SWFBUD Visits The Tampa Crit Event

SWFBUD was proud to participate in the Downtown Tampa Crit today as bike racers took to the streets of Tampa. It wass wonderful to meet some old bike friends and also meet new ones today when I chatted about the BAM Network and SWFBUD's tole.

Kudos to Karen Kress and the Tampa Downtown Partnership for putting on the race event and for drawing bicyclists to downtown.

Harsh rains struck about 2:30 PM, and I along with other exhibitors had to pack up but the races carried on and the skies eventually cleared with more spectators coming to downtown to check out the pro racers in the early evening.

Here's Chaz chatting with J. Steele Olmstead, a bicyclist-lawyer who is a SWFBUD member.


Chaz and his partner Monica talk with J. Steele. Great story about Chaz and Monica. When I worked on my first Bicycle Bash 5 1/2 years ago I met Chaz and Monica while I was biking in St. Petersburg near Witham Field with my Bicycle Bash trailer. Chaz and Monica still remember those days.


Mayor Bob Buckhorn was working the crowd and stopped by to say hi. Here's Mayor Bob with SWFBUD lawyer member J. Steele Olmstead.


Mayor Bob enjoys a photo opp with bicyclists, young and old.


Hey, who's that guy with the mayor?


A crit competitor heads out.


Michael with his helmet cam paid a visit.


Ben and Jerry took a break from their ice cream business to stop by the Crit.


And even Bullet made a cameo with his fat tire rig.

SWFBUD In The House At The Tampa Crit Saturday

Swing by the SWFBUD tent at Saturday's Downtown Tampa Crit race. I'll be visited by SWFBUD lawyers J. Steele Olmstead (11AM), Tom Singletary (1PM) and Morgan Gaynor (4:30PM) who will offer free legal advice about bicycle issues.

Racers and Bike Advocacy -- Plus A Few Other Morsels

Here's a variety of items you might like.

One of the criticism facing bicycle racers is that they fail to work on behalf of bicycle advocacy issues. Here's a cool story about racers getting involved in advocacy

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Bicycling is superior to cars in economic gain to society.

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Bicyclists are better for local businesses than drivers.

Pedaling The Bible Since 1995

On Thursday, I ripped off a quick 100-miler and it included a stint on US 301 into Dade City, about 40 miles northeast of Tampa. Most bicyclists avoid US 301 and other federal roads, but I like biking sections of certain federal roads that have shoulders because most long-distance cyclists from other states follow federal and state roads since they're not aware of the back roads.

And you never know who will bump into.

Like this fella -- Joelle from Texas, who is the kind of the Tim Tebow of long-distance Jesus-loving bicyclists.

He's pedaling a rig that includes 5 (FIVE!) trailers packed with bibles and other religious books. He had his total rig weighed in Fort Myers and it came in at a whopping 1,116 pounds. Joelle says he has been on the road since 1995, starting in Texas.

He's very devoted to Jesus and tried like the dickens to get me to join him but I'm a disciple of the Temple of Bicyclists, which I broke the news to Joelle and hope his feelings weren't hurt too much.

Uncle Chipster Says Fair is Fair -- Allow Bicyclists In Buildings

Clearwater's Chip Haynes is a wonderful velophile who appreciates the beauty and the practicality of the mighty bicycle. Uncle Chipster notes the proliferation of Segways and mobility scooters on bicycle trails, so he says bicyclists should bring their bikes into stores and workplaces. Here's the Chipster's opinion:



So with the monthly County Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting coming up next Monday, I find myself thinking about bicycles even more than usualy these days, and here's what I think:

If we are being asked to accept Segways and mobility scooters as legal alternatives to bicycles on what were intended to be strictly non-motorized recreational bike trails (and around here, we are), then fair is fair: We cyclists should then be allowed to bring our bicycles into any store, business or government office that does not provide for safe and secure designated bicycle parking within reasonable sight and distance to their main entrance.

We've all experienced the joy of cycling to a given destination, only to find no bike parking at all, and no way to secure our ride. There are a few places like that around here that I know I can wheel my mount inside if I have to, but very few. We need to know are bikes will be safe, no matter where we go. We need to know that we can keep them close, and bring them inside if we have to. We need to be able to use our bikes safely, no matter the destination.

If nothing else, a push for this may get us more bike racks.

What do you think?

Hi-ho!

Pedal America Receives Terrific Reviews from Bike Summit Attendees

My friend David Levy showed a clip of his Pedal America TV show, which filmed an episode here in Tampa and on the Seminole Heights Bicycle Club, at the National Bike Summit in Washington, DC this week and got rave reviews. Check out David's assessment of the bike advocates' response to Pedal America.

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

On Wednesday, March 21, the National Bicycle Summit in Washington, DC played a compilation DVD of Pedal America for 800 attendees representing 49 states.

I'm thrilled to report that the response was overwhelmingly positive. Shortly after the screening and the following day, Summit attendees swarmed me with business cards and requests for our team to do episodes on cities, towns, and parks In their respective cities. Senators and House Representatives from Illinois, Oregon, Missouri, North Carolina, and California also expressed high marks for Pedal America.

More importantly, the bike industry's national nonprofit advocacy organizations including the League of American Bicyclists, IMBA (International Mountain Bicycling Association), Bikes Belong, and the Alliance for Bicycling and Walking all expressed high interest in helping the series to reach their respective national and international members and member groups. This is wonderful for all of Pedal America's sponsorship partners.

Trek Bikes' Brand Manager issued multiple kudos, as well.

We are thrilled by the response and look ahead to the series' continued growth when it debuts on local PBS and public television stations nationwide on May 5th. Please check your local listings, and visit our website at www.pedalamerica.tv and click on "Where To Find Us."

Ira David

SWFBUD Lawyers Will Offer Legal Advice At The Tampa Crit March 31

Do you have legal questions about bicycling?

SWFBUD will have the answers for you.

SWFBUD's three lawyers -- Tom Singletary, J. Steele Olmstead and Morgan Gaynor of the Mark Roman law Group -- will be at the SWFBUD table offering free legal advice at the Tampa Downtown Crit on Saturday March 31. The lawyers will be available from 3 pm to 7:30 pm, so swing by the SWFBUD tent at the Crit