Spring 2016 CSP Newsletter

This entry was posted in Blog Newsletter and tagged newsletter on May 2, 2016 by Adam

Charlotte

Spokes People Newsletter

April 2016

Special Event:

BIKE! Charlotte and Bike Fest

Bike!Charlotte is from April 29-May17. Almost 3 weeks of events of fun bike stuff culminating up to Bike Fest on Thomas Ave on May 15th. Check the BIKE!Charlotte website (http://bikecharlotte.org/) for details. Keep an eye on our calendar for events throughout the year.

Here are the events we’re hosting:

April 29: 4 – 7 pm: Cycling Savvy Workshop – Day 1 : An adult master class teaching how to drive your bike as a vehicle. Spoke Easy, 1523 Elizabeth Ave.

April 30: 2-5 pm: Cycling Savvy Workshop – Day 2 : bike skills and drills in a closed course. 932 Seigle Ave.

May 1: 1-4 pm; Cycling Savvy Workshop – Day 3: on the road bike tour of Charlotte (Both Class 1,2 prerequisites for Day 3.) Legion Brewing, 1916 Commonwealth Ave.

May 3: 2 – 3 pm: Tues at 2 ride. Advent Coworking, 933 Louise Ave.

May 3: 8 pm: Plaza Midwood Tuesday Night Ride – PMTNR B.O.A.T. Ride: Bikes On A Train! (Meet at 7:30 for safety meeting prior the ride.) Common Market, 2007 Commonwealth Ave.

May 7: 4 – 5 pm: Kidical Mass from Midwood Park

May 8: 2 pm: Sunday Slow Riders – Mother’s Day ride to McGill Rose Garden; Legion Brewing, 1916 Commonwealth Ave.

May 10: 2 – 3 pm: Tues at 2 ride. Advent Coworking, 933 Louise Ave.

May 10: 8 pm: Plaza Midwood Tuesday Night Ride to Charlotte Cycles (Meet at 7:30 for safety meeting prior the ride.) Common Market, 2007 Commonwealth Ave.

May 15: 12-5 pm; BikeFest: Come enjoy this open street festival in Plaza Midwood! Events include Bike swap, Bike Drive for Trips for Kids Charlotte, a Kids Bicycle Roadeo, Bike races – cargo challenge, snail race, track stand challenge, kids crafts and activities, Panel discussions on bike camping, social rides, commuting, Cycling Savvy. 1400 – 2000 Thomas Ave. (behind Zada Jane’s)

May 15: 12:30: Kids Bike and Pet Parade; depart at at 12:45 PM. The Vine, 2101 Belvedere Ave.

Upcoming Event

BikeFest

BikeFest is the original open streets event in Charlotte! This will be the 6th year. Come out and celebrate all things bike. Pump up your tires and enjoy Thomas Avenue free of cars. Volunteers are needed. Email pamlikestobike@gmail.com to help out.

For more details about BikeFest, click here.

About Cycling Savvy

Cycling Savvy is a three-day workshop teaching traffic skills and crash avoidance strategies. Workshops are scheduled monthly in Charlotte, and there will be a workshops on April 29-May 1, as well as dates in June and July. Check CyclingSavvy.org for details.

Quotes from Cycling Savvy students:

“Before taking this class, I had been bike commuting 3-5 times a week for a few years, and felt quite confident about my abilities to ride on the road. But since taking it, my confidence has soared and I have learned a ton about different traffic situations and how to be communicate with motorists. I now have more space and far more positive interactions with motorists I can’t recommend it enough!” – AR

“This class was great! My confidence on the road skyrocketed. If you ride or want to – you should look into this. I was in class with triathletes and daily bike commuters. Everyone learns something!!” – CW

“I have never felt such a sense of equality biking in traffic. Thanks for keeping me and other students safe!” – GF

Cycling Savvy scholarships are available for those in need. Scholarships are funded by CLT Spokes People and Charlotte Bike Benefits. Support local businesses and help to support Cycling Savvy scholarships through the purchase of helmet stickers. New this year are Cycling Savvy helmet stickers, which also support scholarships. Last year CLT Spokes People funded 12 Cycling Savvy scholarships. Please email Pam at pamlikestobike@gmail.com for details about scholarships.

National Bike Challenge, 2016 Edition

The National Bike Challenge starts May 1 and goes through September. Sign up for the Challenge and join the Charlotte Spokes People team! Help us get Charlotte on the leaderboard again. Last year, we were in the Top 20 cities based on Challenge points. Let’s show the nation that Charlotte is a great place to bike!

Click here to join our team: Charlotte Spokes People. http://cltspok.es/winNBC, and come ride with us three times a week:

Tuesdays at 2 from Advent Coworking (932 Louise Ave.)
Tuesdays at 8 from Common Market Plaza Midwood
Sundays at 2 from Legion Brewing.

Bike Benefit Bingo

Bike Benefit Bingo is returning from May 1st until the 15th. Get your cards at the Advent ride, PMTNR, or Sunday Slow Ride. Some cards also available at some participating locations including Rhino Market, Three Spirits, Queen City Bicycles, Spoke Easy. Suggested donation of $1 goes towards Cycling Savvy scholarships.

How to play:

Ride your bike to the participating locations and get your card stamped.

How to win:

Bingo players can email finished cards to pamlikestobike@gmail.com before May 15 or drop them off at BikeFest on Sunday, May 15 from 12-5 on Thomas Ave., behind Zada Jane’s. Look for the CLT Spokes People / Bike Benefits / Cycling Savvy table.

