GOFO Urban farm bike tours

The second annual Greenville Urban Farm tour, presented by Greenville Organic Food Organization, will take place next Saturday, May 12^th. As part of Bike Month in Greenville, Bikeville Volunteers (myself included) will be guiding bicycle tours of select urban farms near the downtown area. There will be morning and afternoon rides, which will each visit 5 to 6 different locations. Preregistration is required, so check out the bike tours section of the UFT website to get more information and to register. 

Remember to visit the Bikeville Bike Month page for a complete list of events planned for the month of May. You can also find a poster/flyer there to download and share with others.

Bikeville E-Newsletter

There is some great information in the Bikeville E-Newsletter that was sent out today. Check it out here, and subscribe now if you don't already receive it.

In particular, I want to point out the Traffic Skills 101 courses, to be taught in three, three-hour sessions on September 17, October 1, and October 15th at the Nicholtown Community Center. Click here to register.

Needless to say, the upcoming Bicycle Master Plan vote is mentioned in the newsletter as well, and you are encouraged to contact your City Council members. I have mentioned the BMP vote a couple times here lately, but look for a new post with more information soon.

US Pro weekend in Greenville

This blog is usually focused on bicycle advocacy issues, but I’ll venture a little off topic and mention racing today. If you are in Greenville, you already know that it is time for the US Pro races again (you can find the schedule of events here). As I have in previous years, I’ll be watching the time trial and the road race with a particular focus on the bikes. Look for coverage this weekend at my Bicycle Design blog if you are interested in that sort of thing. Also, be sure to follow Carolina Cycling News throughout the weekend if you want to read about both races from a local perspective.

If you are interested in riding to the races, the Greenville Spinners will be leading a community bike ride to the Time Trial on Saturday, departing from the Zoo in Cleveland Park at 10am.  The Spinners are providing free bike valet for the TT at ICAR, so your bike will be secure once you get there.  

For the Road Race on Monday, Bikeville will be providing free bike valet from 10am-5pm in front of City Hall on Main St.  Speaking of Bikeville, they are hosting the monthly Critical Cruise ride around downtown tonight at 5:30.  Meet next to Barley's for an hour long cruise around downtown “respectfully celebrating bicyclists right to the road.”

Update 6/2: It was another great US Pro weekend in Greenville. Check out a few of my pictures from the races here if you are interested. 

Bike to Work week events

Bike to Work week in Greenville is underway. We got off to a rainy and cool start, but the weather is looking up for the rest of the week (well…better for Thursday and Friday at least). Remember, you can check the Bikeville bike month page for details on everything that is happening, but I want to quickly remind you about the events planned for the rest of this week

Tonight, Wednesday the 18^th, plan to attend the Greenville Ride of Silence. In past years, Greenville and Spartanburg have participated in a joint Ride of Silence. This year, the Greenville ride will start on Main Street at City Hall. Plan to be there at 6:30 to ride in a silent procession to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways.

After the Ride of Silence, ride your bike to the Peace Center Amphitheater for the Moonlight Movie (from 8 – 10). I will be there, with other Bikeville volunteers, to provide free secure bike parking while you watch the movie. Before the movie starts, you will see the Greenville premier of the four short Palmetto Cycling Coalition's Safe Streets Save Lives videos, which are intended to educate both bicyclists and motorists on the rules of the road.

Friday, May 20^th, is Bike to Work Day, and the theme this year is Bike Shop Rest Stops. Drop by any of the participating local shops on your way to work for refreshments, coupons, and prizes.

On Saturday, Upstate SORBA and Bikeville will host a Mountain Bike Skills Clinic at Cleveland Park (shelter 5) starting at 11 am. They will have the wooden ramps and see-saws to ride and will lead guided tours of Cleveland Park’s three miles of mountain bike trails. Helmets are required to participate. Find out more at Upstate SORBA.

Don’t forget the ongoing initiatives this month as well. The bike month page has details on everything.

Bikeville’s pedal power generator

I mentioned in an earlier post that Bikeville has a new pedal power generator that will be used at events throughout the month. At the Downtown Farmer’s Market this weekend, Bikeville’s Andrew Meeker took this photo of City Councilman David Sudduth generating a bit of electricity (on a bamboo bike).

Stop by any of the bike valet stations or other planned events this month to see the power generator in action. Better yet, plan to get on the special trainer mounted bike and generate a little power yourself. It certainly looks like Mr. Sudduth enjoyed his turn creating a little electricity…I bet you will too.

Update: The bamboo bike pictured is a Hilltribe by Phil Webb -www.bamboobikemaker.com. Thanks to TTR Bikes! 

More positive press about cycling in Greenville

In yesterday’s post, I briefly mentioned the “Cycle City” blurb in Southwest Airlines Spirit Magazine. As it turns out though, that’s not the only positive press about the local cycling scene to come out this week. The May issue of Town, a new local magazine, devotes seven pages (60 to 66) to their “Hot Wheels” story about bicycling in Greenville. The US Pro races, the Swamp Rabbit Trail, and local pro George Hincapie are mentioned (as you might expect). The piece also includes several references to Bikeville, and a profile of Greenville’s urban designer Andrew Meeker (who definitely deserves the recognition). Local businesses including Hincapie Sportswear, Lucky Bike, and Pedal Chic are also mentioned. There is much more than I can cover in a short post, so I encourage you to pick up a copy of the magazine and check it out. 

