hodges, the store's assistant manager.
"We're seeing a large percent increase of people looking to repair old bikes, buy new bikes or just look for an alternate means of transportation," Hodges said. "Bike prices have gone up a little bit, but riding a bike is still cheaper than driving."
Meanwhile, over at the Suncoast Trailside Bicycles off the Suncoast Trail, the Suncoast Trail Advusory Group (STAG) is inviting bicyclists for an evening of fun, food, drink and riding for its first-ever Trail-Raiser and Poker Ride at 5 PM at the Suncoast Trailside Bicycles in the Target shopping center off State Road 54.
Pre-registeration is $20 and same-day registration is $30. Children under 12 are free. Total roundtrip mileage is 25 miles. Dessert and drinks will be served upon arrival at Suncoast Trailside Bicycles. For more information, contact Joanne Hurley at 813-558-1117, X12 or email joanne.hurley@dot.state.fl.us; Tina Russo at 813-598-1594 or russot@hillsboroughcounty.org; or Steve Diez at 352-754-4057 or email steved@co.hernando.fl.us.
In a St. Pete Times story about people finding alternatives to gas-guzzling cars, Revolution Bicycles got a nice mention. According to the Yimes,
Revolution Bicycles in St. Petersburg has seen a 15 percent increase in bike sales in recent months, mostly from people gone pale at the price of gas, said Greg Hodges, the store's assistant manager.
"We're seeing a large percent increase of people looking to repair old bikes, buy new bikes or just look for an alternate means of transportation," Hodges said. "Bike prices have gone up a little bit, but riding a bike is still cheaper than driving."
Meanwhile, over at the Suncoast Trailside Bicycles off the Suncoast Trail, the Suncoast Trail Advusory Group (STAG) is inviting bicyclists for an evening of fun, food, drink and riding for its first-ever Trail-Raiser and Poker Ride at 5 PM at the Suncoast Trailside Bicycles in the Target shopping center off State Road 54.
Pre-registeration is $20 and same-day registration is $30. Children under 12 are free. Total roundtrip mileage is 25 miles. Dessert and drinks will be served upon arrival at Suncoast Trailside Bicycles. For more information, contact Joanne Hurley at 813-558-1117, X12 or email joanne.hurley@dot.state.fl.us; Tina Russo at 813-598-1594 or russot@hillsboroughcounty.org; or Steve Diez at 352-754-4057 or email steved@co.hernando.fl.us.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Why Cars And Bicycles Don't Mix
In the bike-race-is-more-dangerous-than-biking-across-the-state-of-Florida category, I bring you this photo that has been receiving quite a bit of play today on blogs. Alan Badia, our speedy roadie from good ol' Seminole Heights, sent in this one.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
An Amazing 170-Mile Bike Ride Ends and Bill Fox Is Remembered
Clearwater Beach -- The Ocean2Gulf Bill Fox Memorial Bicycle Ride crew and I reached the Gulf of Mexico at 7 p.m. and I dipped the front wheel into the Gulf waters, ending a remarkable and memorable day of biking 170 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico along State Road 60.
Bill Fox's spirit lived on today as I was blessed with incredible friends and wonderful weather to motivate me to bike across the state, coast to coast.
Steve Swiger was a selfless SAG man keeping me hydrated and carboloaded through the day. My sweetie Jennifer and fellow Seminole Heights Bicycle Clubber Ken Sturrock came through at mile 135 as I reached Tampa. Jennifer recited a beautiful prayer to get the ride off to an emotional start and later was the Annie Lebowitz of the ride, taking photos during the last 35 miles while Ken was the very understanding driver. Ellen Pierson showed up at the Courtney Campbell Causeway at mile 153 and biked in with me, along with Steve who biked the last few miles. Even Mary Young showed up at the end in Clearwater Beach to express her kind wishes.
Biking is about leg power. It's also about a lot more. It's about mentally plotting out a route, sharing a love for cycling and buying into a simple notion that if you keep pedaling you will get wherever you want to go.
The ride went splendidly and I picked State Road 60 for a reason -- despite people's fears, I wanted to show you can bike miles and miles on any road and be safe. In fact, the early Sunday morning ride west of Yeehaw Junction was hauntingly beautiful; the cycling in the pre-dawn darkness outside Vero Beach was exhilirating; the climbing of the bridge out of downtown Clearwater to the Beach revealed breathtaking vistas of the Intracoastal and the Gulf.
As Ken and Steve pointed out, this little journey from one end of SR 60 to the other offered every face of Florida -- the serene natural beauty of its central state terrain west of Yeehaw Junction; the commercial sprawl of Brandon and Clearwater; the environmental wasteland along phosphate alley west of Bartow; the sleezy nudie bar scene of Tampa between I-75 and downtown Tampa; the lovely ocean beaches of Vero Beach and Clearwater Beach.
I loved sharing this ride with the folks who shared it with me with their love and support. Cycling can be solitary but it also can be uplifting thanks to people's mutual love for pedaling.
I will be sharing photos later tonight when I return home to Seminole Heights. If you love bicycling, share that love.
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