Sunday, March 29, 2009
Bike to Work Week 2009
Bike to Work Week 2009 will soon be here. I will be posting information about the Spring Bike to Work Week very soon. For more information go to the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition web site. Registration will be opening soon.
pacific populaire
pacific populaire
"Greater Vancouver's first major public ride of the cycling season is the Pacific Populaire. Since its inception in 1986 the focus of this event has been to encourage participation by all cyclists regardless of fitness level, cycling experience, or age. For some, the ride is a challenge to turn in a fast time, a personal best, or to complete a greater distance than in a previous year. Others will be out for a relaxed spring ride, fresh air, and exercise."
$25 ($18 pre-register)
$20 - BC Randonneur club members ($15 pre-register)
$10 under 19 years old (must have signed waiver)
Pre-registration before Tuesday, March 31 - Cheque or VISA
Cheque, VISA, or Cash on ride day
ENTRY HERE
Any Questions?
Contact: Danelle Laidlaw (Ride Organizer)
(604) 421-1717
"Greater Vancouver's first major public ride of the cycling season is the Pacific Populaire. Since its inception in 1986 the focus of this event has been to encourage participation by all cyclists regardless of fitness level, cycling experience, or age. For some, the ride is a challenge to turn in a fast time, a personal best, or to complete a greater distance than in a previous year. Others will be out for a relaxed spring ride, fresh air, and exercise."
$25 ($18 pre-register)
$20 - BC Randonneur club members ($15 pre-register)
$10 under 19 years old (must have signed waiver)
Pre-registration before Tuesday, March 31 - Cheque or VISA
Cheque, VISA, or Cash on ride day
ENTRY HERE
Any Questions?
Contact: Danelle Laidlaw (Ride Organizer)
(604) 421-1717
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Group Ride - Saturday, March 21
Since the weather forecast for the coming weekend is for sunshine and a high of 10 degrees it seems like a great opportunity to get out for a ride on Saturday. Because of the short notice I have not added it to the ride calendar as a scheduled ride. Instead I thought I would just show up at the TWU RSC cafeteria at 9:30 AM and wait for anyone interested in joining me. Two group members I had suggested this to have expressed an interest so there may be others. I will leave by 10-10:15 so anybody else wanting to join me can meet me at the TWU cafeteria.
It will be a 33km ride and the route is available at http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/VeloRiders-Derby-Reach-Ft-Langley-loop.
See you there.
Richard.
It will be a 33km ride and the route is available at http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/VeloRiders-Derby-Reach-Ft-Langley-loop.
See you there.
Richard.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Bike the Blossoms
http://www.slowfoodvancouver.com/index.php/BikeBlossoms/category/join_us/
We could arrange for multiple group members to partiticpate in this by car pooling with our bikes to KG Skytrain station, use skytrain part way there and then ride to Vandusen for the Bike the Blossoms ride and incorporate it in a Valley VeloRiders group ride. An option would then be to ride back or part way back (7-11 bike path) to KG Station then drive home. The Bike the Blossoms ride itself is short at 23 km. If there is interest in this then I will map out a potential route with options.
We could arrange for multiple group members to partiticpate in this by car pooling with our bikes to KG Skytrain station, use skytrain part way there and then ride to Vandusen for the Bike the Blossoms ride and incorporate it in a Valley VeloRiders group ride. An option would then be to ride back or part way back (7-11 bike path) to KG Station then drive home. The Bike the Blossoms ride itself is short at 23 km. If there is interest in this then I will map out a potential route with options.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Group Ride Rescheduled
The group ride originaly scheduled for this coming Saturday (March 14) has has been rescheduled for Saturday April 4. This was because of the weather that still has us in the grips of winter and the coming weekend is predicted to be cold and wet which makes for a much less enjoyable ride. If we get good weath in April we may be able to schedule another ride in April, later in the month.
Richard.
Richard.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Friday Feb. 27 Meeting Summary
As indicated by email we had an informal meeting on Friday Feb. 27th. I went over the points outlined in the information sent out to all group members by email and will post a summary of the discussion here. My purpose was to just bring up some points for discussion for all members to consider and to obtain feedback for the vision and ideas I had in mind for the group. I will cover the feedback provided on each point.
1. Direction and scope of group.
* Cycling advocacy with local municipalities, work place
Discussion of this point centered around whether as a group we could be effective in advocating for cycling issues with local municipal authorities as well as in the workplace.
* Participation in charity rides
This was just an idea put forward for all to consider. There are several options open to us here. More discussion will be needed and covered in future meetings.
* Participation in other cycling events - For example: opening day of Golden Ears bridge.
As there were several advocacy groups involved with lobbying for bike lanes on the new bridge I thought it would be a great show of support if we showed up on opening day as a group and ride across the bridge. It would also show to decision makers that more cycling infrastructure is needed.
* Should we become a club or informal group?
It was recommended that for the short term we operate as an informal group and see what develops. Pros and cons were discussed.
* Inclusive rather than exclusive. In other words we will want be associated with TWU, but also allow non-TWU employees/affiliates and there family members to join in.
Feedback from others on this welcome but the general consensus was to be inclusive.
