Virginia Bicycling Federation

Congratulations to the City of Charlottesville for earning designation as a “Bicycle Friendly Community” by the League of American Bicyclists. Charlottesville is only the second Virginia locality, after Arlington
County, to receive this recognition.

ACCT has issued a press release, full text as follows: [Read more →]

Soon (or perhaps already), Washington DC will have its own Euro-style bike sharing program, the first of its kind in the US. SmartBike DC will provide racks of bikes, conveniently located throughout the city. Cyclists will be able to rent bikes for one-way trips by taking them from one rack and leaving them at another. The rental process is completely automated, with an electronic card-swipe system. Similar systems have been operating for awhile in European cities such as Paris and Barcelona.

Originally scheduled for an early spring launch, SmartBike DC has received a lot of press already, including feature articles in the New York Times and Washington Post.

Though on a smaller scale and not automated, ShareBike in Roanoke provides a similar service, with downtown locations convenient to the Hotel Roanoke and Roanoke River Greenway.

For ongoing information about bike sharing programs, see the Bike-Sharing Blog by MetroBike LLC.

Arlington’s Phoenix Bikes eliminates the cost barrier to cycling with an earn-a-bike program, where kids can earn bikes by working through a checklist of bike repair skills, safety skills, and a shop project. Earn-a-bike programs are a staple of bike co-ops, but those mostly involve college students and young adults. Phoenix Bikes is unique in targeting middle school and high school students, getting them into cycling, but also teaching valuable leadership and business skills, as well as riding, safety, and repair skills. Phoenix Bikes is also unique in being funded largely through bike sales and repair services. The Sun Gazette has a great article about Phoenix Bikes, full article text as follows: [Read more →]

WHEREAS, for more than a century, the bicycle has been an important part of the lives of many Americans, and today residents of all ages throughout our great Commonwealth engage in bicycling for transportation, recreation, fitness, and fun; and

WHEREAS, bicycling is the most efficient form of transportation and offers independent mobility for many Virginians traveling between work, school, and home, and the use of bicycles for transportation benefits all residents of Virginia by easing traffic congestion, reducing air pollution, and saving highway construction dollars; and

WHEREAS, bicycling is recognized as an activity that can reduce the onset of chronic disease and reduce childhood obesity, and consideration of bicycling in transportation and land use planning, and in programs such as Safe Routes to School will help create healthier and more active communities in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, bicycling offers a unique perspective from which residents and visitors may discover Virginia’s natural beauty, history, and culture, and a vast network of scenic rural roads and pleasant weather conditions make the Old Dominion a favorite destination for bicycling enthusiasts; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth contains more miles of the U.S. Numbered Bicycle Route System than any other state, and is the only place where two routes intersect, and Virginia is fortunate to play host to many organized recreational, charitable, and competitive bicycling events, each of which contributes much to Virginia’s economy; and

WHEREAS, Bike Month provides an opportunity to increase public awareness of the many benefits of bicycling, to promote bicycle safety, and to encourage bike riding through organized activities such as Bike-to-Work events, club rides, family rides, and bike rodeos for children;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Timothy M. Kaine, do hereby recognize May 2008 as BIKE MONTH in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.

Download a copy of the Bike Month Proclamation in PDF form, courtesy of BikeWalk Virginia.

May 1 is barely a week away. What is your bike club, organization, company, or local government doing for Bike Month? How about Bike To Work Day on May 16?

VBF celebrates Bike Month with our annual Cross-State Ride. (Join us!) Our sister organization BikeWalk Virginia also has festivities planned.

Announce your event and share your ideas in the comments section.

Join IMBA, the Virginia Mountain Bike Association, and Virginia mountain bike clubs for a weekend of rides and fun at Stokesville Campground near Harrisonburg. The Virginia IMBA Mountain Bike Festival features rides in roadless areas of the George Washington National Forest, and demo bikes from Trek/Fisher/Lemond. For those not into mountain biking there’s road biking in the Shenandoah Valley, as well as hiking on area trails. The event is a fundraiser for mountain bike advocacy in the mid-Atlantic states.

VBF hosts the Cross-State Ride every year to promote US Bike Routes 1 and 76, to promote bicycling-oriented tourism, and to raise awareness of bicycling in Virginia — for transportation, recreation, and exercise.

The 2008 event will double as the Governor’s Bike Month Proclamation Ride. We’ll start in Yorktown and ride US Bike Route 76 to Richmond, where we’ll receive the Governor’s Bike Month Proclamation. Then we’ll ride on to Roanoke, to present the Proclamation to Roanoke city officials. [Read more →]

The Commonwealth of Virginia will host six public input meetings across the state in April and May to receive public input on a scaled down program for highway and transit improvements.

Hearings will be held at the following locations: [Read more →]

From Beverly Miller and the Winchester Wheelmen:

Please join us to honor our friend Rich Rau in the third annual memorial bicycle ride and pancake breakfast in beautiful Clarke County,Virginia. The Tour is a self-paced ride for recreational and serious cyclists. Choose either an 15, 30, or 50* mile course. Or just join us for breakfast! SAG support with two rest stops provided.

All courses start and end at Duncan Memorial United Methodist Church (210 East Main Street) in Berryville. All funds from this event will be used for safety programs sponsored by the Town of Berryville and the Berryville Police Department. [Read more →]

by Allen Turnbull

Plans are set to present the Governor’s May Is Bike Month Proclamation Thursday May 1, 9:00 AM at the Bell Tower on the Capitol grounds. Governor Tim Kaine has been invited to read the Proclamation.

As in the past, we will have Proclamations available for you to receive and deliver to your elected officials. The Williamsburg club is planning to attend and bike back to Williamsburg to promote the Virginia Capital Trail. The Blue Ridge Bike Club will bike from Richmond to Roanoke to promote Bike Route 76. I hope many RABA cyclists can also participate.

Kim Perry, new Executive Director of BikeWalk, is planning to promote May is Bike Month in Richmond. [Read more →]