Seminole Heights Bicycle Club Inaugural Ride

Article courtesy of Alan Snel:

The Seminole Heights Bicycle Club launched its maiden bicycle ride with 60 bicyclists on Saturday Feb. 16, including Mayor Pam Iorio.

It was a gorgeous morning of bicycling six miles through the streets of scenic Seminole Heights, including a pitstop for coffee and water at Patterson Street Park on the scenic Hillsborough River about halfway through the route.

Cyclists of all ages and riding all types of bicycles -- from kids on BMX bikes to adults on hybrids to couples on tandems -- celebrated the newly-minted bicycle club's inaugural ride with a victory lap about Lake Roberta.

During the bike ride break at Patterson Street Park, Mayor Iorio commended Seminole Heights as a great neighborhood, cited the new bike lanes and road improvements of Nebraska Avenue and even said she will work on getting bike lanes painted on Platt Street in the city.

The Seminole Heights Bicycle Club thanks Mayor Iorio and Starbucks for their participation and stay tuned for announcements of different bike rides by the Seminole Heights Bicycle Club.

photo, Alan Snel

photo, Alan Snel

photo, Alan Snel

photo, Alan Snel

Tax Package that included Bicycle Commuter Benefit, eliminated from Energy Bill

On December 18, the House cleared energy legislation H.R. 6, which President Bush plans to sign. Passage was assured once Senate Democrats dropped a $21.8 billion renewable energy and energy efficiency tax package. The decision by Senate leadership to eliminate the entire tax package initiative from the energy bill dashed hopes of having the Commuter Tax Provision passed for this year. Congress could revisit this early in 2008 and pass the tax portion of the energy bill as a stand-alone bill.

1st Annual BayCycle Photography Contest!

Are you a bicyclist? Do you love to take pictures? Then don't hesitate to enter the 1st Annual BayCycle Photography contest! Help celebrate the relationship between bicycling and daily life in Tampa Bay.

GENERAL INFORMATION: The contest is open to everyone, from the amateur photographer to the casual or experienced cyclist living in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Citrus, Pasco and Hernando counties. The contest is designed to offer participants the opportunity to share their love of bicycling with our community and the general public. Winning photographs will be on display at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts (FMoPA) during the month of May 2008. Photos will be evaluated by a panel of three judges. All decisions are final and at the discretion of Tampa BayCycle. All entries must be postmarked no later than March 30, 2008.

SUBMISSION DETAILS: Photograph guidelines: 8”x10” print, color or black and white; must include a bicycle or some part of a bicycle and have been taken in the Tampa Bay area. Participants are allowed to submit five photos per entry. A digital image of the photo or photos on CD must be included with submission. Label the disc and back of photo with contact information. All submitted photos become property of Tampa BayCycle.

AWARDS: Prizes will be awarded in two categories, General Public and Student, and include a combination of bike gear and gift certificates worth the following amounts:

*1st place - $500

*2nd place - $250

*3rd place - $100

*Honorable Mention - $25

In addition, all winning photographs will be showcased in an exhibition during May 2008 at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts.

FEE: General Public, $10 per entry (max. five photos per entry); Student, $5 per entry (max. 5 photos per entry). Payment must be made by cash or check made payable to Bay Area Commuter Services.

RULES AND INFORMATION: Questions? Call (813) 974-9799, or visit http://www.tampabaycycle.com/. Registration form is available on website.

IMPORTANT DATES:

YouTube training video from San Francisco

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7M-_ueoU2E&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbikeportland%2Eorg%2F2007%2F08%2F15%2Fsan%2Dfrancisco%2Dpolice%2Dwork%2Dwith%2Dbike%2Dadvocates%2Don%2Dtraining%2Dvideo%2F



Check out this San Francisco Police Department training video.

New Blog started by Mighk Wilson

www.betterbicycling.blogspot.com
From Mighk Wilson:

It will be targeted to new cyclists, but I'd like to have content for cyclists of nearly all levels. I won't cover racing issues, but everything else is pretty much fair game, with my primary focus on people using bikes for transportation and general fitness.

If you have questions or topics for the blog, please check in and post a comment; and if you have friends or family who could use some advice, send them the link.

Tragic News

Car Hits, Kills USF Cycling Team Founder
By Josh Poltilove of The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 22, 2007

TAMPA - A founder of the University of South Florida's cycling team died Sunday after being hit by a car, the team said on its Web site.

Joshua Kuck, 22, was riding the Hilly Hundred when he was hit, according to the team.

"Josh was instrumental in the formation of the cycling team, and most likely the team would not exist at all if it were not for him," the site states. "In addition, Josh brought life to the team with his outgoing and positive attitude. The team deeply mourns his loss and it will take a great deal of time for the team to recover emotionally. At the very least, the 2008 racing will be dedicated to his spirit and hard work."

Kuck, a Maine native, was a team co-captain and helped secure sponsorships and school funding for it, the site states.

Commuter Choices Week in Downtown Tampa and USF

We celebrated Commuter Choices week across Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties last week. This student won a bicycle light set courtesy of Temple Terrace Schwinn at the first Ride Green day at USF. Green for the saving the environment and money and the winning USF bulls, of course.


Dave draws the winning ticket. Jenean won the red cruiser.


Dave Luppino of Carrollwood Bicycle Shop provided a cruiser at USF and a folding bike at Poe Plaza. Several students won lights, helmets and locks courtesy of Temple Terrace Schwinn.

At the Poe Plaza in Downtown Tampa, Bruce won the folding bike giveaway. He is a contractor in the Verizon Building and heard about the event by someone announcing there was free pizza downstairs.




He lives in Clearwater and drives alone to work. However, he found about PSTA’s 300x express bus and has already tried it out. Bruce lives about ¾ of a mile from the bus stop, which has no parking, so this bike will allow him to get there easily. He plans to fold up the bike and keep it in his cube.

He may visit David’s shop (Carrollwood Bicycle Emporium) to purchase a 2nd bike for his wife if he likes his a lot. He also promised to get a helmet, which I should have provided as well.

"Ride Green" day at USF

“Ride Green” Day at USF is one of a week-long series of events included in the 11th Annual Commuter Choice Week happening throughout the Tampa Bay area October 1-5, 2007. Pledge to try carpooling, biking, walking, riding the bus, or teleworking as an alternative to driving alone to campus one day during the week and be eligible to win a free bicycle or bike helmets, lights, and locks! Drawing is at 12:30 pm. First 50 pledges receive a free CCW t-shirt. Come for food, fun, prizes, and more!

Top Ways to Stay Green

1. Eliminate driving as much as possible.
2. Hang your clothes out to dry.
3. Eliminate or cut back on meat consumption.
4. Ride your bike or walk for short trips and errands.

Tell us your favorite sites for going green