Ride your bike to work on May 17

Savannah will join cities all over the United States to celebrate National Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 17. Citizens can participate in a group commute from Habersham Village Shopping Center to Johnson Square, where bicycle commuters will enjoy coffee from The Coffee Fox and healthy snacks. The group commute will leave Habersham Village at 7:30 a.m. A press conference in Johnson Square will highlight some exciting developments impacting cycling in Savannah.

Since 2000, bicycle commuting has increased 47 percent in the U.S. and more than 400 percent in some communities. There is growing interest in bicycle commuting here in Savannah and we invite experienced and new commuters to join us on May 17.

According to the League of American Bicyclists, which sponsors Bike to Work Day and National Bike Month, more than half of the U.S. population lives within five miles of their workplaces, making bicycling a feasible and fun way to get to work. Many people in Savannah live a similar distance from their jobs and we hope they will enjoy this opportunity to take two wheels to work. This event is cosponsored by the City of Savannah.

Choose your own cycling adventure on May 16

adventure cycling assocation flag

ACA_LogosStackEveryday cycling can be and adventure and that’s what attracts many of us to it. But what about a real bicycling Adventure, with a capital A? The kind of cycling experience that involves multiple days, passes through beautiful scenery and makes lasting memories — that’s the type of experience the Adventure Cycling Association is bringing to Savannah.

Adventure Cycling Association Executive Director Jim Sayer is bicycling from Charleston to St. Augustine, Florida, with his daughter on an Adventure Cycling tour. On May 16 at 6:30 p.m., the Savannah Bicycle Campaign is hosting a presentation by Sayer at the Creative Coast, 15 W. York St.

Enjoy refreshments, meet kindred cycling spirits, and hear the latest in bike travel and cycling in North America. Sayer will discuss

This event is free and open to the public. If you’d like to attend, please join the Facebook event.

CycloFemme Savannah: Ride to celebrate women cyclists on May 12

“Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel…the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.” ― Susan B. Anthony

spokemodelsSpokeModels, a new cycling program sponsored by the Savannah Bicycle Campaign, is hosting Savannah’s first ever CycloFemme ride on Sunday, May 12 at 2 p.m.

CycloFemme is part of an international celebration of women on bikes. Each year on Mothers Day, CycloFemme helps plan and organize over a hundred rides all over the world from Sacramento to the Sudan, to encourage safe, fun cycling for everyone around the world. Global Women’s Bike Day is part of a movement to attract more women to cycling through visibility and education.

The SpokeModels ride will leave from the south end of Colonial Park Cemetery andl travel through Savannah’s beautiful midtown, Ardsley Park and Historic Downtown areas. The ride is suitable for beginners, commuters, racers and everyone in between!

The CycloFemme ride is part of a series of National Bike Month events in Savannah. See the full calendar here.

Savannah Celebrates National Bike Month

bike month 2013May is National Bike Month and we have a host of events lined up to celebrate. Here’s a quick review:

National Bike Challenge
Starts Wednesday, May 1
Join the Savannah Bicycle Campaign team or form your own to log miles ridden, money saved and calories burned. Demonstrate the power of the bike.

National Bike to School Day
Wednesday, May 8, 8 a.m.
Hull Park
Families from Jacob G. Smith Elementary and Charles Ellis Montessori will ride (or walk) from Hull Park to school.

Cyclofemme Savannah
Sunday, May 12, 2 p.m.
Colonial Park Cemetery
Cyclofemme is a Global Women’s Cycling Day created to honor pioneering women cyclists. Join us for a group ride leaving from Colonial Park Cemetery.

Adventure Cycling Association Presentation
Thursday, May 16, 6:30 p.m.
The Creative Coast, 15 W. York St.
Adventure Cycling Executive Director Jim Sayer will share the latest in bike travel and cycling in North America.

National Bike to Work Day
Friday, May 17, 7:30 a.m.
Johnson Square
Join a group commute from Habersham Village or ride from any location to a bicycle commuters’ breakfast in Johnson Square.

Play Streets Savannah Ciclovia: Bicycle Block Party and SBC Pageant Prologue II
Sunday, May 19, 2-5 p.m.
Savannah Gardens
Play Streets Savannah returns with fun bicycle activities, including the qualifying event for the annual Dump the Pump commuting challenge.

Cycle Social
Tuesday, May 21, 6 p.m.
This social ride will originate at Forsyth Park and head for the  Blue Turtle Bistro to enjoy food, beverages and the company of fellow cyclists.

Spoked!
May 20-26
Desoto Row Gallery
2427 De Soto Ave.
An art show celebrating the immeasurable impact that bicycles have on culture worldwide.
We’ll need plenty of volunteers for these events. Please consider getting involved!

Tybee Criterium – Tuesday April 30

Coastal Empire Cycle Fest: Check out cyclists racing at ridiculous speed around a 2/3 mile course on the Tybee strand:

Cycling storms through Tybee Island April 30th with the 2013 Coastal Empire Cycle Fest. Free and open to the public, attendees will enjoy a charitable and impressive showing of professional men and women’s races, amateur races, a beach cruiser drag race and the Amtryke Freedom Ride – all to benefit the American Diabetes Association and the local Ambucs organization. With the start/finish line located at Fannies On The Beach-1613 Strand Ave, the races are set to start at 4:00pm.

