A message from the New York State Bicycling Coalition and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign:

(June 21, 2010) — In Albany, bicycling advocates are working overtime to help assure the passage of a Complete Streets law—sweeping legislation that will create more livable, bikeable and walkable communities across the state. This proposed law would direct the state Department of Transportation to consider bicycle and pedestrian accommodations in the planning and development of state, county, and local roads and other transportation facilities. NYBC is working closing with the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, AARP and other groups to get this legislation passed.

On June 17, the Senate passed the bill 53-3. Unfortunately, Assemblyman David Gantt of Rochester has amended the Assembly version of the bill in a way that would render the legislation useless in its impact.

The only way to get this process back on track is if we can get bicycling advocates — particularly those in Rochester, where Assembly Gantt is based — to make their voices heard!

Visit NYBC’s Take Action! page to learn how you can help secure the passage of this bill.

Be there at 5:30! More information here.

The statewide initiative to enact a safe passing law for cyclists is stalled in the state Assembly’s Transportation Committee. We need your help to convince Transportation Committee Chairman David Gantt to allow the bill to move forward.

The bill would require drivers to give cyclists a three-foot buffer when passing. Gantt’s staff maintains we don’t need to enumerate the distance. They say a bill requiring that motorists pass at a “safe distance” would suffice.

But requiring a “safe distance” for passing is too ambiguous and does not provide a clear point of reference for the driving public. The bill emerged last fall after Greenburgh resident Merrill Cassell was sideswiped by a Beeline bus on Route 119 and killed when the bus ran over him.

The bill – A10697 – is patterned after laws in 15 states, which require the three-foot buffer. The latest to enact the three-foot law is Mississippi. Others are Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin. Similar laws have been proposed in nine other states.

We need to let Gantt know that the cycling community wants the three-foot passing law.

The main purpose of the law is to educate the public about how far is a safe distance to pass bicyclists. Many motorists believe that just avoiding contact with a cyclist is required. Many motorists are unaware of the danger of passing a cyclist too closely. It can result in hitting the cyclist, or startling the cyclist and resulting in a crash to avoid the car.

Law enforcement officials in states where the law is in place say it has been an effective educational tool. It gives officers, government officials and civic groups the opportunity to inform motorists of the safe distance.

You can email Gantt at GanttD@assembly.state.ny.us
You can call his office at 518-455-5606
You can fax a letter to 518-455-5419
You can send a letter to Assemblyman Gantt at
LOB 830
Albany, NY 12248
518-455-5606

Thank you for your support.
Richard DeSarra
New York Bicycling Coalition and Rochester Bicycling Club

(Be sure to read Part 1 before you read this post. It may not help, but it probably won’t hurt.)

An elevation map of the completed portion of our ride.

It doesn’t look all that bad when you map out the elevation on the graph above. A few hundred feet of climbing, a couple 4% and 5% grades, but not too bad.

Oh wait, I forgot that there were 400+ pounds of Rotarians on one bike. That’s why it was so hard.

The plan was a simple one: Keep the gears low. Have the SAG wagon stop every couple miles and wait for us to pass. Take a break whenever necessary. Don’t fall of the bike, get crushed by a tractor trailer or keel over from the exertion. No problem, right?

We rode and climbed and rode and climbed. A few miles along, there was our SAG wagon. Pren gave us the mileage count (there was no computer on the bike) and we kept going. We had enough air in our lungs to chat most of the time, and we told each other about our careers, our families, and why we would never, ever, ever, ever, ever volunteer for anything at Rotary ever again. Ever. Really.

Bill and me, smiling through our tears.

You know how when you have a really nice bike seat that’s like a couch cushion and you’ve been riding it for years and then you switch to a hard bike seat with no cushy properties at all and your rear end really hurts? No? Well I do. The seat on the tandem was apparently an unpadded piece of steel, possibly studded with spikes. I neglected to wear padded cycling shorts under my clothes. I never do, because the seat on my Xtracycle is so comfortable that I could bike naked if I wasn’t afraid Marlin Perkins would be overhead in a helicopter with a dart gun.

This bike seat, though, would have been better suited to transporting prisoners during the Spanish Inquisition. A few miles on this thing and they’d be converting to Catholicism faster than you can say, “Fetch the comfy chair!” I could go only a couple miles at a time before I had to stand up and stretch my … um … whatever it is that stretches down there.