New Bike Benefits Businesses

Pure Pizza – Central Ave.
CLTCH
Camille’s Sidewalk Café
Tip Top Daily Market
Red Clay Cidery
Codescape
Legion Brewing
Bulldog Beer and Wine – South End
House of Lemond
The Broken Spoke
Cast Iron Waffles – South Park & Ballantyne
Powderly/Vuchnich CPA
One Life Raw Juice Bar
Three Spirits Brewery
Pasta & Provisions on Park
Dr. Tony Peters
Abari
Nothing Bundt Cakes
Sabor – NoDa
Sharon Luggage – both locations
Inner Peaks – both locations
First Ward Beverage

Check out the pocket list (http://cltspok.es/CLTpocketList) on the Bike Benefits website for the full list of businesses and offers. We are the largest program in the country! Support local. Ride your bike for your benefits.

PMTNR

Come ride the Plaza Midwood Tuesday Night Ride. We ride every week at 8 pm from Common Market. The ride is never canceled. Meet your neighbors, ride on the quiet streets of Charlotte at night, discover new Bike Benefits businesses. Support local businesses.

As a refresher, here are the Rules of the Ride:

Don’t pass the leader.
Ride in one lane.
Obey all traffic signals.
Communicate.
Be prepared to stop at all times.

Upcoming Events

Bike!Charlotte is 4/29-5/15
PMTNR Bikes on a Train ride is 5/3/16
BikeFest is May 15 on Thomas Ave in Plaza Midwood

Contact Us

https://cltspokespeople.org/

CLTSpokesPeople@gmail.com

Please share this newsletter, and as always…

Come ride with us!

Winter 2015/2016 CSP Newsletter

This entry was posted in Blog Newsletter and tagged newsletter on February 5, 2016 by Adam

Charlotte

Spokes People Newsletter

Special Event:

Bikes vs. Cars Documentary Showing

The CLT Spokes People ensured a strong start to 2016 by hosting a showing of Bikes vs. Cars, a provocative documentary that is generating a lot of discussion, here in Charlotte. Many of us rode to the showing in freezing temperatures, making an impression on the other moviegoers! We’ll be posting about the film on the Spokes People blog. See the first installment here.

Featured Ride:

Bicycle Fridays at Park Road Montessori

Last year, CLT Spokes Person Bethanie Johnson started a Bicycle Friday ride at Park Road Montessori. Since then, students, teachers, and parents have gathered to ride their bikes together almost every week. According to Bethanie,

This winter we’re averaging between 8 and fifteen riders, but in the nice months we’ve averaged 18 per week. I think our highest number (for bike/walk to school), was around 30 children–add in adults between 40 and 45. We joke with the kids about the “chance of donuts.” As in, “There’s a 70 percent chance of donuts on tomorrow’s ride.” I sometimes make them, or my co-leader springs for donuts. We’ve had some great parent support, and one parent told me last week it’s the only day her son gets up on his own, “because I have to ride my bike today!” Dick Winters has been on several of the rides and is cooperating with CMS to get new bike racks installed at our school. We’re very excited about that. Trips For Kids ran a booth with us at the fall picnic, and I’ve encouraged parents to get replacement bicycles at the Recyclery because children are always growing out of bikes.

These kids are the next generation of cyclists!

2015 In Review:

PMTNR Recap

Since April 2013, over 10,000 people have ridden PMTNR. We ride every week, and the ride is never cancelled. Sometimes a dozen people ride; sometimes, it’s more than a hundred. Come out for some fun riding your bike, exploring hidden neighborhoods, and discovering great Bike Benefits businesses with us. PMTNR was also mentioned in various publications in 2015. I think the Charlotte Agenda article captured the spirit of the ride best. Click here to read their story.

Largest PMTNR in 2015: 150 riders to Goodyear Skyline Artists exhibit with King of Pops on August 25^th.

Smallest PMTNR in 2015: Eight riders in the rain on October 27^th.

We always have fun. Thanks for riding with us.

Bicycle Benefits

The Charlotte Bike Benefits program continues to grow. We are fortunate to have so many bike-friendly destinations and so many businesses that support bike riding. With 156 participating locations, the Charlotte program is the largest in the nation. This year we introduced Bike Bingo to introduce and highlight Bike Benefits businesses. Bike Bingo ran from May-Oct during the National Bike Challenge.

Ride your bike for your benefits! Here are the last 10 businesses to join the program:

Powderly / Vuchnich CPA
Cast Iron Waffles – South Park
Cast Iron Waffles – Piedmont Row
The Broken Spoke
House of Lemond
Bulldog Beer and Wine – South End
Legion Brewing Co.
Codescape
Red Clay Cidery
Tip Top Daily Market
Camille’s Sidewalk Cafe
CLTCH
Pure Pizza – Central Ave.
Law office of David Demers

To see a full list of participating business, print off a pocket list.

Cycling Savvy

In 2015, Charlotte has held 10 classes with about 60 students completing the bike workshop. This makes Charlotte the fastest-growing Cycling Savvy location. For those who don’t know, Cycling Savvy is a three-day workshop that helps people learn how to recognize and handle traffic situations to safely and comfortably ride on any road:

Day 1: Classroom presentation – bicycle law and safety strategies
Day 2: On-bike skills – inside, closed course
Day 3: Bike ride of Charlotte.

There will be more Savvy Cyclists in Charlotte’s future.

The next Cycling Savvy class is March 11-13! Take the first step toward confidence to ride your bike anywhere by visiting register.cyclingsavvy.org/groups/north-carolina to sign up.