Proceeds from the event will be split between AMBUCS and American Diabetes Association. AMBUCS is a non-profit service organization dedicated to creating mobility and independence for people with disabilities. Amtrykes allow children with special needs to ride modified bikes/trykes.

American Diabetes Association is the nation’s leading organization dedicated to a cure for type 1 and type 2 diabetes, advocacy, and patient education and support. Professional cycling team, Team Novo Nordisk, will have riders participating in the event. The team was founded in 2004 as Team Type 1 that helped promote type 1 diabetes awareness in cycling. All of the team’s riders have type 1. Novo Nordisk produces diabetes care equipment and medications in particular.

DATE: April 30, 2013
LOCATION: Tybee Island, GA

SCHEDULE:
Masters 35+/45+ – 4:00pm
Men’s Cat 4/5 – 4:45pm
Men’s Cat 2/3 – 5:20pm
Women’s Pro/1/2 inv 3 – 6:05pm
Amtryke/Ambucs Races – 7:10pm
Men’s Pro/1 inv 2 – 7:30pm

COURSE AND DISTANCES:
Women’s Pro – 40 laps
Men’s Pro – 65 laps

Savannah is up for the National Bike Challenge!

national bike challengeThe National Bike Challenge is a free online program, with a companion smartphone application, designed to encourage biking for transportation, fitness and recreation. The program allows participants to form or join teams with friends, family members or coworkers. The goal is to have 50,000 riders pedaling 20 million miles from May 1, 2013 until September 30, 2013. It is open and free to anyone who lives in the U.S. or works for an organization with U.S. employees.

The challenge allows participants to track miles traveled, calories burned, money saved and CO2 emissions kept out of the atmosphere. And win prizes!

After you register yourself for the Challenge, you will have an option to register your company, or to join it (if a coworker has already registered it). If you don’t sign up with your company when you initially register, you can do so later through the “edit profile” option. Want to pedal for your college or university? If you don’t sign up with your school when you initially register, you can do so later through the “edit profile” option. College/University teams consist of students, faculty, and staff members.

Have questions? The answers are here. Don’t want to start a new team? We’d be happy to have your riding for the Savannah Bicycle Campaign team!

 

Play Streets Savannah series begins April 28

Imagine a city street closed to automobile traffic and dedicated to letting people enjoy the arts, active games and activities for families, and local food. Sounds like fun, right? It will be!

Play Streets movement  is coming to Savannah with an inaugural event on Sunday, April 28 from 2-5 p.m. on Lincoln Street, between Henry and Gaston streetsplay streets logo. The “Chalk Sports Ciclovia” will feature:

•    World Record Attempt at Most People Simultaneously Hopskotching
•    Live Music
•    Forsyth Farmer’s Market Vendors
•    “Redux” Art Exhibition from DesotoRow Gallery
•    Kid’s Bicycle Games
•    Chalk Poetry station for Kids
•    Bicycle Valet Parking
•    Healthy Cooking Demonstrations
•    Bicycle Safety Checks
•    Art Activities

Your Savannah Bicycle Campaign will be organizing the bicycle activities and we invite cyclists of all ages to bring their bikes (and helmets).

If you’d like to travel to the event by bike, a group ride will leave from Baldwin Park at 2 p.m.

Savannah was one of 10 cities nationwide selected as participants in the 2013 Play Streets Series. The series, supported by Blue Cross Blue Shield and the Partnership for a Healthier America, brings public events for families to the streets — giving children and families a chance to be active, and have fun.

You can find out more about the first Play Streets event, and that world record attempt, in this Connect Savannah article: A magic (almost) mile on Lincoln Street

More information on the event is available from our friends at Well FED and the City of Savannah’s Play Streets page.

And there’s more  good news: This is only the first Play Streets event. There are more to come. Stay tuned

Ride your bike to the Banff Mountain Film Festival

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Visiting Savannah courtesy Half Moon Outfitters, the Banff Mountain Film Festival, a program of The Banff Centre, is the largest, and one of the most prestigious mountain festivals in the world. Hot on the heels of the festival held every fall in Banff, Alberta, the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour hits the road. From approximately 300 films entered into the annual festival, award-winning films and audience favorites are among the films chosen to travel the globe.
The festival stops in Savannah on Sunday, April 21 at 6:30 p.m. at Trustees Theater. We’ll provide complimentary bicycle valet for festival attendees.
This year’s tour features a collection of the most inspiring action, environmental, and adventure films from the festival. Net proceeds from the Savannah stop will benefit Georgia Conservancy and Savannah Bicycle Campaign. Tickets available here.
AND, we are raffling off this great bike courtesy Bicycle Link (need not be present to win):
[catalog-product slug=’trek-earl-raffle’]

Become a volunteer

Midnight Garden Ride 2012We hold a variety of events – casual bike rides, bike education classes, and fundraisers, none of which we could do without the wonderful support of volunteers. Please visit this page for a calendar of upcoming opportunities, and if none of these immediately strikes you, please send us an email to let us know that you’re interested in helping out!

Upcoming volunteer opportunities are also listed below: