I love many things about living in Rochester, and now I can add the Rochester Twilight Criterium to the list.

Not only was it an awe-inspiring race, but you could get close enough to get vertigo from the wheels spinning by as a hundred cyclists rode flat out in the rain.

And, it being Rochester and all (the city that’s more like a small town), I ran into a lot of people I knew, including Kyle from Full Moon Vista, who verbally ambushed me after my awkward ohmygodcrossthestreetbeforemorecyclistscome run across Broad Street with a, “Nice sprint, Julie.”

I do have one complaint…what’s up with the pro women being relegated to a 5:00 start, before all the men, a lower purse, and little to no media coverage. The men’s race was billed as “the main event.”

Anyway, you can find media coverage here.

Put it on your 2009 calendar!

Meet at 9:45 a.m. for a 10:00 a.m. start at the trailhead in Canawaugus Park on River Road (Route 251) in Scottsville for a 14 mile ride.

The GVG is a flat trail with a hard packed dirt surface. Fat tire or hybrid style bicycle is best suited for this trail ride.

Bring water. Lunch in Scottsville after the ride is optional. Helmets required.

Ride Leader: Richard DeSarra, rdsbike@rochester.rr.com

Bicycling Family Weekend at Strong National Museum of Play
(In conjunction with the Rochester Omnium, www.Rochestercrit.com)

Saturday, August 9, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday, August 10, 12 noon to 5 p.m.

Start your Omnium weekend fun at Strong National Museum of Play.

On Saturday, see artist Nancy Goethel create a colorful bicycling scene made entirely of…balloons! (Her completed work will be on view Sunday.)

On both Saturday and Sunday, cruise over to a special display of bike-related photos, toys, and cycles from the museum’s renowned collections including a 1890s bicycle built for four.

Make a sun visor and a sign to cheer on the bicyclists before you head out to the races.

All activities are included with general museum admission fees. For more information and easy directions visit www.museumofplay.org.

Seasonal Exhibit on Bicycling August 1 to September 30.

The museum has tapped into its world-renowned collections to create a special bicycle display in honor of the Rochester Omnium.

See modern and historic cycles including a four-in-hand (a cycle built for four riders from the 1890s); a 1910 safety bicycle with a skirt guard (designed especially for women); several modern racing bikes; and children’s bikes and tricycles of various eras.

Also on view are historical photos, paper dolls, and paper toys that document the popularity of cycling over the past century.

This exhibit will be on display on the museum’s second floor from August 1 to September 30.

Safe Cycling for Kids (and Their Parents) Workshop. Guilderland Public Library. Winners of Bike Month poster contest announced and prizes distributed. Fun for the whole family! For more information, contact Jennifer Ogrodowski, Guilderland Public Library, at (518) 456-2400, ext. 34 or Judith Wines, Altamont Free Library, (518) 861-7239.

“Savvy Cyclist” Road Class. Location: University at Albany, 1400 Washington Ave., Albany, College of Arts & Sciences Bldg. Room 123. This course is offered free of charge and brought to you by NYBC and a grant from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. RSVP to nybc@nybc.net by Thursday, May 15th to reserve a space.

Film showing of “Contested Streets” at Guilderland Public Library (2228 Western Ave., Guilderland, NY 12084). Brief discussion to follow. Free and open to the public. Co-sponsored by Guilderland Public Library & New York Bicycling Coalition.

Bike to Work Day. 6 staging areas with mapped routes and bicycle escorts to downtown Albany; 3 rally points with designated bicycle parking; and a “commuter buddy” program offered to cyclists who choose not to ride alone. Co-sponsored by Downtown Albany BID, CDTA, O.G.S., Sports Signup, Sandwiches to Go, Steiner’s Sports, The Down Tube, Elevate Cycles, Easern Mountain Sports, Steuben Athletic Club, Capital District YMCA and Bruegger’s Bagels. Register in advance at biketoworkalbany.org.

Commuter Contest: car vs. bus vs. cyclist. Location: Starbucks to Starbucks (downtown Albany to Stuyvesant Plaza). Fabulous prizes & swag courtesy of Steiner’s Sports. For more information, email nybc@nybc.net.

Bicycle Rodeo for Kids and Families. Free bike safety checks and helmet giveaways for children; one child’s bike will be donated to recipient of “Citizen’s Award,” chosen by Boys & Girls Club (B&GC). Location: Boys & Girls Club, 400 Craig Street, Schenectady. Co-sponsored by Plaine and Son and the Boys & Girls Club of Schenectady.

“Tune Up Your Bike Night” and Free Repair Clinics at Troy Bike Rescue, 15 Trinity Place, Albany, NY 12202. For more information, call 518.986.2256, email troybikerescue@gmail.com, or visit www.troybikerescue.org.

