BACON STATION SENSATION ON BIKE TO WORK DAY!

There is nothing better than riding your bike and getting a whiff of bacon in the gentle breeze.

ANCHORAGE, AK – Attention all cyclists, stop by the popular Bacon Station on East Chester Creek Trail on Bike to Work Day, Friday, May 18th from 6:30 AM to 9:00 AM.

Thanks to the Spenard Roadhouse, the Bacon Station is equipped with 500 strips of bacon for anyone who rides their bikes to work!

This is always a fun time as Anchorage-ites get to show off their new, vintage, hybrid, road, mountain, and recumbent bicycles on the bike trails and highlight how we can all get to work in a healthier and fun way, keeping that keeps money in our pockets and smiles on our faces.

The Bacon Station is on one of the main trail thoroughfares for bike commuters, with hundreds of cyclists passing through and celebrating Bike to Work Day. Green Star, Bicycle Commuters of Anchorage, and the Muni Department of Health and Human Services will be doling out bacon, Great Harvest Bread cookies, Steamdot coffee, and Midnight Sun Brewery fizzies. Reflectosaurus will be on hand to demonstrate how we can all make ourselves more visible. The Bicycle Shop is also donating a limited number of bike lights for riders.

There will be plenty of high fives and thumbs ups to bicyclists including Assembly member Jennifer Johnston as well as Chief Mew of the Anchorage Police Department. In addition, Bike MS, the American Red Cross, the American Diabetes Association and the Alaska Center for the Environment will be out to highlight the great work they are all doing and how you can participate in some of the great events planned this summer.

“Last year 3300 bicyclists participated in Bike to Work Day, more than twice as many participants as five years ago, a dramatic increase in the number of people using their bike as a viable, cost-saving and fun means of transportation.” said Brian Litmans, president of Bicycle Commuters of Anchorage. With the numbers of bicyclists already out biking to work, school, recreating or running errands, we expect to see even more people biking to work on May 18th.

In addition to saving money, riding a bike to work is better for your health and the environment. “Biking a three-mile trip instead of driving keeps 15 pounds of pollutants out of the air. Plus, the average person loses 13 pounds during the first year of bike commuting,” said Kim Kovol, executive director of Green Star.

The Bacon Station is not the only energizer station available to cyclists on BTWD. There will be an additional 11 stations throughout Anchorage! See the map for the location(s) nearest you! How many stations are on your route? Maybe you could visit them all!

Where: East Chester Creek Trail @ Woodside Park (east of the Seward Highway, on E 20th Ave)
When: Friday, May 18th
Time: 6:30am – 9am

The committee is meeting next Tuesday at 6pm May 15th, at the Sugarspoon (2601 Spenard Road, across the street from Bosco’s and Organic Oasis). Anyone interested in participating is encouraged to attend. Our primary purpose is to actively monitor all road and trail projects in the Anchorage area and provide input to planners. The idea is to get ahead of the curve instead of missing key public comment periods.

Bike To Work Day, May 18

Checklist:

Workplace team signed up? Check!

Bike tuned up? Check!

Made plans to stop by the Greenstar / BCA Bacon Station? Check!

OK folks, T-7 days and counting to BTWD! If you haven’t signed up your workplace team yet, now is the time! Make sure your bike is tuned up and the tires are pumped up so that you’ll be ready to go next Friday morning. The Greenstar / BCA Bacon Station will be back and better than ever! It’s at the same place, Chester Creek trail near where the trail goes under the Seward Highway. Rumor has it there will be lots of newcomers, including the American Red Cross and Midnight Sun Brewery (did I mention free MSB beer coupons to participating cyclists).

Creek Cleanup, May 19

For those of us that use the creek greenbelt trails this is a great time to give a little back. There are lots of different opportunities to volunteer for this, as volunteers are needed for picking up trash, or hauling the filled trash bags via bike trailers, or helping park bikes at the barbecue (noon to 2 PM). For trash pickup or hauling you can pick a location that is convenient for you. Contact Matt at matt@anchoragecreeks.org to volunteer. See the website for more information.

East Anchorage District Plan, May 22 6PM-8:30PM

Do you live, work, shop, or play in East Anchorage? Do you have ideas on how to improve trails, connectivity, and bike infrastructure in the area? Would you like to help shape active transportation in East Anchorage? If so, May 22 from 6PM-8:30PM at Begich Middle School (7740 Creekside Center Dr) is your opportunity to provide input in to the East Anchorage District Plan. Refreshments will be provided.

