WTOP Bike to Work Day video

Sick of Bike to Work Day rehash yet? Me neither. Here's a nice video by WTOP reporter, and rookie Bike to Work Day participant, Markette Smith, along with our omnipresent face-made-for-radio, Bega. Might this be a prelude to bike path condition reports "on the nines"? Anyway, here's their summary, and here's the video:

WABA Events Machine Flawless, Weather Machine Needs Work

It's a shame that seemingly every year, Bike to Work Day gets rain. Back in the days of Bike DC, same thing. Oh well. I rode into the shop at 4 em-effin AM, and got miserably soaked....
By 7AM, the rain had tapered off a bit, and it turned into one of those overcast days where it was great to be a bike fender owner.I coasted my exhausted carcass home a bit after noon, and it was gorgeous blue skies and sunshine.I stopped for a cup of coffee at Crystal City, and took a seat outside to enjoy the weather, and to snap a few pics of cyclists coming off of the Mt. Vernon Trail. Got this one solitary shot.......whereupon a Vornado (formerly Charles E. Smith) security guard informed me that I was on private property, and was prohibited from taking pictures. I explained that I participated in the organization for Bike to Work Day, and was looking for pictures of cyclists in Crystal City (which generously co-sponsored the event at a very high level for a second straight year). I was booted off the property ('the property' being a sidewalk). Boo.

As Seen on News 4

Here's the second segment with Bega this morning, posted on NBC4dc.com

Here's a nice piece from Freedom Plaza for the 11am newscast, featuring a few of our staff and friends rolling out from the store, the usual spandex hokey-jokey stuff, a quick highlight of SmartbikeDC, and some participant interviews.

And finally, Bega has posted a Windows Media file of the first segment on his FTP site, but I think you gotta download all 11MB of it to view.

Proposed FY09 DC Bicycle Funding From Councilman Graham

In his address to the Bike to Work Day crowd at Freedom Plaza, Ward One Councilmember Jim Graham was kind enough to proudly mention City Bikes as one of his constituents, which was nice.

But far FAR nicer was his description of his proposed FY09 appropriation for bicycling. Besides the $1.5M in recurring (not one-time grant money) appropriations, funded out of parking ticket collections, they are looking to fund a full-time staffer for the Bicycle Advisory Council.

Cross your fingers, and maybe drop a line to your councilmember's office. Here's a summary of the proposal we got our mitts on:

1) Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety and Enhancement Fund

· $1.5 million dollars to DDOT recurring each year

· Uses

i. Faster action on implementing the Bicycle Master Plan

ii. Faster action on implementing the Pedestrian Master Plan

iii. Creative solutions that can’t be done with Federal Dollars

iv. Faster responses to local bike/pedestrian safety problems

2) Bicycle / Pedestrian Safety Public Service Announcements

· $18,000 to Washington Area Bicyclists Association

· Get the message out to drivers that they must drive respectfully

· Encourage folks to ride their bikes and walk

3) Better Bicycle Parking

· $60,000 to help DDOT do bicycle parking study required by law

· Assess the quality of bicycle access and parking at all DC Gov’t facilities.

4) Bicycle Advisory Council support

· Full-time staff person to support the Bicycle Advisory Council in pushing DDOT to provide better bicycle facilities.

· This staff person will be located in the Council Policy Office to provide bicycle and pedestrian expertise to all Councilmembers

Bike to Work Day 'round the web

Charlie's pics are up, and they look pretty darned good.

BTW Day coverage on Earth Portal News, along with more talk of bike sales rising due to gas prices. Plus a nice quote by Phil.

Anna K makes us blush with all the nice things she says about us.

Gwadzilla's pics still to come, we impatiently wait.

Quick summary from WashCycle.

Much more still to come....

Three Big Dummies

Eric and David test the limits of good judgment, and of Jordan's new Big Dummy (see prior post).

I'll be sure to add this nuttiness to David's Cargo-Bike sighting map.

Jordan's Big Dummy debuts in style

Lots of stuff to be hauled to Bike to Work Day in Freedom Plaza, and the truck had already departed when we received a frantic call for workstands. Out from his place of slumber, the warehouse, stumbles Jordan, and his just-finished Surly Big Dummy. Thanks to the folks at XtraCycle, who overnighted some necessary rack parts, and some quick bungee cording........Jordan loaded up a bike, and two Pedro's workstands. What a way to take the maiden voyage in style. He was up all night getting the Rohloff internal hub and disk brakes dialed just right. We pointed our way down 14th St.......forgetting his helmet in the excitement. Big Dummy, indeed.At low speeds, it seemed a bit unwieldy and seemed to shimmy, but once he got rolling, it was all good. Big ole Schwalbe tires swallowed potholes.We got a caravan going for the ride back........and guess who was grinning the whole way?More to follow later, nap time now.

NBC4 Morning appearance

Michael Flynn, Bega, Hub Racing chatted bikes.Bega mentioned every sponsor's name at least five times, I think (he was reciting SRAM-Cannondale-Timbuk2-Bryson Web-Asylum-Zipp like Hurley on "Lost" recited those winning lottery numbers).I hope it televised well, we should have video up pretty soon. And in case you didn't hear Bega mention it, City Bikes RFK Criterium, May 25th at RFK parking lot.

Why Bike to Work #4 -- Riding in Rain is Carefree Fun

At least that's the talking point this morning, as I head out for Bike to Work Day... Check back for updates through the day.

Drive to Work Day

Bike to Work Day is tomorrow, but I almost always bike to work, so today was the day to shake the commute up a bit. With a bunch of stuff to haul around for tomorrow, some errands to run at both stores, post-honeymoon sloth, and a whole lot of other great excuses, I drove to work. Here's I-395 at noon:And Rock Creek Parkway:I'm making GREAT time:At least gas is, um, oh. Wow.

City Bikes on NBC4 tomorrow

NBC4 is doing some Bike to Work Day drop-in segments from the Adams Morgan store on their 5-7AM newscast. The only way I could be more excited is if Jim Vance himself showed up to do the segment. Bega and his Hub Racing crew will be in front of the cameras, tune in.

Bike to Work Day STILL TOMORROW

If that radio spot didn't give you the vapors, maybe the poster will.

Come say hi to us at NIH, Bethesda, Freedom Plaza, on the Mt Pleasant convoy, or at either store.

Bike to Work Day TOMORROW

Here's the radio spot that's currently running. Rained be goshdarned, see you out there!

FileFactory.com

Bike to Work Day wrap up

Another BTW Day come and gone... I chose to forego the Preakness-infield madness of the Freedom Plaza rally to commune at the Crystal City pitstop, which was organized at the last minute by the folks at the BID. Checked out about 25-30 bikes, mostly Walmart bicycle-shaped-objects with slack shift cables and sketchy brakes, and one poor guy who dropped a left crankarm off a pretty Scott cyclo-x bike.

The weather was a bit murky, but 133 people still rolled through this pit stop. There was a fairly serious crash at the tricky exit to the tunnel under the VRE train tracks, a lady got bussed off to the hospital with a concussion. I haven't heard any other reports of mishaps, though.

Besides Crystal City, City Bikes was doing bike checks at NIH and Bethesda, manning the table at Freedom Plaza, and leading the Mt. Pleasant ride. Lots of coffee consumed among us, that's for sure. Great photos to be found at Gwadzilla's blog....

WABA reports 6600 registrants, which is a lot (a record?). We (the shop) have had a few irate emails about t-shirt shortages, which for the record, isn't really our department, but we're passing them along to WABA. Y'all are quite passionate about your free t-shirts, that's coming through loud and clear.