Bike Reno

Being the proprietor of a bike-oriented blog, I occasionally get weird emails from people doing weird things on bikes. Yesterday was no different. Without further ado, I give you CalTrout on Tour (tagline: Spokin’ for Fish).

A quick update on the Bikestravaganza event. Thanks to the Kiwanis Bike Program, the event is now free! On the bad side, Dave Roche will not be there. The rest of the details are the same:

Sept 1st, 7-9pm
The Hub Coffee Company, 32 Cheney Way

Unfortunately, car/bike collisions happen all the time…some I mention, some I don’t. But the one reported today was a little more personal.

I don’t know Rhonda Serr personally, but I’ve been in a few races with her. Even though we’ve never spoken, I know what she looks like. I know what bike she rides. I know how fast she is.

So when I read that it was her that got hit, I felt a stronger twinge of sadness. Even though I wasn’t there, I very much doubt that she was riding on the wrong side of the road, or at night without a light, or doing any of the other things that make it 1000 times more likely that you’ll get hit. She was probably riding exactly the same way I would, which of course makes me think “it could have been me.”

I don’t want this to sound like it’s all about me, but I don’t want to talk at length about someone I don’t know. So I’ll leave it at this: get well soon, Rhonda.

Most people know that Portland is one of the most bike-friendly cities in the country, but that achievement didn’t happen by accident. It was the result of long-term planning and continuous efforts by transportation advocates to influence roadway design. In a short couple of weeks, Bikestravaganza: Off the Chainring Tour will make a stop in Reno where Joe Biel, Elly Blue, and Dave Roche will present video clips, photos, and stories about their experiences in the Portland cycling scene. In anticipation of this event, I asked Elly Blue a few questions about who she is and what they’re trying to accomplish.

BR: How did this idea originate?

EB: I’ve had the idea for a while to travel around checking out the bike scene in places that aren’t normally known for it. Joe goes on tour a couple times a year to sell books and promote whatever rad, DIY stuff his authors at Microcosm are all about. I’m not sure when the idea first came up, but it all clicked into place.

We’ve been living and breathing transportation activism lately, mainly through this new organization we’re part of, the People’s Department of Transportation. So this is a chance for us to get some perspective, meet people, learn a lot.

BR: What do you hope to accomplish with this tour?

EB: If we can engage people with the story of Portland’s rise to be one of the best cities to ride a bike in the U.S., that’s something. If we can inspire people in places like Reno that they can surpass us easily, in only a few years, that’s even better. And ideally we’d like to show the world that bicycle culture happens from the ground up. Lines in the road and a bike friendly mayor can help make bicycling a better experience but it’s the people out there riding and organizing who lead the way, every time.

BR: Are you seeing any common questions or topics that people want to talk about?

EB: It’s truly different in every town. In Spokane, for instance, there are so many different amazing things going on for bicycling there, so that one’s going to be more like a proper summit. In Berkeley, our event’s at a famous punk club. In Spearfish, South Dakota, they want to incorporate a cruiser ride into the event, so that could be an entirely different feel. We’ll sum it all up in our hometown event when we get back to Portland.

BR: Tell me about your bike

EB: Glad you asked. I converted my old mountain bike to an Xtracycle in March and it’s so much fun. I think this might be what it’s like to own a car. You can really carry anything, anywhere.

Here are the details for the event:

Bikestravaganza: Off the Chainring
Sept 1st, 7-9pm
The Hub Coffee Company, 32 Cheney Way
$3-10 sliding scale at the door

And here is a short video they put together.

On Thursday, July 29th, the RTC will be holding the the first Reno Sparks Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan public meeting at the Sparks Farmer’s Market in the Centennial Plaza (the new public transit center) from 3pm to 7pm. You can drop in anytime during those hours and leave comments and indicate on a map where you think the most critical sections of the plan should be. Please stop by and leave some feedback. The master bike/pedestrian plan is a necessary step towards applying for grant money to implement the plan.

It’s been a “two steps forward, two steps back” kind of week for bike safety.  First, we got word that the California and Arlington road diets have been completed.  Huzzah! I was waiting until I could get down there to take some pictures before posting anything, but I just haven’t had the time (if you have any, feel free to send them to me… jeremy@bikereno.net).  Two steps forward.

And then, just when we were starting to feel good about cycling in Reno, a Sheriff’s Deputy runs down and kills a cyclist on Lemmon Drive.  Two steps back.

It just occurred to me that we name roadways after dead cops all the time…how about we name bike lanes after dead cyclists?  The Kevin T. Albertson Memorial Bike Lane has a nice ring to it.

On Wednesday, September 1, a trio of Portland cycling advocates will bring Bikestravaganza to Reno.  Described as an  “interactive, multimedia, DIY bike summit roadshow”, Bikestravaganza is an effort to share the successes, failures, and experiences of the effort to develop Portland into one of America’s premiere cycling cities.  The location is currently scheduled to be the Unitarian Church with the time TBA. The location is now The Hub Coffee Co. at 32 Cheney St.  The show starts at 7:00 pm.

Along with their Website, they are also on Twitter: @bikestravaganza

It’s almost time for the 2010 Tour de Nez, and there are quite a few changes this year.

The Tour de Nez opens this year with a 1.5 mile time trial prologue in Sparks on Thursday in Victorian Square.  Yes, this is the same Victorian Square where they will be holding the weekly farmer’s market.  The Tour de Nez Tech Manual promises “Beer, Music, Mayhem”.  Hopefully no one gets loaded and starts chucking organic peaches at the racers.

On Friday, the downtown Reno crit takes place on a new course.  The start/finish line has been moved to the intersection of First and West and the riders will now make a short loop around the river via Sierra, Island, and Arlington before turning left on First and going out Riverside to Vine.  There is a long straightaway on First that takes the racers back to the start/finish.

Saturday will feature another criterium at Northstar Village.

Some thoughts here…hasn’t the Lake Tahoe stage traditionally been a road race?  This is an awfully strange stage race.  A 1.5 mile time trial (that should take what…3:30 per rider?) and then two criteriums.  I’m not sure why they decided to change the Reno course…the old one was pretty awesome.  It had great amounts of difficulty and danger that this one doesn’t have.

Just a heads up in case you’re already planning your late summer events: the 3rd Annual Somersett Sierra Challenge is scheduled for Saturday, August 21, 2010.  There are 82, 50, and 33 mile options and, as you might have guessed, the proceeds go to fight ALS.

On Wednesday, May 26 at 3:00 pm, the city of Sparks will hold  a public workshop to gather input from the public on how to make Sparks a “connected city”; that is a city that fully supports walking, cycling, and public transit as well as automobiles.  If you can make it, please go and let your voice be heard.  Here is the city’s press release.