Apr
14
Local Advocacy Opportunity
Filed Under Advocacy, Cycling | 2 Comments
I have a chance to be a part of bicycle advocacy efforts starting tonight. While looking up some unrelated information last Friday on our town’s web site, I was surprised to learn that the city (Vista, 35 miles north of San Diego) was inviting residents to join the “Pedestrian and Bicycle Trail Visioning Team.”
“As part of the General Plan Update, we are evaluating the City’s existing network of pedestrian and bicycle trials(sic) and examining how this network can be improved. Ultimately, we will be creating General Plan policies meant to promote walking and biking as safe, viable and appealing transportation options for both residents and visitors.”
The first meeting is tonight. By the quote above from the linked flyer on the city website, things sound encouraging. Then again, since they failed to respond to my email to them last week indicating that I wanted to volunteer, I hope that this isn’t just lip-service and they’re, in fact, just hoping that it will go away quietly. We’ll see. I’ll refrain from condemning them until after the first meeting.
There are four scheduled meetings over the next month listed on the flyer so, at the very least, this should make for a few interesting post topics. Having participated in a number of national advocacy efforts like the Bike Summit and working with groups like Bikes Belong and Trips for Kids, I’m looking forward to actually having a local impact through advocacy.
“Act Locally” as they say. I’ll keep you posted.
And, sorry about the late notice, but… if you live in Vista, California (or work here in the bike industry, for that matter: Haro? Masi? Canari? Electra? Trek Bike Superstore?) come on down. The meeting’s at 5:30.
Mar
18
Thank You Dick Burke and Trek
Filed Under Cycling, Deep Thoughts, Photos | 5 Comments
Chip Smith, our main PR guy and great friend at SOAR Communications, wrote a nice story on their blog last week about hearing of Trek founder Dick Burke’s passing recently and his memories of his first bike - a Trek - and how it inspired him to start riding. My plan was to just re-print an excerpt here and link to the whole piece and as I started writing this, I remembered that it was a Trek that got me into riding, too. While Chip’s was a ‘79 touring model, mine was a circa ‘90 930 mountain bike. Here’s a picture of Chip and his bike (and a bit more hair, as he put it):
My Trek was definitely a child of the late ’80’s. And not just because it was a mountain bike. It was mostly black, but had fluorescent green lettering and highlights. I thought it was a hot looking bike at the time.
Not having ridden since I was a kid back in junior high, I borrowed by Brazilian college roommate’s bike for the Summer. I was staying in my college town to do an internship and said I’d hold onto his bike for the Summer while he was back home in Rio. I was on the rowing team in college and thought that the biking would help me stay in shape for my senior year season. Even though it was an mtb, I don’t think I took it off-road once that summer. The Trek and I just did long rides on the road everyday. The bike had those crazy Scott mtb handlbars (with lime green grips and bar wrap) that curved around to the front into an aero-bar position that I used alot. I thought I was all aero on my off-road bike with knobby tires. Groups of roadies going the other way gave me funny looks. The baggy soccer shorts probably added to the visual humor.
One of the things on that bike that got me hooked on riding and on bikes themselves was a piece of technology: push-button Rapid-Fire shifters. Not the more-recent trigger-style, mind you, but the original two thumb-actuated button shifters. I thought it was so cool that you could just push a button and the bike would shift. That was my first experience with indexed shifting. And while the shifter self-destructed later that Summer, it was enough to get me hooked on bike technology.
When I graduated from college a year later, my parents offered to buy me a graduation gift. I asked for a bike. And since I only ever rode on the road, I asked for a road bike. Even though I lusted after those carbon tubes-bonded-to-aluminum-lug Treks that my college town shop sold (Bicycle Alley in Worcester, MA), back home at my local shop (Greenwich Bicycles in Greenwich, CT) I ended up buying another brand (a ‘92 Bridgestone RB-1 that I still have, btw). My dad was so impressed with that Trek I borrowed, that he bought his own Trek mtb (”for more than I paid for my first motorcycle!” he commented) that same Summer and eventually an OCLV road bike (the’99 Lance Armstrong Tour win commemorative model) and got into riding seriously.