Ride around the Capital. Following the breakfast, there will be a short ride around the State Capital and downtown Albany area.

Legislative Breakfast. LOB Room 211A. Similar to the League of American Bicyclist’s National Bike Summit, this is an opportunity to learn about the latest state legislation pertaining to bicyclists and pedestrians, voice your concerns, and interact with your local and state representatives. Co-sponsored by CK Cycles. RSVP to nybc@nybc.net by Friday, May 9th.

MHCC presents “Warm up for Bike to Work Day” Ride. Check your legs and practice your commuting route with the added benefit of increased safety in numbers that fellow cyclists can provide. Meet at 5:30pm at CDTA Delmar Park & Ride (intersection of Route 32 & 52, Delmar) for 13 mile round-trip venture from Delmar to Empire State Plaza in downtown Albany. Ride departs at 5:45pm. See www.webmhcc.org or contact kjempie@earthlink.net for more details.

Free “Open House” Day and BBQ at SMBA Trails. Team LUNA Chix of Upstate NY and the Saratoga Mountain Bike Association (SMBA) will be co-hosting several mountain bike rides throughout the day for various ability levels on the SMBA trails in Saratoga Springs. [NOTE: You are not required to be a SMBA member to attend this event.] Beginners, intermediates, and experts all welcome and encouraged to attend. For more information, visit www.saratogamtb.org or contact john@saratogamtb.org or treesawmtb@yahoo.com.

Urban Ride & Grand Opening of “Dream Wheels” exhibit at UAG Gallery, 247 Lark St., Albany. Show runs 5/2-5/23. Proceeds benefit NYBC and the Albany Bicycle Coalition. Urban ride departs at 5:30pm from Civil War Memorial in Washington Park (intersection of Henry Johnson Blvd. & State St.). 12-mile route featuring ABC’s Albany Bike Map and proposed bike routes; returns to UAG gallery for Grand Opening Gala.

Come one, come all, to the first officially promoted cruiser ride of the season!

Meet at 8:00pm at Monty’s Krown, or join us an hour earlier at Dog Town just down the street. To learn more about the cruises, visit the RocBike Cruise section!

Saturday, May 24th 10 AM, (Rain date Sunday 25th) - Tour Ride, 13 -18 mph.

Retro Ride. Rolling 40 miles.

Relive those happier days. Enjoy that old bike and equipment that would ordinarily be an embarrassment to your image. Down tube shifters, dorky helmet, old MHWM jersey, mickey mouse socks- wear them proudly on this ride (We’ll be out in Columbia County so whose gonna see you anyway?) Something outdated but roadworthy required. Remember, it’s not what you ride, but how you ride it.

Schodack Park n Ride, Rts. 20 & 150 (90 East, Exit 11E).

CONTACT: Tim Dormady
(766-2161)
timlor@taconic.net

John Berninger
(439-6473)
jwilbern3333@yahoo.com

Join fellow cyclists around the world to commemorate bikers killed while riding. The Albany route will pass three ghost bikes. For more information, visit the Ride of Silence site.

Join people of all ages and from all over the country on July 6-13, 2008 for the 10th Annual, 8-day, 400-mile, Cycling the Erie Canal bike tour across New York State along the scenic and historic Erie Canal, named a National Heritage Corridor, and enjoy great scenery, interesting history, and unparalleled cycling. You’ll experience the canal and enjoy canal historians’ stories about the people, places and things that made life along the Erie Canal so unique in its day and so important to the history of New York State and the country.

For more information, visit Cycling the Erie Canal.

Here’s the latest cool idea from the folks at Full Moon Vista bike shop:

Sunday June 1st, 2008, 9 a.m. — 1 p.m.
A bicycle ride to benefit the city of Rochester, NY

Adore Your City was created to raise funds, awareness, and community involvement to directly aid in the beautification of our city. Let’s face it, as cyclists we enjoy the good life! It almost seems unfair at times that non-cyclists don’t know what they’re missing, but we can do something to show the world how thrilled we are to be on our bikes… We can start a bike ride with the purpose of making our city a more beautiful place!

The event has three parts:

1. Entry fee: Every participant raises $180. The proceeds go directly to the City of Rochester project Clean Sweep.
2. Cleaning up: All participants commit to four hours of community service in May, 2008.
3. Ride: Here’s the fun part — riding your bike all over the greater Rochester area with people who are enthusiastic about cycling and the world we live in. There are four routes that will be ridden consecutively. Each route is a loop that starts and ends at Full Moon Vista Bike & Sport. Some riders may choose to ride one route, and others may choose to ride all four. Everyone can ride as little or as much as they want.

For more information and to register, visit the Adore Your City site.