Bill, meanwhile, had seat issues of his own. His seat wasn’t actually screwed tightly onto the bike, and it was constantly shifting position, forcing Bill to hang on for dear life like a rodeo rider on a bucking bronco. To Bill’s credit, he never said a word about it. Hey wait a minute — he kept offering to switch seats. Biiiillllllll! (Picture me shaking my fist.)

Another few miles, more hills, Pren in the SAG wagon. Nine miles (halfway there), more hills, Pren in the SAG wagon. Twelve miles, more hills, no Pren, but he must be just up ahead. Thirteen miles, more hills … uh … where’s Pren, exactly? I’m sure we’ll see him over the next hill. Nope. Maybe the next one. Nope. Maybe–

What’s that noise?

At about 13 miles we heard a sharp metallic pinging sound, followed immediately by a rubbing sound. (Excuse all the technical language.) I don’t know about other physical activities, but those sounds usually don’t accompany successful cycling trips. We hopped off the bike to see what was what, but we didn’t spot anything. I thought it might be the rear brake, which I’d had to disconnect and then reconnect when we changed the tire at the gas station back in Part 1. Soon, though, Bill figured it out: We’d broken a spoke and the wheel was becoming less round than is ideal for a wheel. The rubbing sound was caused by the now elliptical wheel wobbling into the brake pads.

I don’t know how well you know Bill and I, but although we’re renowned for our looks, charm, virility and spring-fresh scents, we are not, apparently, known for our brains. “What the heck,” quoth we in beautiful harmony, “it’s only six more miles. And we’ve got no tools! And our SAG wagon is missing! Let’s do it!”

We were entering East Greenbush, which meant a long downhill into the town of Rensselaer before we crossed the Hudson River and reached Albany. Bill suggested we go slowly down the hill, using only the front brake and the gears to control our speed. I did my best. We made it gently down the first hill and up the next.

Well, we made it most of the way up the next hill. At about 14 miles into the trip, we heard, and I quote:

Hisssssssssssss…

I’m sure you’re way ahead of me here, but unless you’ve brought a snake on your bike ride, hissing ain’t great. The wheel, which had been rapidly deteriorating, finally got to the point where it pinched the tube, which popped, letting out the air in our rear tire.

We pulled into the first driveway we came to — a Burger King. We had no means of repairing the bike, and no SAG wagon. Even better, as I might have mentioned earlier, Bill didn’t have the cell phone number of the SAG wagon driver, so we had no way to contact him. Nor did we have any idea where he was. “Maybe he went on to the auction without us,” we thought.

We sat in a booth in the Burger King, where I put on a paper crown while we tried to figure out what to do next. I used Bill’s cell phone to call my wife, but she wasn’t home. While I was calling her, I noticed that the phone was nearly dead. Bill said he’d charged it fully before we left. We hadn’t reckoned on the cold, though, which must have sapped the battery. We probably had enough charge for one more phone call.

It was then that Bill remembered that he had the number for Wolfert’s Roost Country Club, where our fellow Rotarians were having lunch and the auction at that very moment. Also at the meeting was Greg, who had brought his pickup truck for the express purpose of delivering the tandem bike to the winning bidder after the auction. Bill called the Roost, the Roost found Greg, Greg found us, and all was well.

As we crammed into the cab of Greg’s truck, we inquired about the health and safety of our SAG wagon driver. “He’s in the buffet line at the Roost,” Greg said. Ah.

Within a few minutes we were at the club, where we entered to thundering applause. We auctioned off the bike (and many other items) to raise more than $5,000 for various international projects, including ShelterBox, clean water projects, and Rotary’s nearly complete effort to eradicate polio from the face of the planet.

In the days since our ride, Bill and I have received even more money than was pledged to us, which will enable the club to buy a third Shelter Box.

Richard, who won the bike, discovered that in addition to the broken spoke, we’d also bent the axle of the rear wheel. He had it repaired and all is well. He will now be tormenting his teenage daughter by making her ride tandem with him.

My rear end has recovered, and Bill and I are already planning our next adventure. It will probably involve bikes. And maybe weight loss. And definitely cushier seats.

