Check out this video from People for Bikes on bicycling safety:
While you’re at it, you can sign People for Bikes’ pledge stating your support for pro-bike policies!
Bear Creek Greenway Paving Update!
From the Bear Creek Greenway Foundation Facebook page:
“News Flash: The Greenway will be temporarily closed at the Bear Creek bridge behind Crater Lake Ford starting late Friday (tomorrow) morning through the afternoon as part of the reconstruction project.
Additionally, the trail will be closed beginning Monday, August 27th between Fern Valley and North Ridge terrace for work associated with the Recreational Trails Program grant. This grant is providing funding to address root intrusion problems along the trail and hopefully help managers develop a strategy to minimize root bumps along the trail in the future. It is expected that this work will keep the trail closed in this section through next week, but a detailed schedule update will provided by mid-next week.”
I am very excited to ride the trail once these roots in the pavement are fixed!
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Yikes!
Last week, the local Mail Tribune printed an article called “Medford Bicycle Thefts Rise Dramatically.” About 60 bikes have been stolen in Medford since June 1. While bike thefts usually spike in the summer with more people out and about, this year’s increase is a little unusual. The article includes a couple tips for protecting your bicycle, like keeping a photo or registering it with the city of Medford.
Be careful with your bike!
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Your Local Bicycle Shop
When it comes to bicycling history, we tend to focus on the development of the bicycle as a machine or on the social history surrounding it. But what about local bicycle shops? Bicycles themselves have long created a sense of community, and bicycle shops can be the hub of that activity. From interacting with the bicycle shop employees about the right fit for you to determining what products are available, local bicycle shops shape community activity. Despite this influence, most photographs (historic and current) focus on the bicycle and its rider rather than where the bicycle came from. Here are a few photographs documenting local bicycle shops in Southern Oregon.
In the 1890s, these six men and their bicycles gathered in front of their local bicycle shop:
SOHS 3412
In 1973, Sims Cycle & Hobby Shop in Medford advertised Schwinn bicycles:
SOHS 1432
Eight years later in 1981, Sims continued promoting Schwinn products:
SOHS 4187
Photograph by Douglas R. Smith, March 3, 1981
Today, Flywheel Bicycle Solutions in Talent offers great customer service and repairs to their customers:
Flywheel Bicycle Solutions
http://www.flywheelbicycles.com/
How does your favorite local bicycle shop help support your community?
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The Kindness of Other Bicyclists
It’s one of my worst nightmares. Last weekend I was out for a long ride, and I managed to get three flats in the course of two hours. I thought I was prepared, but all I had with me was one spare tube and one last patch. Any attempt to put air in my tire and ride on the third flat was immediately met with the sound of hissing as the tire deflated again. I was only three miles from home, so I decided to suck it up and just start walking.
About a quarter mile into my walk, another cyclist passed me. Instead of whizzing by, he stopped to ask if I needed help. Lucky for me, he had an extra patch! As I settled in to fix the flat, a third cyclist stopped to see what was happened. We chatted for a bit, and then the man across the street came outside to see what was wrong! My flat tire (and admitted unpreparedness) inspired an impromptu gathering on the side of the road.
I’ve experienced this kindness from other local bicyclists too. I was sitting on the Greenway one day, chatting on my phone, and within half an hour, at least eight people paused to see if I needed help. I don’t think I looked distressed – I was smiling and laughing! – but I appreciated their concern.
What random acts of kindness have you encountered while bicycling?!
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Help Support the Bear Creek Greenway!
The Bear Creek Greenway currently boasts 17 miles of continuous trail from Ashland to Central Point. Recently, the Bear Creek Greenway Foundation received an ODOT grant to construct a new portion of the bike path, but they need your help to raise the remaining funds! From the Pine to Upton Project website:
“The next project slated for 2013/2014 is a 1.4-mile section of trail between Pine Street and Upton Road in Central Point through the Jackson County Expo. A $1.7 million grant has been secured from the ODOT Transportation Enhancements program to complete the project! However, the grant requires a matching amount of $190,000 be raised amongst the local community. Without this community match the grant and project will be lost.
The Bear Creek Greenway Foundation has already raised $80,000 toward this project, but seeks your help for the remaining $110,000.”
Full map of the Bear Creek Greenway, http://pinetoupton.org/?page_id=439
Completion of this section of the Greenway will connect two sections of the path to complete a 20 mile long continuous trail! Small steps like the Pine to Upton Project help the Greenway move closer to the goal of connecting with the Rogue River Greenway, which would then provide a trail from Ashland to Grants Pass.
Map of Pine to Upton Project, http://pinetoupton.org/?page_id=439
Contribute to the Pine to Upton Project today!
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Rogue Valley Local: Pro Racer, Jade Wilcoxson
Hey Rogue Valley-ers, did you know that we have a stellar pro bike racer in our midst? Sure the Tour de France (the ‘Super Bowl’ of cycling) just ended, with a Brit taking the overall win for the first time in history, but more importantly, local racer, Jade Wilcoxson just finished 4th overall at the Cascade Cycling Classic in Bend, Oregon. Why is this important? Well, because she’s a freakin’ local and because women’s pro cycling doesn’t the the coverage or support that it deserves. While some well-read bloggers have written about this, the fact remains that women’s pro cycling is severely under-funded and under-noticed.
Jade has her PhD and is a physical therapist and bicycle-fit specialist from Talent, Oregon. Last year, after getting noticed by U.S. professional cycling team, Optum Pro Cycling, she quit her “day job” to focus on training and racing. If you’re a local racer then this is exciting, because you now doubt have watched as Jade has ridden away from you at the local race series to win; if you’re not a local racer (or bike rider, even), you should still be excited because it’s awesome to see a local athlete make it up into the big leagues. And not only make it, but make it towards the top!
Best of all, whenever she’s in town in between races all over the continental U.S., she still goes out to the local races to put the boys deep, deep in the hurt locker. Although she often races only for training, there still aren’t many who can keep up with her!
Although women’s pro cycling has a long ways to go with funding and visibility—which will (hopefully!) come with time—for now we can do our part by increasing our collective awareness of the inspiring individuals who are still out there every day training and racing. So pass this little post on to your friends and follow Jade as she tears it up in the pro ranks!
Go Jade! You’ve got the whole valley cheering for you.
Here Jade leads local racer, Adam Arntner, around one of the corners at the local Thursday night race series at Champion Raceways.
Filed under News, Photography
