In memory of our friend Jerry Jaycox, SBC will lead a guided bicycle tour of the McQueen’s Island Rail Trail, Cockspur Island and the dikes surrounding Ft Pulaski, so be sure to bring a bike with fat tires. Jerry was a force to be reckoned with, and this was his favorite Wheelie, so of course we named it for him.

We’ll start and finish at the Fort Pulaski picnic pavilions. Fort Pulaski has generously offered free entrance to Wheelie participants — just let them know at the gate you have come for the ride! This is a unique opportunity to experience the fort’s history from a new perspective. The ride is approximately 10 miles, though there are opportunities to make it shorter (2 or 6 mile options). It’s a really fun ride, and as always, kids are welcome. Please plan to stick around after for the cookout in Fort Pulaski’s picnic area—burgers and dogs will be provided. Please bring a dish to share and BYOB. The more the merrier!

We should also relate an interesting story from the ride: the mayor got two flat tires while on the Tybee section of the ride. Running back to his house to borrow another bike, he fell behind and lost the escort. He pressed on and faced the hair raising danger of the Lazaretto Creek Bridge without the cocoon of safety the police provided all of the other riders. How is that for raising awareness?

We raised a small amount of money today for the Coastal Georgia Greenway’s efforts to build trails in coastal Georgia. If you believe strongly in the call for safety and economic development that bringing a trail connecting Savannah with Tybee would provide, please support their mission and consider becoming a member.

It’s a huge weekend for the bike people. Starting bright and early tomorrow, Friday Nov 6 (did you forget?) is 2Wheels 2Work — join us at the Habersham Village start at 7:30am, at the Johnson Square finish or anywhere along the route (mostly Habersham and Lincoln) for the monthly commute with Jittery Joe’s coffee and some yummy breakfast treats.

Then, Saturday night join the geeks at Geekend Block Party at SEED Eco Lounge at Montgomery and Broughton. Our own Minister of Foolishness, David Acuff, and his band of bike minions will be operating the bike powered blender to mix drinks for you. Your donations are, of course, welcome.

Finally, don’t miss out on the first Tybee-Savannah Trailblazers’ Ride Sunday morning at 9am.  Just a few spaces left until we reach our cap of 150 riders, so be sure to head on over to active.com and register now!  We’ll finish at Johnson Square for a celebration of the East Coast Greenway Alliance’s national meeting in Savannah, so catch us there if you miss the ride!

If you want the lowest price on the Tybee-Savannah Trailblazers’ Ride Sunday Nov 8, today is your day! Save yourself a little green and get out for the Greenway. The goal of this 23 mile ride is to raise awareness on the need for safe nonmotorized access between Tybee and Savannah, and proceeds benefit the Coastal Georgia Greenway’s efforts to build trails in the coast, so it’s a win-win!

The Savannah Bicycle Campaign’s 2 Wheels 2 Work commuting event returns on the first Friday in November. As usual, a group ride will leave the Habersham Village shopping center parking lot at 7:30 a.m., bound for Johnson Square. If this route corresponds with your normal commute, please join us. If not, make your own way to Johnson Square and enjoy free coffee from Jittery Joe’s, starting at 8 a.m.

The U.S. Census reports bicycle commuting is up 14 percent since 2007, 36 percent since 2005, and 43 percent since the 2000 Census. So get on your bike and get with the trend! If you’ve never commuted by bike before, check out this Web site for tips to get started.

Bring your friends!  Bring your neighbors!  Bring your kids!  Bring a picnic, but by all means, bring your bike so we can park it for you at our bike valet, even if you don’t do the ride.  Our valet attendants will keep a close eye on your ride until the music is done.

We have it up on facebook too, so this seems as good a time as any to suggest becoming our fan!

Earlier this year, League of American Bicyclists President Andy Clarke testified before the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming of the U.S. Congress and presented this compelling fact, gleaned from the Department of Transportation’s National Household Travel Survey:

“In our metropolitan areas, more than 40 percent of all trips are two miles or less – a very manageable bike ride – and more than one-quarter are just one mile or less.”

How many such trips are made in Savannah every day? Thousands? Easily. Tens of thousands? Probably. And, with Savannah’s flat terrain and the coming cooler weather, what counts as “a very manageable bike ride” is surely more than two miles. Imagine the positive impact on our community if more of these trips — including commutes — could be made by bicycle instead of by car!

On Oct. 2, Savannahians don’t have to settle for imagining this scenario, they can be a part of it. The SBC’s monthly 2 Wheels 2 Work commuting convoy will depart from Habersham Village Shopping Center at 7:30 a.m., bound for SCAD’s Ex Libris bookstore, where bicycle commuters will enjoy free coffee courtesy of Jittery Joe’s. As always, helmets are strongly encouraged. In the event of heavy rain, the ride will be rescheduled for Oct. 9.

