Michiana Bike to Work Week 2012: May 21 -27

Michiana Bike to Work Week 2012, on the heels of Bike the Bend, kicks off Monday, May 21^st and continues into the Memorial Day weekend through Sunday, May 27^th throughout the Michiana area. Events for the week include activities for commuting adults, competitive teams, school children, a ride-in luncheon, and an organic blueberry pancake breakfast.

Anyone can join the fun and compete on mileage individually or as teams for recognition and sponsor discounts by registering with friends and co-workers at michianabiketowork.org

Goshen Bicycle to Work Week starts May 14

Ride with Mayor Allan Kauffman on Monday, May 14, to kick off Goshen’s Bicycle-to-Work Week. The City’s Week is May 14-18, and the Maple City Bicycle Advisory Committee (MCBAC) is encouraging people in Goshen to consider the possibility of biking to work that week.

As a way to kick off the week, the MCBAC has asked Goshen Mayor Allan Kauffman to lead an after-work “Mayor’s Ride” on Monday, May 14. Any interested cyclist is welcome to join the 4.5 mile ride. Last year the first Mayor’s Ride attracted about thirty riders.

Michiana Bike Month is filled with May events

A few years back (2005 if my memory serves me correctly), area cyclists joined the National Bike to Work week with a local event centered at the College Football Hall of Fame. Organizers provided coffee, Danish pastry, and a selection of healthful fruits as bikers stopped off on their way to work. Since then…wow. The activities during Bike Month have exploded. Below, I am listing the Michiana events that come to mind, and I’m asking readers to add those I was not aware of, or have overlooked.

You guys drove here? You guys are crazy.

Being an advocate for bikes as a transportation alternative, I’ve got to share this story with you from the Miami Herald. It’s a report on one of professional basketball’s  best athletes, LeBron James: a native of Ohio who is currently playing for the Miami Heat. Here’s the report.

2011 Bicycle Indiana Commuter Challenge – “Ride Your Drive” and win

Hoosier cyclists (and Wolverines making trips in Indiana) are taking to the road in a new commuting competition. You can earn bragging rights and win cool stuff by registering for the Challenge, “riding your drive” and logging your miles at www.BicycleIndiana.org.

An eligible “trip” is any ride that replaces an automobile trip (in other words, one in which you “ride your drive”). Cyclists can compete individually and/or as part of a team for honors in the top mileage and most commuter trip categories. The Competition started July 1, but it’s not too late to sign up and join in the fun. If you know the trips and mileage you have done since July 1, enter those miles retroactively. The contest ends on Sept. 30. While you don’t have to be on a team to participate, if you select Bike Michiana as your team and allow your mileage/trips to count in with others, Michiana cycling efforts are more likely to be  recognized.

Bicycle Indiana will award prizes to the top three individual mileage and trip achievements and to the top club/group for mileage and trips. The top teams will win a “virtual trophy” that will remain on Bicycle Indiana’s Web site for one year. Club/group winners will be determined by the combined mileage or trips of the overall club/group members and not the registered competitors.

For the competition, a trip is defined as one leg of a ride. For example, a ride to work and back home is considered two trips; a ride to the store, then to dinner and then back home would count as three trips.

For more information and to register, visit Commuter Challenge. South Bend is a Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly Community. Goshen is an Honorable Mention Bicycle Friendly Community. I encourage everyone to join the Bike Michiana team to show that we deserve those awards.

May is Bicycle Month

In recognition of the bike, cities and towns across the nation have proclaimed May as Bicycle Month, and May 15 through 21 as Bike to
Work Week.

Michiana is no exception.  South Bend Mayor Luecke and bicycle enthusiasts gathered in the Morris Performing Arts Center on April 28 for special recognition and announcements.

The highlight of the event was the presentation to the city of the Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) award. Nancy Tibbett, a representative of the League of American Bicyclists and Executive Director of Bicycle Indiana made the presentation. Several community leaders offered congratulatory comments preceding the unveiling of the official BFC signage which will be seen around the city in coming weeks.

To complete the event, Luecke issued a proclamation making May a Bike Month in South Bend. This is the second year the mayor has issued this proclamation. Pictured above are Judy Lee, President of Bike Michiana Coalition; Steve Luecke, Mayor of South Bend; Nancy Tibbett, Executive Director of Bicycle Indiana; J.V. Peacock, chair of Michiana Bike to Work Week; Glenda Lamont, Director of Bike the Bend; Chris Dressel, South Bend Bicycle Coordinator; Laurie LaDow, Realtor, Cressy and Everett; and  Rob DeCleene, Executive Director, South Bend / Mishawaka Convention and  Visitors Bureau.

Bike Friendly Community Award Ceremony

Mayor Luecke and the City of South Bend, Northern Indiana’s only Bicycle Friendly Community, invite you to attend at 2:00 PM, Thursday, April 28. It will be held at the Jon Hunt Plaza (in front of the Morris Performing Arts Center) in South Bend.

The purpose of the event is to:

• receive official recognition of the city’s Bicycle Friendly Community designation by the League of American Bicyclists
• proclaim May 2011 as bike month in South Bend
• announce upcoming events in May, including Bike the Bend (May 15) and Bike to Work Week (May 16-20)
• note other recent accomplishments.

In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held in the Morris lobby.

Chris Dressel, South Bend Bicycle Coordinator, contributed to this post.

The year in review – good things cycling in 2010

This is the time of year to reflect on accomplishments for the year just ended. Here is a short summary of Michiana good things cycling.

Bike to Work Week saw miles ridden in The Corporate Challenge increase to 26,154 from 16,179 (an increase of 74%). Also the number of teams increased to 119 from 111 (an increase of 7%) and South Bend closed off a street so the Bike Michiana Coalition could host an organic blueberry pancake breakfast.

Bike Michiana for Hospice saw the number of riders increase to 475 from 273 (an increase of 102%). Increases are expected again in 2011 since several new features will be added, including a 200 mile route.

2011 Bike to Work and Bike The Bend dates announced

The 2011 dates for these two popular Michiana events have been announced. Bike the Bend will be Sunday, May 15, 2011. Once again, it will be the kickoff for Michiana Bike to Work Week, which will run from Monday, May 16 through Friday. May 20.

These dates are changed from 2010, and once again puts the Michiana Bike to Work celebration in sync with the national event.

USA Today video on Bike Commuting

Very nice video piece on bicycle commuting from USA Today can be found HERE.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid30317506001?bctid=89320847001