Thanks to Town for covering the Greenville bike scene in their second issue. Hopefully, that’s only the beginning.

Bike Month is almost here!

I have been traveling for the last three weeks, so I haven’t been able to post anything about Bike Month events in Greenville. May is almost here though, so I want to quickly mention the many scheduled events that Bikeville, the City, and other sponsors have planned.

The full list of events is below, so mark your calendars to attend (and maybe volunteer for) a few of these. You can download the official Greenville Bike Month pdf poster for times and more information about each event.

• TUESDAY, MAY 3 & 17 - ICAR Family Fun Ride
• 
  SATURDAY, MAY 7 - Free Bike Valet - Saturday Market
• 
  SUNDAY, MAY 15 - Drive Me to Wellness Event
• 
  SUNDAY, MAY 15 - Greenville Drive Bike Valet
• 
  MONDAY, MAY 16 - Free Bike Commuter Course
• 
  WEDNESDAY, MAY 18 - Ride of Silence
• 
  WEDNESDAY, MAY 18 - Free Bike Valet – Moonlight Movie
• 
  FRIDAY, MAY 20 - National Bike-to-Work Day
• 
  SATURDAY, MAY 21 - Mountain Bike Skills Clinic
• 
  FRIDAY, MAY 27 - Critical Cruise Community Bike Ride
• 
  SATURDAY, MAY 28 - Community Bike Ride and Free Bike Valet - USA Cycling Championships Time Trial
• 
  MONDAY, MAY 30 - Free Bike Valet - USA Cycling Professional Championships Road Race

Bikeville has a new Pedal Power Generator that will be featured at many of these events. You can drop by to take a spin and generate some electricity to “help keep us off the grid with some old fashion human power.”

A photo contest is new for this year. The winner in each of 5 categories will receive a prize, and more importantly will help to promote bicycle awareness in Greenville. Read more about the contest here on the city’s website.

Finally, I want to mention the Commuter Challenge, which is probably the most exciting new addition to Bike Month in Greenville. To participate, sign up at WorldCommute.com and join the Bikeville group. Once registered, you can log your bicycle commuting mileage and track the fuel and CO2 emissions that you (and the group as a whole) save by riding a bike in place of a few car trips. Just by participating you will feel great, do a good turn for the environment, and save a little money. The savings won’t just stop at the pump though. Anyone who joins the Bikeville World Commute group will also receive a 10% discount on parts and labor from several local bike shops. Sounds like a win/ win, so get that old bike ready and plan to participate.

Bikeville in the Charleston Post and Courier

Photo credit:

Grace Beahm

If you haven't already seen it, check out the recent Charleston Post and Courier article titled, Bikeville, S.C.: Scenic Swamp Rabbit Trail gets Greenville moving. It is really nice to see positive press about the trail, but it is even better to see that this story goes beyond the success of the greenway. As Scott McCrary, of TTR Bikes, says in the article, "greenways can be a lovely subset to a biking community, but greenways can't be the biking community.” Brian Graham goes on to explain that Greenville is building on the success of the Swamp Rabbit by “looking at inexpensive ways to get people from their front door to the trail.” The article mentions bike lanes, sharrows, bike-sensitive signal detectors, and other improvements that are already underway in the city. It goes on to mention the Bicycle Master Plan that is currently being developed in partnership with Alta Planning + Design.

Overall, this really is a great article about what is happening in Greenville right now. It is certainly true, as Andrew Meeker says, that “we still have a long ways to go." Greenville is definitely on the right track though, and it is great to see other cities recognizing that. Now lets just keep that momentum going and get beyond our “infancy stage” to become a true bike friendly town.

Alta’s Greenville Bicycle Master Plan project page

If you are reading this, you probably already know that the City of Greenville has been working with Alta Planning and Design on a Bicycle Master Plan for a while now (we are even one of the “featured projects” on their website). A public meeting was held in November to get community input for the plan, and second meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 15th at 5:30pm at the Hughes Main Library. 

If you missed that first meeting, Alta has a project website where you can learn more about the development of the Master Plan. If you click the “get involved” tab, you can find a link to take the online survey, and download the presentation from that first public workshop. I hope you all plan to attend the next workshop in March, but in the mean time the website is a great place to familiarize yourself with everything that has been happening so far.

I also briefly want to mention the Nicholtown Bike Share initiative. I missed the last Bikeville meeting where this was discussed, so I don’t have any information beyond what you can read at Livewell Greenville. It is a project that I am excited about though, so I will pass along more information when I can.

Image credit: Alta Planning’s presentation

Bicycle Master Plan Workshop

Along with Bikeville and the Greenville Pickens Area Transportation Study (GPATS), the City of Greenville has been working on a Bicycle Master Plan for a while now. The City has contracted with Alta Planning + Design to develop the Master Plan. If you are not already familiar with Alta, I can tell you that they are probably the best known firm in the U.S. for bicycle and pedestrian planning and design.

As part of the process, the City will host the first of two community workshops on Tuesday, November 16 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hughes Main Library.  Unfortunately, I will be traveling for work and will not be able to attend this first workshop. I really hope that many of you can be there though. At this stage, input from those of us who ride in Greenville is really important.

Read more at the Hincapie Sportwear blog and be sure to mark your calendars for this first workshop. This really is a great opportunity to shape the future of cycling in Greenville.