1. The MPO’s Long Range Transportation Plan framework was adopted last Thursday including Complete Streets recommendations and a promise to devote $98 million to nonmotorized transportation over 20 years. That’s big, y’all!  It’s also a testament to the work done by our members and supporters at all the public meetings — thank you all.
2. The Midnight Garden Ride was a huge success as many of you can attest.  Thanks to all who joined in the fun — check out the ride gallery posted to midnightgardenride.com.
3. Our education program is moving forward with a Traffic Skills class for the SCAD bike club coming in the next few weeks.

Hot on the heels of all of this, we’re planning another ride — the Tybee to Savannah Trailblazers’ Ride! Often when people start to talk about bicycle facilities in Chatham County, the discussion migrates to the unridabiliy of US-80 between Savannah and Tybee, with 2 narrow bridges and rumble strips filling the shoulders between the Bull River and Lazaretto Creek:  see previous posts here and here. We’re in full agreement that something needs to be done, so we thought a ride is in order to kick things off. With the aid of the Tybee and Savannah/Chatham County police for protection, we will ride with the first 150 registrants from Tybee to Savannah on Sunday Nov 8 at 9am. We have a page devoted to it on bicyclecampaign.org, and registration is now open at active.com.

Fort Pulaski Wheelie, November 2008

Don’t be left out — join in this fun and important ride for the future of cycling in Chatham County.

Savannah Wheelie 4pm, Sun 10/4:
We celebrate the Telfair Museums’ opening of Dutch Utopia:  American Artists in Holland (because besides us, who loves bikes more than the Dutch?) and the annual outdoor symphonic tradition of Picnic in the Park together on Sunday, Oct 4 at 4pm.  We will start and finish the Picnic in the Park Wheelie at our own Dutch themed utopia on the lawn of Forsyth Park.  The FREE, short, family friendly ride is open to all and will wind through downtown including a spin by the Jepson Center — kids are welcome, though it’s a bit far for training wheels.  Leopold’s will be providing samples of a special Dutch chocolate truffle ice cream created for the Telfair exhibit at our ride stop — a real Dutch treat!

Savannah Bicycle Campaign members who ride with us or stop by our picnic at Forsyth can pick up a free pass to the Dutch Utopia exhibit at the Telfair.

Picnic in the Park Bike Valet, 4:30pm-9pm, Sun 10/4:
Even if you can’t join us for the ride, we will take care of your wheels as you enjoy the concert at our bike valet in Forsyth Park, so please come by!

And don’t forget the monthly 2Wheels 2Work next Friday, Oct 2, 7:30am. You on a bike with your friends from the Campaign riding downtown to work,  from Habersham Village to Ex Libris for Jittery Joe’s coffee — what could be better?

Of course, SBC will be hosting its Picnic in the Park Wheelie on Sunday, October 4 in association with the excellent annual outdoor concert at Forsyth Park.  Final details on that are still pending, so look for an announcement early next week.

This Saturday, Sept 19, 8am:  Historic Savannah Foundation’s 13th Colony Society hosts a bike tour of several historic districts, with stops for discussion along the way.  It should be a great way learn some local history and see our city from a slightly different point of view.  The tour leaves from HSF’s offices promptly at 8am.

Saturday, Oct 10:  Harvest of Hope Double Metric Century, the brainchild of two-time cancer survivor and beloved member of our Savannah cycling community, Patrick Booton.  This event, now the 9th annual, brings together so many in our community to raise money for the Harvest of Hope, a cancer survivor support program for families in Savannah. The ride this year is dedicated as a memorial to our friend and board member Jerry Jaycox, and will again travel from Augusta to Savannah.

Saturday, Oct 17: The American Diabetes Association is raising money and battling diabetes with its Sunsplash Outdoor Fitness Festival.  The event includes opportunities for walking and kayaking in addition to the bike ride from the UGA Aquarium on Skidaway Island.  Ride distances include 10, 20, and 40 mile options for any skill level through the lovely setting of Skidaway Island.  Finish the ride and go for a paddle or a walk to follow!

Last, though not chronologically, we want to mention the Thursday, Oct 8 Rivers Rock! event benefiting the Ogeechee Canoochee Riverkeeper.  It’s not a bike event, though it is being held at our bike friendly sponsor and perennial hosts Moon River Brewing Company at 21 W Bay St.  It is an evening of foot stomping fun with alt-bluegrass from the Packway Handle Band and supports the Riverkeeper’s ongoing efforts to fight pollution in our rivers.  It promises to be a great time, and we’re looking into beefing up Moon River’s bike parking facilities for the night if you want to pedal there.