South Florida Bike Expo THIS WEEKEND!

The South Florida Bike Coalition is thrilled and excited about the South Florida Bike Expo this weekend. We’ll be there, with other bicycle groups from across the region, on both Saturday and Sunday. Please drop by and say hello!

Jeffrey Lynne, Board President and Larry Silverman will be hanging out all day Saturday.  On Sunday, Felipe Azenha will be running the show.

We look forward to meeting you in person!

For more information about why we love the Expo, what to expect and how to get there by bicycle, please see our Expo post here.

Boca Urban Ride: SFBC Featured Ride

SFBC is excited to highlight the Boca Urban Ride, scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, June 30 at 7:00pm.

Hosted by the South Florida Bike Club Meetup Group, a Fort Lauderdale-based group of bicyclists who ride every kind of bicycle, the Boca Urban Ride is a weekly urban ride gaining popularity for its mass appeal. Organizer Peter Detore tells me, “The idea is to show people new to the sport that you can ride distance without getting worn out.” Peter has been cycling for years and organizing this ride is one way that he gives back to bicycling and his community.

Refreshing Tropical Fruit Not Guaranteed to Look Like This

If you live in Broward and consider yourself a ‘beginner’ when it comes to group rides, join us for the Boca Urban Ride. We’re told that the ride leaders will take us along a basic but beautiful fully on-road (or trail) route of roughly 15-25 miles at a relaxed pace of 10-14mph (be ready to ride for up to 3hours).  The group pauses frequently for water breaks and to make sure everyone is enjoying him/herself and staying together.  At the end, Peter is known to surprise new riders with cold watermelon so you might want to bring a lawn chair and just hang out with us at the end of the ride.

From the Meetup post: “You are going to have so much fun, and get a great workout at the same time!! While the ride lasts over 2 hours and covers approximately 20 miles, there are many opportunities to rest or reduce the pace (and distance) along the way.“

We’ll ride out from Costco’s south parking lot at 17800 Congress Avenue in Boca Raton. Again, you’re encourage to stick around afterwards, cool down and hang out with the group.

The South Florida Bike Club hosts all kinds of group rides so if you live in the Broward area, be sure to check them out at http://www.meetup.com/soflabikeclub. They have hosted more than 650 rides since 2006 and are known for being welcoming, skilled, fun and safe. Like the South Florida Bike Coalition, this group encourages you to ride safely and legally. Make sure you’ve got working lights on your bike (it’s the law). Be prepared and stay hydrated. Think: wear a helmet and bring a spare tube, just in case. Be respectful: Get there on time for a 7pm ride out. I hope to see you then!

Why We Ride: Community, Charity, Change

SFBC members ride for countless reasons – among my favorites: community, charity and change.

Yesterday, SFBC members and friends organized a bicycle tour of street art in our neighborhood, the Wynwood Arts District. We saw classic, commissioned works of art, murals, graffiti and design. We met with Alexis Samaniego, a local boy-turned international artist in the middle of a piece, toured the gallery at the Wynwood Walls, were welcomed onto secret, hidden private properties to discover pieces of every scale. It was a beautiful day for a bike ride and a wonderful way to explore Miami’s unique cultural community. At stops along the way, I met people on all kinds of bicycles from all parts of the county. The positive energy you get on a bike ride with new friends fueled hours of conversation, after-ride drinks and lunch and then an after-after party in Little Havana last night. Bikes build community.

(Check out more photos and stories here)

Many people get on the bike for the first time not for themselves, but for charity. We ride to raise money for cures to disease, to raise awareness about injustice or promote participation in movements for good. zMotion is an ever-growing South Florida racing team that has raised millions of dollars for multiple sclerosis and other causes, both global and local. Their next charity event is “Let’s Break the Cycle…. A Ride for Josie“, a local teenager that was the victim of a brutal attack from another high school student. The ride is taking place on June 27 and we encourage you to take part.

Anytime you ride your bicycle, you are reminding other people that this fun, sustainable, healthy mode of transportation and recreation is available to them. Whether you or they realize it or not, when you pass a car stuck in traffic, the motorist is reminded that not everyone has to be tied to a gas-guzzling vehicle for every trip she takes. Everytime you ride, you are effecting a positive change for your body, for your day and for the world and people around you.

SFBC is working with members to plan a ride for another kind of change: We need to raise awareness among bicyclists, pedestrians, victims of drunk driving and advocates for better state governance that HB971 will negatively affect us all. It is time to unite our voices against policies that restrict our rights to use our shared public space safely. Should we have one ride, or several? Miami-Dade, Broward and/or Palm Beach. Let us know if you would like to bring the ride/walk to your neighborhood because SFBC wants to not only lead in our community, but empower you to do the same.

Why do you ride?

Ride Right/Drive Right Update

The Ride Right/Drive Right Campaign is among SFBC’s top priorities. Fundamentally, it’s about educating both cyclists and motorists to make our roads safer for everyone. The campaign was created by our friends at Zimmerman Advertising and HERE you can watch the PSA that we are working on getting into local schools, driver’s education courses, public access stations and public televisions across the region.

We are happy to have many partners in this effort, among them the Boca Raton Bicycle Club. We’d like to thank them for reaching out to Eric Stern, Administrator of all Drivers Education programs at the School District of Palm Beach County. The BRBC’s Safety Officer, Lew Lepene, is working hand in hand with the School District to develop additional print materials “to complement the videos and to evaluate the learning of the students.”

Are you a member of a local bicycle club? How important is safety to your group? Do you ride safely and legally? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a comment below or email us directly at SFBikeCoalition at yahoo dot com.