First, some background points that will help make the story clearer:

1. I’m a member of Rotary, and specifically a member of the Rotary Club of Albany. I love Rotary, not least because being a Rotary exchange student in 1991-92 completely changed my life and led to most of what I’ve done since. I also appreciate the way my membership and activity in Rotary helps me have a positive impact in my own community and around the world.
2. Rotary is involved with an organization called ShelterBox, an international disaster relief charity that delivers emergency shelter, warmth and dignity to people affected by disaster worldwide. It’s an incredible organization, and you should give them some money if you can, and maybe see if your workplace or school would be interested in sponsoring a box. Right now, they’re on the ground in Haiti providing immediate shelter:
   

3. This year, the Rotary Club of Albany gave approximately $2,400 to ShelterBox from the 2008 edition of our annual auction. That’s enough to buy 2.4 boxes.

And so, the story:

At a Rotary meeting several weeks ago, Charlotte, the president of our club, announced that she had a tandem bike to donate to the 2009 auction. The bike was used by two people during the Cycling The Erie Canal event. These two folks rode the tandem from Buffalo to Albany. When they got to Albany, Rotarians from my club were there to give all the riders rides to their hotels or to the train station. The tandem crew surprised the volunteers by donating their tandem bike for use at our auction. Cool, right?

So now this bike was at Charlotte’s house, and she didn’t have a way to get it the 16 miles to Albany. Either my fellow Rotarian Bill Corbett or I — I’m not sure who gets the blame — suggested that we should ride it. (You make recognize Bill’s name because he’s contributed to RocBike in the past.) I chimed in to say that we should be paid for doing so through charitable donations toward the auction proceeds. Everyone in the room agreed to pay us $16 each ($1/mile) if we rode the bike from Niverville to Albany. We agreed. It was on.

The auction was supposed to happen in December, but a blizzard ended up canceling our meeting, and we rescheduled for January 6. Bill and I met that morning at Wolfert’s Roost Country Club, where we hold our meetings. Another Rotarian gave us a ride to Niverville to get the bike. That person was also going to serve as our SAG wagon in case any problems occurred.

It’s at this point that I would like to make note of one difference between drivers and cyclists. Our club president, who drives from her house to the meeting, told us it was 16 miles. It’s actually 19.4 miles. That doesn’t mean much when you’re driving, but when you’re riding in 20-degree weather up big hills, those extra miles count. And no, 19.4 miles isn’t that far. Bill and I have both ridden farther than that on many occasions. (See here and here for the tale of my most recent long ride, which was also a fundraiser.) But it’s far enough, as you’ll see.

Our first mistake occurred in Charlotte’s kitchen. Pren, our SAG driver, got Bill’s phone number and put it in his cell phone. Then he asked Bill a question that would resonate later on: “Do you want my number?” Bill replied: “No, I’m not going to be calling you.” Foreshadowing, anyone?



Bill and me with the bike in the garage

We encountered the next problem as soon as we looked at the bike — the rear tire was flat. We already knew this, though, so Bill had brought a pump. As it turns out, this was the only useful item either of us had brought along. All of the other useful things that became necessary later on? Not so much.

Bill pumped up the tire, we said our goodbyes, handed over the life insurance paperwork, and prepared to ride to Albany. We got as far as the end of the driveway before the rear tire was flat again. Luckily, the donors of the bike had also donated two brand new tubes. So we got out our tire levers and–

Oh wait, we didn’t have any tire levers. Nor did we have a wrench to take the wheel off. As it turned out, neither did Charlotte or her husband Paul. Not to worry, though, down the road about a half-mile was a gas station. Off we went, pushing the bike. Surely, even in this day and age, a gas station would have a wrench or two, right?

Wrong. The gas station attendant had a screwdriver large enough for a sword fight, but no wrenches. As it turns out, though, the cycling gods were with us, because there in the gas station parking lot was a Snap-On Tools truck. Yes, a truck with every kind of wrench and useful implement known to man was parked at the out-of-the-way country gas station to which we happened to push the bike. Within a few minutes we had the tire changed and inflated and we were pedalling toward Albany.