This is a unique opportunity to weigh in on the future of development in East Anchorage!
Workshop PDF

May 9th Is National Bike to School Day. To celebrate Bike to School Day and in an effort to inspire students and teachers to bike to school, we have found an especially uplifting and inspiring story about a 6th grader who loves to bike. We hope you enjoy this story as much as we do and that Nathan’s story inspires you to go by bike.  And with that, I am excited to offer the second in BCA’s series, I Bike Anchorage.

Brian Litmans, BCA Board President

Nathan Shuttleworth: Leading a new generation into year-round bike commuting

by Tim Woody

Any cynical adult meeting Nathan Shuttleworth for the first time is likely to be overcome by a restored feeing of optimism. This is the kid you want living next door: smart, unerringly polite, and inquisitive. And, at the age of 12, he’s a year-round bicycle commuter in Anchorage.

Nathan first started riding a bike to school at Kasuun Elementary a couple of years ago when he was in fourth grade. But this past winter, he took it up a notch and rode through winter after investing in studded tires with money he had received for his birthday and earned by clearing snow from a neighbor’s driveway.

“I’m in debt right now. I owe my parents money,” Nathan said after mentioning that he also recently upgraded to a new bike, a Novara Bonita, because his old bike was “completely trashed.”

But like most bike commuters, he can’t help himself. “I love to ride. I always thought it was fun to ride to school. It’s easier than walking.”

Nathan is simply inspiring, said his school librarian, Amy Dalton, who is a year-round bike commuter herself. Since Nathan started riding in winter, even his teacher has started riding to school, Amy said.

“Here’s a boy that just stands out in a crowd. He surpasses any kid that we have deemed a leader, just by example, and the way he conducts himself every day,” Amy said. “I just adore this kid.

“There’s just not too many Nathans out there. He’s not looking to be like everybody else.”

That’s a good thing for a sixth-grader who pedals through dark, snowy mornings while many of his friends are happy to hitch a ride in their parents’ SUVs. “Some of them think it’s kind of weird that I’m the only one riding to school,” Nathan said.

He admits that environmental concerns are a factor in his decision to travel by bike, but Nathan says it’s really just more fun. His younger sister’s babysitter routinely offers him rides to school, but he prefers to pedal.

His ride to Kasuun is short — a mile or less, each way — so Nathan is looking forward to middle school next year for the simple reason that it’s farther away and he’ll be able to ride longer.

He already has supportive parents, but he’s hoping to find a more supportive school, where maybe the bike racks won’t be buried by snowplows, and maybe the administrators won’t discourage winter biking, as happens at his current school.

Anchorage’s elementary school administrators may not be ready for 12-year-old winter bike commuters, but that’s probably because they’ve never previously encountered a kid like Nathan Shuttleworth.

He’s a force of nature in the form of a determined and independent boy.

Who knows? He might even be a force for change.

This is the second in a series of I Bike Anchorage stories  about the city’s devoted bicycle commuters — riders who see bikes not as toys, but as a viable means of transportation for getting to work and school, shopping, and running errands. These profiles will appear quarterly and be written by Tim Woody, a year-round bike commuter and author of a blog called Bicycles & Icicles. If you would like to nominate a profile subject, drop Tim an email at icybikes@gmail.com. Tell him a little about the person’s commuting habits and why he/she has an interesting story to tell.

BTWD 2012 is right around the corner, Friday May 18th! Teams can start signing up here. And to kick it off, check out the BTWD Festival at Bear’s Tooth, Monday May 7, 5 – 7:30ish!  The film is “The Boy with a Bike”. Bear Tooth is close to the Chester Creek trail, and a great excuse to ride the separated multiuse path from Chester Creek up to Spenard. This event is sponsored by the Division of Health and Human Services and Green Star. We are in need of volunteers for the Bike Valet — please contact Josh 278-7827 to lend a hand.

Winning Bicycle-Pedestrian Campaign Training

Bicycle Commuters of Anchorage and Alaska Trails are collaborating with several organizations to bring the Alliance for Bicycling & Walking and the League of American Bicyclists to Anchorage.

On May 7th, the Alliance and the League will be hosting an evening workshop for organizations working on transporation/sustainability issues. This is an incredible opportunity for advocacy and business organizations in Anchorage to learn more about how we can build successful campaigns and collaborate to achieve our missions and make our cities and Alaska more bicycle-friendly. We hope you can attend this important workshop, where we can all collaborate and discuss how to make Anchorage and Alaska more sustainable and livable. It would be great if you could join us.