So while I never met the guy and didn’t have an opportunity to meet his son John at the BLC recently, his efforts in founding Trek back ‘76 played a role in Chip and I getting into cycling. Thanks, Mr. Burke!
Feb
29
Article: Year of the Bike in 2008?
Filed Under Advocacy, Cycling, Industry News, Interbike | 1 Comment
I hate to re-hash something that another site has already covered (very nicely, btw), but in this case I think the topic merits another mention in case anyone missed it - especially with the National Bike Summit taking over the Capitol next week.
The article that Jonathan Maus of the awesome bikeportland.org blog discovered recently was written with the Summit in mind by columnist James Peirce of the Washington Post Writer’s Group. Mr. Peirce goes through a list of issues that have been in the headlines recently that all point to a very favorable atmosphere for the growth of the use and acceptability of the bicycle as a legitimate form of transportation and dynamic solution to many of these problems. (That last point also eloquently brought up by Interbike show director, Lance Camisasca, back in 2006, btw.)
Jonathan does a great job of describing the article and has some nice pull-quotes, so I’ll avoid echoing here. Of course, you should read the whole article itself, but one snippet at the end where he describes the significance of Portland’s Bike Boulevards seems an important point, so I’ll excerpt it again here:
“But perhaps most importantly, they’ve marked a major shift from meeting needs of expert and intermediate cyclists. The focus, instead, is on making cycling welcoming for everyone — kids, families and novices included.”
We “expert and intermediate” cyclists in the industry can tend to forget the needs of the masses of non-riders (the 161 million, as I’ve often heard quoted as their number) that we are trying to encourage to leave their cars in the garage. It may be tough to paceline in a bike way or path, but that’s not really the point, is it?
Have fun at the Summit - and go do some good!
Feb
14
“What Word in ‘Bike Lane’ Don’t Drivers Understand?”
Front cover of the Outdoors section of the Orange County (California) Register this morning is this article by columnist David Whiting. My boss, Jim, saw it this morning and brought it in since I don’t live in the OC. But I sure do work here. And ride my bike here.
While the subject is unfortunate, the fact that article takes the cyclists’ point of view is refreshing. You can read the entire article in the link, but a few nice features of the story include:
- The black text box quotes from the California Vehicle Code on bike lanes. It clearly removes any doubt as to the legality of driving in a bike lane from this discussion.
- The ’sub-headline’ reads: “Vehicles illegally in bike lanes kill, maim, and terrify cyclists.”
- The OCR allows comments to its articles posted online so be sure to weigh in on the subject.
Got to run to a meeting now so I can’t expound more, but wanted to get this out.
Feb
1
National Bike Summit - Be There!
Filed Under Advocacy, Cycling, Industry News, Interbike | Leave a Comment
Mark your calendars, this is the big one: the National Bike Summit in Washington, DC, March 4-6, 2008.
The League of American Bicyclists organizes this amazing bicycle advocacy event that seeks to “present a comprehensive, actionable, national bicycling agenda to Congress.” On a personal level, it’s also an awesome civics lesson as you roam the halls of Congress and meet with your elected officials and their staffers and learn the finer points of lobbying and the legislative process through workshops and speaker sessions.
According to the NBS website:
The National Bike Summit provides us with a unique opportunity to inform our members of Congress of the importance of bicycling, and to educate them on specific bicycling issues.
They need delegates from each and every congressional district in the United States at the National Bike Summit this year.
Interbike strongly believes in this event and we are sponsoring it again this year. We also encourage all members of the bike industry on both the manufacturer and retailer side of the business to attend this important gathering in Washington.
Nov
7
I Made the Cover of BR&IN!
Filed Under Cycling, Industry News, Interbike, OutDoor Demo, Photos, Rides | 3 Comments
So this was pretty cool. We got our copies of the latest Bicycle Retailer (the first post-Interbike issue) at the end of last week and look who’s on the cover? It’s Interbike’s marketing manager hosting the Tour of Lake Mead ride at the OutDoor Demo. I’ll admit it: even though it should be old hat at this point, I still get a little excited when I’m quoted in the media. This is the photo they ended up using.
And there’s a funny story that goes along with it. Pull up a chair. Well, it won’t be that long a story.