It was cold that day. Very cold. And windy. Very windy. And I made what can only be classified as a rookie mistake. Having never ridden a tandem before, I told Bill that he could choose his seat — front or rear. He chose the back because, as it turns out, he’s not an idiot. He knew that it would be much nicer to have a very large guy blocking the wind for 20 miles than to be the windshield. (In his defense, he did offer to switch after several miles, but by that time I had warmed to the role and was enjoying being in front. That decision also saved me from the blame for … well, I’m getting ahead of the story.)

In the next installment: 400+ pounds is heavy … we climb and we climb … the SAG driver and the buffet line … axle me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies … we meet the Burger King and obtain his crown … and more!

READ PART 2

***ACTION ALERT***
NYSDOT Proposing Widespread Use of Rumble Strips on Secondary Highways, Posing New Hazards to Bicyclists

Contact NYSDOT and Your Legislators—Urge NYSDOT Not to Jeopardize the Safety of Its Roadway Users!
CURRENT NYSDOT POLICY: Do not install rumble strips on secondary roads except in rare instances
PROPOSED NYSDOT POLICY: Installation of rumble strips will be the preferred practice in the design of all secondary roads with a few exceptions

RUMBLE STRIPS are a well-documented hazard to bicyclists. Accepted practice nationwide dictates that rumble strips be used only sparingly on roads permitting cycling

NYSDOT is proposing an Engineering Instruction (EI), titled “Secondary Highway Audible Roadway Delineators – Guidance and Policy,” which is at variance with the practices recommended by the Federal Highway Administration, The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and other standards setting agencies. Such national agencies generally recommend if rumble strips to be used on two-lane roads if there is a documented run-off-the road accident problem—and then, used only as a last resort due to the hazards they may create for other roadway users, including bicyclists.

Contact NYSDOT and your legislators to urge NYSDOT to not issue the proposed policy. Ask them to work with groups, such as the New York Bicycling Coalition, organizers of bicycling tours and events, and local cycling clubs to construct a less hostile policy that better balances the needs of motorist and bicyclist safety.

BACKGROUND: Rumble strips, as illustrated, are audible roadway delineators or indentations in the shoulder pavement that make sound when a car runs over them at high speeds. While an important safety tool used to prevent run-offs on high-speed Interstates and other limited access highways, they are a well-documented hazard to individuals on bicycles and should be used only sparingly on roads permitting cycling. NYSDOT is proposing to replace current stated policy — not have rumble strips on secondary roads except in rare instances — with a new one declaring “installation of shoulder rumble strips to be the preferred practice in the design of all secondary highways” with a few exceptions.

In short, the proposal would have NYSDOT install rumble strips (with certain exceptions) on secondary roadways throughout New York State, compromising bicyclists’ safety and the quality of riding surfaces on thousands of miles otherwise scenic roadways. National practice is to have rumble strips nowhere with some exceptions on secondary roadways. By taking the opposite tack, NYSDOT’s policy promiscuously promotes rumble strips, going far beyond what is seen as efficient deployment. Aside from the policy’s cost implications, it is unwise. It means rumble strips in urban areas, creating or adding to the din. It means rumble strips on roads with speeds too low to generate sound. Rumble strips also mean higher maintenance costs for the taxpayer. And, of course, they pose a danger to cyclists by causing spills, erratic avoidance maneuvers, or causing them to avoid the shoulder and ride mingled in automobile traffic.

A check of other states with such secondary highway policies shows they require an accident analysis be done before such rumble strip use; the proposed NYSDOT policy does not. Other states specify where rumble strips are used, have at least 5 feet of paved shoulder between them and any guardrail; the proposed NYSDOT policy does not. Other states say not to even consider rumble strips unless there are high speeds and high traffic volumes: while the proposed NYSDOT policy does have speed and volume thresholds, they are considerably lower than those of any other state. There are dozens of other such examples in this EI where the proposed policy varies from generally accepted practice.

Action Alert from NYBC (Continued)

Contact NYSDOT and your legislators to urge NYSDOT to not issue the proposed policy TODAY. Call, write, or email (or utilize all 3 methods of communication) your Assembly Member, State Senator and the Commissioner of Transportation.

WHO REPRESENTS ME?