Please register as soon as possible so that we can prepare enough training materials.

The Advocacy Advance partnership between the Alliance for Biking & Walking and the League of American Bicyclists invites Alaska bicycle and pedestrian advocates to attend an evening advocacy campaign training on May 7.

Hosted by Alaska Trails and the Bicycle Commuters of Alaska, this workshop – modeled after the Alliance’s signature Winning Campaigns Trainings – uses proven curriculum, targeted specifically to the unique needs and experience of bicycle and pedestrian advocates.

Participants will receive a crash-course in key organizing tactics for identifying, strategizing and implementing campaigns that transform the transportation landscape in Alaskan communities. Content will address the mechanics of public funding campaigns in preparation for the Action 2020 Workshop held on May 8.

Continue reading »

Greetings Cyclists!
The Municipality of Anchorage is excited to announce we are planning a League Certified Instructor Training. Becoming a League Cycling Instructor (LCI) is a great way to help cyclists in your community. Certified instructors can teach BikeEd classes to children as well as adults. Help bring the joy of safe cycling to others. If you are an experienced cyclist and would like to teach others please consider taking the next step towards certification.

Traffic Skills 101 is a prerequisite for a certification seminar. If you know someone who has not taken TS 101 but is interested in becoming a LCI, please contact me. We will arrange a class prior to the LCI class.

WHEN: LCI Classes begin Friday evening, June 15 and continue through the weekend, ending on Sunday, June 17.

WHERE: Classes will be held at the Municipality of Anchorage, Permit Center, 4700 Elmore Road, Anchorage.

WHAT: The training includes classroom instruction, parking lot drills and a graded ride.

COST: There is a cost of $240 per applicant. This includes a $40 yearly membership fee to the League of American Bicyclists.

TO REGISTER: Go to the League website, look for the LCI class

https://members.bikeleague.org/members_online/members/findit.asp?action=search

For more information contact Lori Schanche at 343-8368, or email me at schanchele@muni.org

BCA is seeking to fill several board seats. As an all-volunteer non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, we rely heavily upon the leadership and volunteering of our board members. BCA has made significant strides over the last several years and is growing as a recognized voice in Anchorage and Alaska for bicycle transportation issues. We are seeking board members who are passionate about making Anchorage a safer and more convenient place for bicyclists and have the time and interest to roll up their sleeves and jump right in. If you are interested, please fill out our application. If you know of others who may be interested, please pass this along.

Board Application

(Probably) The Last Second Saturday Ride of 2012, March 10, 11AM, Goose Lake
Yep, this Saturday may be the last Second Saturday Ride of 2012! It all depends on what April has in store for us…by then I usually start packing up the winter gear and getting ready for Spring! So join us for one last ride to the Fire Island Rustic Bakehouse for fresh hot coffee and absolutely scrumptious treats! We meet at 11 AM at Goose Lake. Bring your winter bike and riding gear, and we’ll head out for a casual and fun ride down the Chester Creek bike trail. Ideal for folks new to winter riding, or anyone hungry for Parisian Macaroons!

Treats For Early Season Riders

Green Star, the Municipality, and the American Lung Association in Alaska are teaming up to host a treat station for morning bicycle commuters at C St. and Tudor on the following Fridays: March 30, April 13, and April 27.

Join us for juice, coffee, and treats between 6:30am and 9am. We’ll be promoting proper visibility with lights and reflective gear to be sure everyone is riding safely during the dark morning hours.

We’ll also be promoting the Clean Air Challenge with the American Lung Association in Alaska. Green Star staff Christina Grande and Josh Sherwood will be riding and they need your support! And if you visit the treat station, we’ll give you a $10 off coupon for registration for the Clean Air Challenge.

You’ll have a chance to register for Bike to Work Day and can sign your workplace or club up for a “smart cycling” class, hosted by local instructors trained using League of American Bicyclist curriculum.

Bike Parking
BCA is looking for coordinators for our Free And Secure Bike Parking Service. We’ll show you the ropes and give you all the gear. We’ve already got requests coming in for events that need bike parking during the 2012 Summer season, so please let us know if you are interested. Volunteering for our bike parking service is a fun way to meet fellow commuters, get out and enjoy the various community events Anchorage has to offer, and do your part to help encourage folks to leave the car at home and go by bike. This service is only made possible through the efforts of volunteers so if you are interested don’t be shy, let us know!