Blennerhassett Bicycle club April newsletter
Think Spring!
There are some great rides coming up in the next few weeks. If you have not pulled your bike out of storage and checked it out, you best get cracking or you will miss out on a lot of fun riding.
Athens Spring Ride, aka Tom’s Trillium Tour, #8
This is a scenic spring bicycle ride through Athens County with budding dogwoods, redbuds, and wildflowers. The routes consist of rolling to hilly terrain with the last 12 miles on the flat and scenic Hockhocking Adena Bikeway. There have been several riders from the Parkersburg area joining in for this ride the last two years.
Saturday April 18th, 2009 Registration: 8:00-9:30 AM (day of ride only). Hocking College, Nelsonville, Ohio (Parking and registration in front of Robbin’s Crossing).
Budget ride ($3): Bring your own food, water, cash, and tools. Maps and arrows provided. Optional routes let you pick distances of 30, 40, 60, 70 or 100 miles.
Tour of The Scioto River Valley May 9-10, 2009
The big weekend is fast approaching! TOSRV is THE bicycle tour of the country. The event takes place this year on May 9 and 10. The main ride travels from Columbus, OH to Portsmouth, OH on Saturday and back on Sunday (105 miles each way). There is a half option for the time starved or those wanting a shorter version (55 miles each way). This ride starts and ends in Chillicothe, OH which is the half way point for the main ride. This requires leaving Parkersburg at about 8:00 AM on Saturday morning. We were home by 2:00 PM on Sunday last year. You can read all about the ride at their web site www.tosrv.org.
Greg Garrett can fill you in on details about this weekend event. He had rooms reserved for Saturday night in the area of Portsmouth, OH but the reservation deadline has past. Check with him for last minute details.
STATEWIDE MULTI-MODAL LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN
March 26, 2009 from the Mid-Ohio Valley Bicycle Council.
Please plan to attend one of the public meetings listed below to make sure cycling is considered in WV's next long range transportation plan! Some do not consider cycling as a valid form of transportation and oppose its inclusion in transportation plans. PLEASE attend one of these meetings to voice your opinion, whatever it may be so that the plan that most represents our citizen's needs is developed.
NOTICE OF INFORMATIONAL WORKSHOP PUBLIC MEETING
STATE PROJECT T699-SPR-09
The West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) will hold informational workshop meetings throughout the State on the development of a Statewide Multi-modal Long Range Transportation Plan. The scheduled workshops are from 4 to 7 p.m. at the dates and locations listed below. Another workshop scheduled in Charleston will be in the Capitol rotunda area on April 1, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00p.m. The workshops will afford participants an opportunity to ask questions and provide their input on how transportation fiscal resources from the State of West Virginia and Federal government should be spent in future years for all modes of transportation.
Those wishing to provide written input may send them to Robert L. Pennington, P.E., Director, Program Planning and Administration Division, West Virginia Department of Transportation, Capitol Complex Building Five, 1900 Kanawha Boulevard East, Charleston, West Virginia 25305 on or before June 1, 2009, or visit the Plan’s website at www.wvtransplan.com.
March 23, 2009 Triadelphia Middle School, 1636 National Road, Wheeling, WV
March 24, 2009 Berkeley County Commission, 400 West Stephen Street, Suite 201, Martinsburg, WV
March 26, 2009 TTA Center, 401 13th Street, Huntington, WV
March 31, 2009 Elkins High School, 100 Kennedy Drive, Elkins, WV
April 2, 2009 Rose G. Smith Theatre, Williamson High School, 801 Alderson Street, Williamson, WV
April 6, 2009 City Council Chambers, 1 Government Square, Parkersburg, WV
April 7, 2009 Morgantown Municipal Airport, Greater Morgantown MPO, 180 Hart Field Road, Morgantown, WV
April 13, 2009 Wood Education & Resource Center, 301 Hardwood Lane, Princeton, WV
For more information on the Mid-Ohio Valley Bicycle Council, please visit our website. http://www.adventurepursuit.org. Volunteers are needed to ride bikes with individuals, assist in the helmet safety campaign and coordinate bike repairs with visiting mechanics. You can sign up to be a volunteer by going to Adventure Pursuit's volunteer application. It takes about 60 seconds.
Adventure Pursuit PO Box 431 Parkersburg WV 26102 304-485-0911
Please be a part of the WV Cycling Symposium
By Kim Broughton, WV Cycling Symposium coordinator
kimberlyjoshi@gmail.com
On April 17th and 18th in Charleston, WV a cycling symposium some are calling "the most historic event to ever happen in history of West Virginia cycling" will be held. It is being organized by the League of American Bicyclists, Alliance for Biking and Walking and a steering committee of volunteers who represent different aspects of cycling and regions of the state. The symposium is the first step to a committed long term partnership between the organizations to progress the state of cycling in beautiful Wild and Wonderful West Virginia.