Prefer to mail?
Simply send a postcard (28¢ each at your nearest US Post Office) to your legislators and the Commissioner. For an investment of 84¢, you have the ability to improve bicycling throughout New York State, including in your village, town or city. Or, if easier, just stuff a copy of this notice in an envelope (adding personal comments if you wish) and mail (44¢ postage) it off to the Commissioner and elected representatives..

WHO REPRESENTS ME?

Who’s my Assemblyperson?
Click here to search by Zip Code http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/

Who’s my NYS Senator?
Click here to search by Zip Code http://www.nysenate.gov/senators

At the above sites, clicking on the highlighted names will bring you directly to the legislator’s official website where you may make comments.

How to contact NYSDOT:
Website: Click here to email NYSDOT https://www.nysdot.gov/about-nysdot/contact
Or write: Commissioner Stanley Gee
NYS Department of Transportation
50 Wolf Rd.
Albany, NY 12232

About the New York Bicycling Coalition
The New York Bicycling Coalition is dedicated to preserving New York State’s wide and smoothly paved shoulder network as an important asset for use by the State’s residents (bicyclists and pedestrians) as well as visiting cyclists. Since 1992, the New York Bicycling Coalition (NYBC) has served as the only statewide, not-for-profit organization of its kind advocating various “Share the Road” education and safety initiatives on behalf of both cyclists and motorists, while working to assure highway, street, and transit facilities are amenable to bicyclists and pedestrians. Support Our Efforts to Increase Bicycling and Pedestrian Safety and Access Today by joining online: http://www.nybc.net/donate

The Guardian is featuring a story today by Peter Walker about the bicycle as the vehicle of civil disobedience. Here’s an excerpt:

So what is it that makes the bicycle and the demonstration such good companions? To me, there are two factors at play.

Firstly, if you’re in a group, there is something undeniably liberating about riding around a city surrounded by cyclists. I’ve never been on a Critical Mass ride, so going to Blackheath was a strange sensation – no longer a vulnerable solo rider lined up against the massed metal forces of the motorised traffic, I was part of an entity too big to ignore or shove unthinkingly into the kerb.

Second, if you’re a solo campaigner in an urban environment then the bike is the mode of transport most guaranteed to get you to your protest on time and – perhaps more important still – give you the best chance of slipping away from pursuing authorities. When I worked for another news organisation in Beijing I’d regularly pedal to meetings or protests, nipping down narrow lanes to shake off the unmarked police cars, which routinely trail foreign journalists in China.

Many thanks to Bob for getting us an exclusive showing of Veer.

Veer is a documentary about the Portland, Oregon, bike scene. It is large and multifaceted. They follow a couple of groups around, from the DIY bike repair shops, to the lobbyists, to the synchronized mini-bike dancers, to the bike chariot racers. There’s a lot, so it’s worth seeing, whether you ride your bike or not.

I think people in Oregon are perhaps too interested in riding mini-bikes (kids bikes) and tall bikes. But at least they’re having fun. And that’s what I think is important. The majority of this documentary is about people having fun on bikes and changing what riding a bike means. They talk about how it’s not just about fitness or transportation anymore.

If Veer is meant to be inspirational and make you think about the bike community in your city, I think it sets the bar unreasonably high. Portland has been building their bicycle community for decades. I didn’t see anyone in that documentary whining about being passed too closely by a car, or crying about a lack of bike lanes. In fact, one guy got a ticket for breaking traffic laws and actually shook the officer’s hand. Cyclists in Portland are responsible riders. In Albany, we’re still struggling to get people (drivers and cyclists alike) to recognize that bikes belong in the streets.

Lately I’ve gotten a smidge more involved in things. At the very least I’ve started writing more helpful articles. Turns out, they are only helpful for starting heated debates. Which is really very disappointing. It makes one think that nobody really wants to change anything, they just want to get upset tell everyone how terribly they’ve been treated.

Gandhi said “be the change you want to see in the world.” I think about this every day. I’ll write an article about riding with traffic, and then I’ll go out and I’ll see somebody riding against traffic, and I hope they see me, riding with traffic, and I hope they get the hint. I’ll write an article about obeying red lights, and not riding like a jackass, and I hope that every time I stop at a red light and be courteous to the other people on the road (and I mean drivers, too), that they see that, and recognize that. I hope that for every drunk-in-the-afternoon college jock who sarcastically calls out “nice bike,” there’s some kid who sees a grown up riding a bike with his lunch in a basket on the back and thinks “that’s cool.” I hope that a driver sees me signaling my intention to turn, or waiting for a green light, or stopping for a pedestrian in a crosswalk, and says “whoa, a cyclist who is not a self-righteous punk.”