So I hosted the Lake Mead ride this year. I made sure that my schedule would allow me to ride it this year since I missed last year’s edition. Lance here couldn’t make it this year (he was at the turn around at the lake handing out water, though) so he asked me to welcome everyone, say a few words and give out a few safety instructions about the road closures. I can handle that.
I roll down the hill to the start area and Lauren, Interbike’s Demo operations coordinator, hands me a megaphone and races off to handle other pressing tasks (no shortage of those at ODD). A police officer walks over and gives me some instructions about the roads and what they’ll be doing. We still have some time until the official start and people are still coasting down the hill from the demo area with their borrowed demo bikes, so we wait. I notice Lennard Zinn from VeloNews lined up on the front row so I roll my Masi 3VC over to him to say ‘hi’ and chat about his upcoming appearance in the Media Center and his custom long cranks (by his calculations I should be on 209’s, but that’s another post topic…).
Someone finally gives me the word that it’s time to go, so I fire up the megaphone. I don’t think that I’ve ever actually used a megaphone before and I couldn’t seem to find a button or trigger on this one. At this point everyone lined up for the ride is now looking at me. I finally figure out how to work the thing and I say my words. For the life of me I couldn’t tell you what it was I said. I sort of slip into an out-of-body mode in these un-prepared public speaking situations. Good thing it was just a group of 300 bikers - part of our extended family, right?
My monologue finished, I turn around to hand the megaphone off to someone. With my head spinning back and forth, I realize there’s no one within 15 feet of me and no one who’s there from the IB team. I must have looked dumb as my head spun back and forth around looking for someone who could help me out. Riders are starting to clip in and are getting antsy to start the ride. The nearest familiar face I see is James from Cycling.TV from the photo above. He had placed himself into the back of a station wagon to film the ride. I clumsily stumble over to him with one foot clipped in and megaphone in one hand and begin to toss it toward him.
As if that wouldn’t interrupt his cinematography duties enough, it turns out that the wriststrap is still on my wrist as I toss it and that said strap is attached to the megaphone via the battery compartment. With riders giving up on me and rolling off the line, the battery lid stays attached to my wrist as the megaphone heads toward James and his expensive camera. Unrestrained, the batteries decide to jump ship at this point and head toward the asphalt where they roll away in all directions trying to escape 300 bikers headed their way.
Confirming that they are, in fact, members of the family, riders laughed at me scrambling for batteries from the saddle of my bike (thanks, guys). James missed capturing some of the start as he caught the megaphone, but I guess he also missed catching my fumbling, so it’s all good.
The ride was awesome in the end - even though I got dropped by the lead group on descent near the start. If you haven’t seen it already, Carlton Reid of BikeBiz UK shot a video of the ride. He overlaid names of some industry people he came across on the ride so you can see us all in our natural habitat (on a bike). That’s something you don’t usually get a chance to see.
Back to the latest issue of BR&IN, I’m also in another shot inside on the photo gallery page. Here’s the shot below. Left to right, that’s me, Uwe Weissflog (our European agent), Carlton Reid and Ross Kerber of the Boston Globe with beautiful Lake Mead in the background.
I’m available for autographs at the next industry event (BLC?).
All photos were taken by Gary Newkirk.Â
Oct
31
No, not for your baseball team. Congratulations on having your mayor commit to making Boston a bicycle friendly city. With all of the recent political bashing of the bicycle, it’s refreshing to see the mayor of such a large city get behind bikes and host the Boston Bike Summit to help promote the cause of cycling.
The Bike Summit was held Oct. 22-24 and was sponsored by Bicycling Magazine, the League of American Bicyclists and MassBike. “The Summit was a chance for leaders from the bicycling world to offer advice, information and inspiration to Boston’s mayor, transportation executives and local advocates,” according to an article on BicycleRetailer.com.
I’ve been casually following news from Boston on Mayor Thomas Menino’s newfound positive opinion of bicycles over the last 6 months, or so, that seems to have culminated in this event. He discovered cycling and has been riding his Trek Lime every day.
Kudos also go out to the city for their decision to hire former Olympian and racer Nicole Freedman as their new bike coordinator. I worked briefly with Nicole as a sponsor of one of her teams in a past life and have to say that her enthusiasm for bicycles is genuine. She has a great spirit and always seems to be smiling. And if you’ve ever read any of her writings, she’s got a great sense of humor, too. Good luck in the new job, Nicole!
