Pedalpalooza

February 25th at Yokuts Park

Come to participate or come to watch. The First Annual Pedalpalooza is at Yokuts Park this Saturday, February 25th. This is a Bike Parade to support Bike Bakersfield and encourage bicycling and exercise in Bakersfield. Ride as a family, group or single participant. Festivities start at 9 a.m.

This event is hosted by The Jim Burke Ford Education Foundation/ Ford Dimension and Dream Builders Team in support of Bike Bakersfield. Download the flyer for more information.

Foothill Classic MTB Race

February 26th at Hart Park

Mountain bike racing is at Hart Park this Sunday, February 26th. The cross-country course features a 6.5 mile, 30-40 minute loop consisting of single track, technical fun, fire roads and a mix of ups and downs. Racing starts at 9 a.m. and continues into the afternoon.

Download flyer.

Kids Workshop

Our first Kids Workshop is scheduled for March 3, 2012, from noon to 2 p.m. This will be the first in a series. Future dates will be determined at the first workshop. This is geared towards kids aged 8 to 13, and is focused on basic bike mechanics and safety. The workshop is free to Bike Bakersfield members (parent's membership applies) and is $5.00 per session to non-members. Student memberships are $10.00. Pre-register by emailing info@bikebakersfield.org or calling Tina or Brad at (661) 321-9247.

Bike Bakersfield and What A Racket Providing a Commuter Solution

by Jason Cater

Recently, Bike Bakersfield and What A Racket created a solution for those who need a place to shower, solving a common issue which faces many bicycle commuters. What A Racket is a fitness center focusing on racquetball, and also features walleyball and weights. Located about a mile from central downtown, between the Kern River Parkway Bike Path and a number of employers this gym is now offering shower only memberships.

Continue reading Jason's article.

Wall-to-Wall riders get an enthusiastic welcome in Tehachapi

Day one of the Wall to Wall Cross Country Bicycle Ride ended in Tehachapi amid fanfare Sunday as Iraq War veterans Wesley Barrientos and Jeremy Staat rolled into town with flags flying, horns honking and sirens blaring.

Read more at the Bakersfield Californian.

San Diego Mayoral Candidate Pledges to Make Transit, Cyclist Access a Priority

San Diego mayoral candidate Nathan Fletcher met with cycling advocates on Saturday, February 18, to discuss ways the city could become more hospitable to bicycle commuters. Fletcher told Bike San Diego that he envisions changing San Diego's motto from "America's Finest City" to the "World's Most Innovative City" and that moving away from a car-centric culture to one that embraces multiple modes of transportation, including cycling, plays a part in that evolution.

Read more at San Diego Reader.

Sacramento bicycle commuters sold on benefit of pedaling

All over town and out in the suburbs, folks hop on their bikes for the simplest of reasons, leaving their cars behind. They make it look easy—because it is.

Read more at the Sacramento Bee.

Advocates Launch Effort to Double Number of Women and Girls Riding Bikes

The state of California has nearly 37 million residents—and scores of League Cycling Instructors. But how many of those certified bike educators are women? Melissa Balmer of Women on Bikes SoCal in Long Beach did some digging and discovered, in Southern California, there are just 20 female LCIs. This week, her organization launched an effort to change that.

Read more at the Alliance for Walking and Biking.

With a Little Help from Advocates, Facebook "Likes" Bike Trails

Last week, volunteers working with the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition announced that the social network giant Facebook agreed to provide the funding for bike trails around its new office park in Silicon Valley.

Read more at the Alliance for Walking and Biking.

Inspiring moments amid ugly legislative "sausage-making"

"Laws are like sausages," said Otto von Bismarck, "It is better not to see them being made." Yesterday, Barbara Boxer, chair of Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said about the transportation bill, "Everybody who says it's like making sausage, it's a lot uglier than that."

Read more at the League of American Bicyclists.

Americans Work 3.84 Minutes Each Day To Pay For Their Bicycles

After revealing that the average American works about 2 hours a day to pay for the cost of automobile ownership earlier this month, I was asked to participate in a radio interview to talk bicycles. For fun, the show hosts Peter Chapman and Karly Coleman crunched the numbers and determined that they work 3.5 minutes each day to pay for their bikes.

Read more at The Urban Country.

Official: Narrower lanes, safer street

Parkway Drive is under renovation to allow for bicycle lanes, which has led to narrower lanes and has caused frustration with some of Russellville's drivers. While striping will be redone to widen narrow sections of Parkway Drive, the lanes will decrease from 12 feet to about nine feet wide, Public Works Director Michael Oakes said. He said five-foot bicycle lanes will be placed along most of Parkway Drive, except the ends where it gets too narrow.

Read more at the Courier Online.

Benchmarking Report Debunks Misinformation in Congress

As we continue our efforts to preserve critical funding for biking and walking in the next federal transportation bill, it's vitally important that policymakers and the press have the right information when it comes to the benefits and of active transportation. On that note: Andy Clarke has a great post over on the League of American Bicyclists blog debunking some off-base weekend remarks from House Speaker John Boehner.

Read more at the Alliance for Walking and Biking.

Bus Racks, More Connections Make Omaha Bike-Friendly

Bicycling is big in the city of Omaha, no matter the temperature. "Cycling has really been picking up in Omaha the last four to five years," said Craig Kelley, the co-founder and social chairman of the Dundee Chain Gang Bicycle Club. Bike racks on Metro buses and extended trails help cyclists get around with ease.

Read more at KETV Omaha.

Save our cyclists: The Times launches a cycle safety campaign in Britain

The reality with any major issue is that it only truly touches you when it comes close to home. However regularly you may cycle on Britain's city streets and however aware you are of the risks of doing so, it is not until you have seen one of your closest friends and colleagues stretchered off the tarmac from beneath the wheels of a lorry only yards from the office that the vulnerability of cyclists hits home.

Read more at The Times.

Awkward Moments In China's Car Culture Frenzy

As a Canadian ex-pat currently residing in China, there are moments where my culture and values clash with Chinese culture. A recent situation at a dinner with my wife's family and friends surfaced the importance placed on car ownership in Chinese culture. I will get to this.

Read more at The Urban Country.

5 things that are not being said about cycling

It seems there is only so much that can be written on blogs and in magazines about cycling. Yay for bike lanes and waterproof clothes you can wear at the office. Boo for helmet laws and guys dressed in lycra, if they act like they're priests. These 4, and at most another 6, give us the 10 basic templates for writing and whining on the topic of bicycle transport.

Read more at Cycle-Space.