It’s a new year, and we’re more pumped than ever to make a difference for bicycling in Savannah.

The Board of Directors met in December and have settled on a schedule for the year.  More will come on these events, so stay tuned!

• Mayor’s Dump the Pump Bike Convoy – Every first Friday of the month, Baldwin Park and Habersham Village to downtown.  Rain date is the second Friday.  May event will be May 15 to correspond with National Bike to Work Day.
• Earth Day Savannah Wheelie and Post Wheelie Dealie – Saturday April 18, 3:00pm starting at Forsyth Park.  Party at Blowin Smoke is our annual membership drive!
• Midnight Garden Ride/Good & Evil Party – Saturday, Sept 5 at 8pm, night ride and party, start and finish at the Distillery (Liberty and MLK).
• Picnic in the Park Wheelie – Sunday October 3, 4pm
• Fort Pulaski Wheelie Cookout – Sunday November 15 at Fort Pulaski

We will also roll out plans for adult bicycling education classes.  Look for a semi-annual skill and confidence boosting course about caring for and driving your bike.

Last month in thanking our sponsors, I quite unfortunately intially left Dave Sanderson’s touring company, Bicycle Savannah, off the list.  Though that post has been corrected, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank Dave Sanderson and his contribution to the cycling community and bicycle advocacy here in Savannah.  He has been a voice pressing for improved facilities along with others at the Coastal Bicycle Touring Club in Savannah for many years.  Last spring he joined forces with the Savannah Bicycle Campaign and is an active member on our board  — you can see him with Mayor Johnson below just prior to last April’s Earth Day Savannah Wheelie.

Dave, has four children, seven grandchildren, five great grandchildren and is still riding and leading tours at 80 (years!  yes!). He is an avid but not a lifelong cyclist.  In fact, Dave did not start riding until he developed diabetes in his sixties.  Until recently, his touring company, Bicycle Savannah, LLC, put on the Labor Day Historic Savannah Bikefest (where SBC board member Joe Steffen met his wife), Jekyll Island Jingle Bell Ride among the countless other multi-day tours throughout the southeast that they still put on.

Check out what else Dave is up to at his blog (yes, he has a blog!).  To see what is still possible if you stay active is impressive, and our helmets are off to you, Dave for all you have done to advance the cause of better bicycling in Savannah.

SBC member Andy Woods is passionate about bicycling, especially mountain biking.  Yes, this is Savannah, and there are not many local venues for mountain biking; however, Tom Triplett Park is one exception.

The 7 miles of singletrack trail at Tom Triplett Park in Pooler off US-80 are probably some of the best here in Chatham County.  Running as they do, however, through wetlands, after years of relative neglect, many of the bridges are in complete disrepair, with a sampling pictured below:

Seeing this need at the park, and with permission from Chatham County, Andy and some other dedicated volunteers have taken to identifying problems and replacing those bridges.  Savannah Bicycle Campaign has provided nearly $400 for materials to make the first bridge replacement, built by Andy and his band of merry volunteers to International Mountain Biking Association specifications.

The estimate for materials to replace the remaining bridges of the park is $1200.  Provided funding and/or materials, volunteers stand at the ready to replace the remaining bridges.  As an organization, we are proud to support this work for the benefit of all local residents, and hope that there are others who see the value in such a project.  Please consider a donation to SBC to help fund this project.  Considering shrunken local government budgets and economic uncertainty for private citizens who fund nonprofits like ours, this is a difficult time.  Nevertheless, the free labor provided by volunteers will make donated dollars and/or building materials go much farther.  If you are interested in helping us secure the additional materials for the remaining repairs, please leave a comment here or contact us.

We have had a fantastic debut year, with many successes to celebrate!  New downtown bike racks, a resolution by the city to seek Bicycle Friendly Community status, big support from the mayor, aldermen, city manager, and city staff, legions of happy bicycling Savannahians, and dozens of new members — thank you to everyone who has made that possible, especially those of you who have seen the potential for a better bicycling Savannah and have already joined as members.