Read the whole BR&IN article here.
Oct
17
Congressman McHenry’s “19th Century Technology”
Filed Under Advocacy, Cycling, Industry News, Interbike | Leave a Comment
This is old news having happened back in August, but better late than never. I remember hearing about this, but in the lead up to Interbike, I didn’t have time to read more and comment on it. Lance here emailed me a link to a blog post on it and it relates to my previous post on IBTimes.
Preceding Madam Secretary Mary Peters’ statements about the bicycle as a legitimate form of transportation, Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-North Carolina) spent some time on the floor of the Capitol presenting his opinions on the matter. Now, I have to admit that I have a pretty low opinion of all politicians to begin with, but when they go out of their way to make ludicrous statements, like McHenry does here, to promote their points of view, it’s just sad and embarrassing for them. In this case, his disparaging words really are an insult to our entire industry.
DeFeet (who btw made our awesome Interbike socks this year - thanks!), posted a link on their blog to a YouTube clip of McHenry speaking on the floor of Congress about the Democrats’ plans to offer cyclists a tax incentive to commute by bike in one their bills. He’s very dramatic in his presentation, and even has a big poster of an ancient high wheeled bike from, I’m guessing, the 1800’s next to his podium. The riding couple on the bike are Victorian outfits, and clearly he is trying to emphasize and reinforce his statement that the bike is a 19th century technology. How laughable is it, he is in effect saying, that the Democrats are proposing that such an antiquated technology is being promoted as the solution to all our energy problems? (In a funny retort, Paul at DeFeet wrote that the car that he is defending as the ideal mode of transport was invented in the same century.)
I’d just like to know why he, and seemingly so many others like him, feel so much anger towards bikes. I mean, how is a $20 a month tax incentive for people who commute by bike going to so severely and negatively affect his campaign donor special interests? That’s what all politics comes down to, isn’t it? The obvious big oil/car company interests would seem like an obvious foe of bikes, but are we really even on their radar screen enough to motivate McHenry to get so worked up? What’s behind this hatred of bikes as transportation?
What am I missing, here?
Thanks to DeFeet for finding and putting this important clip out there.
Oct
15
Zigmont Response to Transp. Secretary Mary Peters
Filed Under Advocacy, Cycling, Industry News, Interbike | 2 Comments
Chris Zigmont of Pedro’s, copied me on an email that he sent to the Secretary of Transportation, Mary Peters, in response to something ridiculous that she said recently regarding the value of transportation funds that are spent on bicycle projects and was reported on this morning by Bicycle Retailer. I thought it was a thoughtful and entertaining retort to her comments and contained some useful links to help educate her. Chris managed to fit in a subtle dig at her statement, but it’s buried deep within a constructive attempt to eductate her and those like her - unfortunately, many more than we would like to admit here in the US. Well, done, Chris!
With his permission to reprint it, enjoy:
Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Ave, SE
Washington, DC 20590
Dear Secretary Peters,
I don’t normally write government officials, especially appointed ones, as it is usually a waste of time and this time is likely no exception. However this time I am compelled. Having just returned from the bicycle industry’s annual national trade meeting and seeing the traction that transportation and utility bicycles have finally made in the US domestic market, I was genuinely disappointed to read some of the comments you’ve made recently regarding the status of walking and cycling in the nation’s transportation scheme (http://www.bicycleretailer.com/news/newsDetail/496.html among other places). As a career transportation operative, I am surprised that you aren’t familiar with the successes realized by cities and nations around globe in utilizing bicycles and walking as part of the overall intermodal transportation efforts. You seem out of touch. I understand however that once trapped inside the beltway, it can be difficult to see much past the challenges that governing and administrating such a large operation can bring every day. Don’t worry, I’m here to help.
Below are several links to key sites to bring you up to speed on cycling and transportation. The next time you speak publicly you will appear more informed and in-touch with what is going on with us rank and file citizens that are truly concerned about congestion, air quality and health, and improved efficiencies in transportation.
Some sites to help you see bikes in a new way:
Bikeportland.org
I put this one in so you might see how an entire city cycles for one reason or another. Portland is a great town, I suggest you go if you haven’t been.
Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition
TreeHugger.com One of my favorites, but if you lunch with Secretary Kempthorne, I wouldn’t bring up your surfing here
I also scrapped together Treehugger’s Bicycle archives. Good stuff!
The World’s Embrace
It’s part of life in the Netherlands www.ski-epic.com/amsterdam_bicycles
… and Denmark members.aol.com/humorme81/citybike.htm
Paris (not Hilton) caught on …
…now US cities consider the idea. Hey, there might be something to these bicycle things!
Don’t worry; you can use these links without getting in trouble with your boss as Al Gore didn’t really invent the internet.
I hope this helps. You can see that literal billions of people use bikes for transportation, and many more Americans want to and can with your help and understanding. I read on your Bio that you and I share a passion for motorcycles. Well, cycling is in many ways the same and twice as enjoyable. You should try it. Let me know if you’d like help finding a bike shop in your neighborhood.
Enjoy the ride,
Christopher Zigmont
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Christopher Zigmont, General Manager
PEDRO’S
600 Research Drive
Wilmington, MA 01887
www.pedros.com
Aug
14
Vegas Bike Race Fever - Catch It!
Filed Under Attendee News, Cycling, Exhibitor News, Interbike, Racing | 7 Comments
Ok. Maybe you noticed already, but the crit in Vegas is now called the “World Championship Sports Network USA Crits Finals - presented by Interbike.” It’s a mouthful, but all those words should mean that we’ll have an awesome night of racing on Thursday night of Interbike.
Here’s a little update to fill you in on what’s happening with the Industry Cup race that’s happening between the pro men’s and women’s races. Judging by the quality of some of the “industry” racers, there shouldn’t be that much difference in speed from the pro’s.
The teams that are signed up so far to compete (as of Aug 13, 2007):
Cyclesafe.com
Bike Hugger
Fuji Bicycles
Clifbar
J&B Importers
Orbea (2 teams)
Pacific Cycles/Schwinn/Saris (2 teams)
Pearl Izumi
Carmichael Training Systems
Road Magazine
Descente
Shimano
Bicycling Magazine
Giant Bicycles
Training Peaks
Baby Jogger
Defeet
Check out some of the interesting individuals within those teams that should make for a great race:
Gary Erickson, the founder of Clifbar will be racing on the Clifbar Team. Any other CEO’s out there wanna mix it up?
My former New England ride guide at Pedro’s Fest, Mark McCormack (a former US PRO Champion) will be racing on his employer Fuji’s Team. Ready for some speed?
You may not know it, but Bicycling Magazine’s publisher, João Correia, is a former - Portugal National Team Member and Worlds Participant. He’ll be defending Bicycling’s honor in Vegas.
Surprise, surprise: Wayne Stetina, former multiple-time US Champion and member of the US Bicycling Hall of Fame has to be one of the favorites with the Shimano team.
Erik Saunders - A former professional who heads up the cyclesafe.com program will be racing in their kit. I roomed with Erik and team mates at the old Killington Stage Race, oh, 7 or 8 years ago now? A good guy and a great racer. One of the top crit racers out there. Watch out.
And, as if there weren’t enough former pro racers already, seems like Gord Fraser might be lining up that evening to put some hurt on the field. He really should need no introduction, but, basically, he’s a former winner of everything. Rumor has it that the newest CTS coach will be racing in the Carmichael Training Systems colors. Looking forward to my lesson in pain that night, Mr. Fraser.
If you haven’t already signed up for the Cup race and are thinking about it, I’d get my application in pronto. Should one be a heck of a race.
BTW, I had a nice long chat with a certain ‘G.L.’ at our Health+Fitness Business trade show 2 weeks ago, and he expressed some serious interest in racing. He did ask if there would be doping controls, though. 
I’ll keep you posted on what’s going on behind the scenes with the crit - and the Cross race: Don’t forget about Cross Vegas, baby! Heard form the promoter a couple of days ago that there are some big CX guns lined up for that one, too.
And with this post done, I’m going to try to squeeze in a lunch time ride so that I can, at least, not get dropped by the field…