(To be honest, I always thought this was the point of Critical Manners. That as a group we would teach each other how to ride safely and responsibly, and we would show the rest of the world that not everybody on a bike is a jerk. And maybe we could get some new people to show up once in a while, and if we were nice to them, and made friends with them, maybe they’d stick around and learn something and pass it on.)

I don’t think we all have to go to Capital Hill with bikes and signs and protest. What we all have to do is be nice and ride our bikes. Be nice. Ride your bike. Ring your bell. Wave to other cyclists. Say “hi” to people raking their lawns. Be happy, smile, and enjoy riding your bike.

Friday is the first day of Bike Month. I am super psyched about what’s going on in the capital region. Write ups on the Albany Bicycle Coalition, and Bike Albany.

Also received this by email, from the NYBC:

In order to promote cycling, advance traffic safety, and raise awareness of bicycling and pedestrian-related issues amongst our elected representatives currently in session, the New York Bicycling Coalition has organized a full roster of Bike Month activities in the Capital District. Exciting activities include bicycle safety education courses and LCI Training Seminar; a bicycle-themed art show; “Two Wheels Good” film festival; the ever-popular SIGMA Commuter Contest; National Bike to Work Day; and the National Ride of Silence. Please consult the full calendar (attached) and refer to www.nybc.net for more information and ways to get involved.

5/1-5/2: Traffic Skills 101. Taught by certified LCIs, this 9-hour curriculum gives cyclists the confidence they need to ride safely and legally in traffic or on the trail. Covers bicycle safety checks, fixing a flat, bike-handling skills and crash avoidance techniques. Recommended for adults and children above age 14, this fast-paced 2-day course prepares cyclists for a full understanding of vehicular cycling. Location: SUNY Albany Downtown Campus, 135 Washington Ave. Draper 147. For full details and course registration info, visit http://nybc.net/?page_id=3 .

5/1-5/22: “Grand Tour: Bicycle, Transportation & Travel” Art Exhibit. Upstate Artists Guild, 247 Lark St., Albany. Opening Reception & Urban Ride 5/1/09, 6-9PM. Note: special bicycle-themed art & reception at Downtube Bicycle Shop, 466 Madison Ave., Albany. 1st Friday Ride, hosted by the Albany Bicycle Coalition, will stop at Exhibit and other 1st Friday art venues. Donations accepted to benefit ABC & NYBC. For more information, visit: http://upstateartistsguild.org/GrandTour.

5/8: “Two Wheels Good” Bike Film Festival. The Sanctuary for Independent Media, 3361 6th Ave., Troy; 7 PM. Collection celebrates all aspects of bicycle culture, from competitive mountain biking to urban “alleycat” racing to daily commuting, bike polo, and Critical Mass. Selection includes a variety of filmmakers and spans genres from documentary to narrative, animation to sports, art & music videos. Co-sponsored by NYBC and Troy Bike Rescue; valet bike parking available. Admission by donation ($10 suggested, $5 student/low income). See www.mediasanctuary.org for details and directions.

5/8-5/10: Bike to Albany’s Tulip Festival. A highly anticipated spring tradition, over 200,000 tulip bulbs will blossom into a sea of colors amidst of thousands of attendees Mother’s Day weekend in Washington Park. The City of Albany is taking a step forward to promote green initiatives and reduce congestion on the roadways by encouraging attendees to RIDE, rather than drive, to the event. Designated racks and valet bicycle parking and will be available at the Willett & Madison Ave. entrance and featured as part of the Tulip Festival Wellness Garden, promoting wellness of mind, body, spirit, and planet. Steiner’s Sports will be on-hand to offer free safety checks and quick tune-ups to keep you rolling. Visit http://www.albanyevents.org for full schedule of activities.

5/13: Driver’s Ed. For Cyclists: a FREE Hands-On Training For Educators. 7AM – 2:30PM, Six Flags Great Escape Lodge, Queensbury. Educators who work with children grades 4 and up will gain the skills and instructional techniques necessary to teach students in P.E. classes, after-school programs and summer camps. Topics such as age-appropriate bicycle handling skills, bicycle laws, cyclist’s responsibilities, proper bike and helmet fitting, the use of gears and breaks and how to avoid crashes will be covered. Participants will also receive instructional materials and have an opportunity to take part in hands-on skill drills. Training is co-sponsored by NYBC, GTSC, Glens Falls Hospital and Upper Hudson Primary Care Consortium NYSDOH Healthy Heart Programs, the Cornell Local Roads Program, and Bike New York.

5/14: SIGMA Commuter Contest. This exciting competition pits bicyclists against motorists and transit riders during rush-hour traffic to determine the most efficient means of transportation. For the past 5 years, the bicyclist has been the winner–join us this year to see if we can make it 6 in a row! Start time: 5PM sharp. Location: Starbucks to Starbucks (10 N Pearl St., Albany to Stuyvesant Plaza, 1475 Western Ave.). Fabulous prizes courtesy of Sigma and Steiner’s Sports.

5/14: VEER the movie. Two showings! 7:30 & 9:15 pm. The Madison Theater (Albany). Special one-night screening of new documentary of the Portland, OR cycling community. Sponsors include: CK Cycles, Steiner’s Sports, The Downtube, The Dead Presidents Lounge, Bomber’s Burritos, Lark Tavern, 518prints.com, UrbanVelo.org. $6/($5 for ABC & NYBC members). Membership is free and you can sign up at the door. ABC will also be collecting $$ donations for the KONA AFRICA BIKE PROGRAM.

5/15: National Bike to Work Day. Sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists, individuals across the country are encouraged to commute to work by bike. The Saratoga Healthy Transportation Network is sponsoring the “First Annual” Saratoga Bike To Work Challenge. Companies with offices/workplaces in Saratoga County are encouraged to form Bike To Work Teams and compete for the highly coveted “The Gear Head Trophy.” To register, go to www.healthytransportation.org. For more information and resources on bicycle commuting, visit www.nybc.net.

5/16: Club Picnic, Ride and Swap Meet. 10AM, Colonie Town Park. The Mohawk Hudson Cycling Club invites all local cyclists & their families to come celebrate Capital Bike Month with the club and meet some new cyclists/friends. Rides of varying categories (casual, tour, mountain bike); potluck lunch; post-ride swap meet. Consult the Ride Calendar on http://webmhcc.org for full details.

5/20: National Ride of Silence. 6PM. Start location: Corning Preserve, Albany. 12 mile route will pass ghost bikes commemorating the deaths of 3 local cyclists. For more details, visit www.rideofsilence.org or www.nybc.net .

5/29-5/31: LCI Training Seminar. Becoming a League Cycling Instructor (LCI) certified to teach BikeEd is a great way to help cyclists in your community. If you are an experienced cyclist and would like to teach others, consider taking the next step towards certification and help bring the joy of safe cycling to others. NOTE: Road I is a prerequisite for a certification seminar. For full details and course registration info, visit http://nybc.net/?page_id=3. Co-sponsored by NYBC, Bike New York, and the League of American Bicyclists.

Nominations Currently Being Accepted for NYBC’s Commuter of the Year Award
NYBC is seeking nominations for its annual Bicycle Commuter of the Year Award. Bicyclists of any age who are NYS residents and commute to work or school on a regular basis are encouraged to apply. Submissions should include a brief written description, in 50 words or less, of why the person nominated is worthy of the award; deadline is Monday,May 11th. Winners will be announced on National Bike to Work Day: Friday, May 15th, 2009. Entries may be sent to: New York Bicycling Coalition, P.O. Box 8868, Albany, NY 12208 or e-mailed to Claire Nolan, NYBC Board Member, at cbnolou@yahoo.com

Celebrate National Bike Month: enter our 2009 Bike Giveaway and help make New York a more bicycle-friendly state!

Win a new Originate Urban Cyckel, generously donated by CK Cycles, and ride in style. Join or renew your membership to NYBC from now until August 31st, 2009, and your name will be automatically included in our 2009 Bike Giveaway drawing!

Grand drawing to be held September 1st, 2009. For official rules, photos, and other details, visit www.nybc.net .

It’s going to be a fun month.