A special thanks goes to our generous sponsors, for without their contributions, we would not be where we are today:

Quality Bike Shop has been an early and frequent sponsor, most recently donating the grand prize for the Holiday Wheelie, a beautiful new cruiser that went to SCAD Professor Bonnie Kubasta for her outstanding elf-on-a-reindeer ride (see below).  Thanks to Mike Maynor and Robert Weil for their consistent assistance and support to our group!

Georgia Bike Law/Attorney Joe Steffen were huge supporters of Wheelies all year long, and are always there should you ever need legal help with your bike or otherwise.

Big H little h design and illustration provided design services for our website, logo, and Wheelies.  Every time you saw one of those great Wheelie posters, Big H little h was behind it.

Bicycle Link were business members and Wheelie sponsors, and John Skiljan and his family were frequent Wheelie participants (see below for their Holiday Wheelie setup) — keep up the great work, Skiljans!

Dave Sanderson and his touring company Bicycle Savannah were among our first business members, and we thank him for his years of advocacy in the Savannah area — more on that soon.

Star Bike Shop were Wheelie sponsors, and supported us all along the way.  Islands Bikes and Boards were also Wheelie sponsors, and came out to fix flats and get folks ready for the April and November rides.

For your holiday shopping pleasure, remember that SBC members get 10% off accessories at Quality, Bicycle Link and Islands — and 5% off bikes, racks and other larger items at Quality, so join today!

Thanks to our other sponsors this year — the City of Savannah, Southcoast Imaging Center, Blowin’ Smoke BBQ, Fort Pulaski National Monument, Chatham County Health Department, Dr. Stephen Acuff, and Seabolt Brokers.

Our board has set the schedule for another great year of events, education, and infrastructure advocacy — stay tuned for the details, including the 2009 Wheelie schedule and the Night Ride announcement, coming soon.

We need you to light up the River Street Lighted Christmas Parade with us tomorrow at 5pm! The forecast looks cool and clear! Helmets, head and tail lights are required. If you don’t have one or all of these, we do have a limited number of FREE head/taillight combos and some bmx/skate style helmets in red or black for just $10 to keep your melon intact along the cobblestones and beyond. We also have some more powerful lights for sale (w/batteries, $7.50 ea or $15 for the head/tail pair — a great deal!)

As you know, the best holiday-theme costumed rider/bike combo will win a new cruiser, so get in the spirit! Contest will be judged before the parade by Police Chief Michael Berkow and USCG XO Lindsay Weaver, so be sure to be there before 5:15 if you want to win! Here’s a little mood music for you as you get ready.

Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairyas played on bicycle parts. Composer, johnnyrandom for this Specialized Bikes ad.
Glockenspiel & Clarinet melody = spokes.
Cello & Violin pizzicatos = plucked derailleur cables.
Triangle = disc brake hit.
Percussion = shifting, coasting, finger over turning spokes, chain pulls, braking, clipping into pedals, back-spinning, air out of tires.

Many thanks again to our sponsors, Georgia Bike Law/Attorney Joe Steffen, Big H little h design and illustration, Quality Bikes, and Blowin’ Smoke BBQ!

Just a reminder — the guided bike tour Wheelie at Fort Pulaski happens this Sunday, November 16 at 2pm. We will meet at the picnic pavilions at Fort Pulaski, and entrance is free for Wheelie riders courtesy of our friends at the fort. Islands Bikes and Boards will be there to make sure you’re ready to roll. Remember to bring a fat tire bike if you can, as the rail trail and dikes are pretty bumpy. There are shorter options for the little ones if you want to bring them in a carrier or let them ride on their own.

Stick around for a cookout and good times with the Campaign. BYOB for all so inclined, and bring a dish to share. We’ll cover the burgers and dogs.

Thanks again to sponsors sponsors Georgia Bike Law, Big H little h design and illustration and Fort Pulaski National Monument.