The event will begin April 17th at 6 pm and will include a dinner and some great presentations. The evening will conclude at 9:30 pm. The “roll up your sleeves and let’s get busy” work will happen during Saturday’s sessions at the Civic Center. The day starts at 9:00 am and will conclude at 2:00 PM
with a ride to the Capital (and a longer ride after that for those interested.)
Dennis Strawn of the Wheelers has made sure the ride is on the ride calendar for the Mountain State Wheelers and we would really appreciate any help in planning and management of the
ride to making it, in itself, an event of historic significance. We would love to see hundreds of cyclists of
all ages on the ride to show the support of the population for cycling! We would also like to bring pedestrians into the mix by having them organize at the capital and walk towards the cyclists and returning to the capital so that those who prefer not to ride can also show their support for biking and pedestrian activities.
Please plan to attend the ride and please spread the word! We would really appreciate any and all support. We also hope you plan to attend the symposium. The response has been phenomenal and we need you there!
If you would like to sign up for the event, please go to http://www.wvcf.org/home/EventsPrograms/Statewideadvocacy/WVCyclingSymposium/tabid/80/Default.aspx.
If you have any questions, please contact me at kimberlyjoshi@gmail.com
Thank you!
Note: The West Virginia Cycling Foundation has been kind enough to offer their resources, such as their mailing list facilities and website, to assist in this project!
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Lance Armstrong plans to ride a century in Ohio
In late August there are plans for a special bicycle event to help a cancer research campaign raise $40 million. The event, called Pelotonia, is expecting 2,250 cyclists on routes of 50, 100 or 180 miles (80, 160, 290 km) starting Aug. 29 near Ohio State University. Riders are required to secure donations of $1,000, $1,500 or $2,000, respectively. Lance will ride the 100-miler, according to event director Tom Lennox, who said "he's agreed to raise the $1,500, just like the rest of us. This means everything to us. His involvement will attract more cyclists so we can raise more money."
Pelotonia raises money for innovative and life saving cancer research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center- James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute in Columbus, Ohio. For more information check out their web site: http://www.pelotonia.org/ride.
Daydreaming
The smooth and rhythmic motion of pedaling can have a hypnotic effect. Daydreaming cyclists have crashed into the back of parked
cars, wandered far into the traffic lane or blithely ridden off the road. Don’t let yourself be separated from the outside world by the vivid canvases created by your imagination. Keep your head in the game.
Keep your bike in top mechanical condition. Repair or replace faulty parts sooner rather than later. It’s a loser’s game to milk “just one more ride” out of worn brake pads, a frayed cable, or tires with a threadbare tread or bulging sidewall. Your first line of defense against the challenges of the real world is a bike with all parts in good working order.
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It was on the 10th day of May--1884--that I confessed to age by mounting spectacles for the first time, and in the same hour I renewed my youth, to outward appearance, by mounting a bicycle for the first time.
The spectacles stayed on. - Mark Twain
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Oregon Considers Charging Bicycle Owners
Oregon is considering charging bicycle owners $54 every 2 years (per bike) for a license and registration. The law would apply to people 18 or older who ride on public roads. Four state legislators have introduced the bill, which stipulates various other fees and requirements. The revenue would go toward development and maintenance of bike lanes, paths and related transportation improvement projects. Some cyclists aren't too happy. More details at http://tinyurl.com/dhtevq.
(Editor’s note: Oregon is one of the top rated bicycle friendly states. I hope they don’t start a national trend.)
Emergency Contact Information
All cyclists should carry critical information about themselves in their bike bag and/or on their person while out riding. Unfortunately we never know when a medical emergency and/or accident may happen. When these situations occur, it is important that emergency contact and basis medical information is available to persons riding with us and to emergency service personnel attending us. We are often riding with casual or new acquaintances (or alone) who know little of our personnel life. Multiple contacts are necessary to make sure that someone can be reached. "Allergies" are allergic reactions you may have to certain drugs, foods, ect. more so than "hayfever." "Rel" refers to "relationship." "Medical Ins. Provider" is your medical insurance provider. Once you have recorded all of your personal information on an index card or business card, you should make it waterproof by putting in a zip locking bag or maybe even have it laminated.
Local Area Rides
Don’t forget to check the attached BBC ride calendar and join us for some fun rides. Also watch for announcements from Greg Garrett and James Coleman for other rides in the Parkersburg and Marietta areas.
Enjoy your rides!