* Anyone can join a ride, a membership in the group (or club) not required.
Everyone was also in agreement with this point.
2. Ride scheduling - static or ad-hoc or both.
It was agreed that we would start with at least one monthly regularly scheduled ride where people would show up and join the ride. The ride would proceed with only weather cancelling. Notification will be made available in the case of cancellation. I will have more information and post a schedule for these rides this week. This would still leave open the option of any member organizing and scheduling a group ride.
3. Types of rides. Rides catered to various cycling abilities? Multi day rides or Tours? Single day rides outside of lower mainland.
This option will allow for those with different riding skills set up group rides in line with their skills. I believe we could schedule these rides and have a simple rating system so those interested would be able to determine their participation. This is the same procedure followed by many cycling clubs.
Group rides outside of the lower mainland and multi-day rides were also considered to be good options to explore. These would most likely need to be scheduled during the summer when we have the light later in the evenings
4. Online web and communication tools available for participants.
A couple of the tools available were discussed and briefly demonstrated.
5. Disclaimers?
The possible need for a disclaimer was also discussed. This will be explored further.
6. Cycling skills training options?
The VACC (Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition) offers several bicycle skills training options. Since Bill Norris also joined us for lunch the question of TWU contributing to the cost of such courses was explored. He indicated that there is an annual 50.00 benefit available for all TWU employees that could be applied for this purpose.
7. Meetings - Frequency, type and location of meeting?
No decision was made with regard to regular meetings so this will be left at scheduling meetings when required. They could possibly be scheduled for the same day as a ride but begin and end prior to the start of the ride.
8. Volunteers for content, ride leaders, sweep.
Dave Jeffery volunteered to help with content and management of the various services I set up for the group. I will modify his access during the next week. If anyone else wishes to assist with this please let me know.
For those unfamiliar with group rides, the ride leader or captain maintains the pace and leads the group through the prearranged route. The ride leader should also discuss the route before starting the ride and handout any maps, cue sheets etc.. A sweep is the last rider in the group and watches for riders ahead and if a rider is trailing she/he communicates with the rest of the group if a rider needs the group to stop or slow down. The sweep and the ride leader would also provide any mechanical assistance for a rider needing assistance with others if needed. The main principle is to insure the the group does not become separated or lost. We will need people to volunteer for these responsibilities on any rider with 4 or more participants.
As mentioned previously all feedback on any or all of the above issues is welcome.
Richard
1. Direction and scope of group.
* Cycling advocacy with local municipalities, work place
Discussion of this point centered around whether as a group we could be effective in advocating for cycling issues with local municipal authorities as well as in the workplace.
* Participation in charity rides
This was just an idea put forward for all to consider. There are several options open to us here. More discussion will be needed and covered in future meetings.
* Participation in other cycling events - For example: opening day of Golden Ears bridge.
As there were several advocacy groups involved with lobbying for bike lanes on the new bridge I thought it would be a great show of support if we showed up on opening day as a group and ride across the bridge. It would also show to decision makers that more cycling infrastructure is needed.
* Should we become a club or informal group?
It was recommended that for the short term we operate as an informal group and see what develops. Pros and cons were discussed.
* Inclusive rather than exclusive. In other words we will want be associated with TWU, but also allow non-TWU employees/affiliates and there family members to join in.
Feedback from others on this welcome but the general consensus was to be inclusive.
* Anyone can join a ride, a membership in the group (or club) not required.
Everyone was also in agreement with this point.
2. Ride scheduling - static or ad-hoc or both.
It was agreed that we would start with at least one monthly regularly scheduled ride where people would show up and join the ride. The ride would proceed with only weather cancelling. Notification will be made available in the case of cancellation. I will have more information and post a schedule for these rides this week. This would still leave open the option of any member organizing and scheduling a group ride.
3. Types of rides. Rides catered to various cycling abilities? Multi day rides or Tours? Single day rides outside of lower mainland.
This option will allow for those with different riding skills set up group rides in line with their skills. I believe we could schedule these rides and have a simple rating system so those interested would be able to determine their participation. This is the same procedure followed by many cycling clubs.
Group rides outside of the lower mainland and multi-day rides were also considered to be good options to explore. These would most likely need to be scheduled during the summer when we have the light later in the evenings
4. Online web and communication tools available for participants.
A couple of the tools available were discussed and briefly demonstrated.
5. Disclaimers?
The possible need for a disclaimer was also discussed. This will be explored further.
6. Cycling skills training options?
The VACC (Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition) offers several bicycle skills training options. Since Bill Norris also joined us for lunch the question of TWU contributing to the cost of such courses was explored. He indicated that there is an annual 50.00 benefit available for all TWU employees that could be applied for this purpose.
7. Meetings - Frequency, type and location of meeting?
No decision was made with regard to regular meetings so this will be left at scheduling meetings when required. They could possibly be scheduled for the same day as a ride but begin and end prior to the start of the ride.
8. Volunteers for content, ride leaders, sweep.
Dave Jeffery volunteered to help with content and management of the various services I set up for the group. I will modify his access during the next week. If anyone else wishes to assist with this please let me know.
For those unfamiliar with group rides, the ride leader or captain maintains the pace and leads the group through the prearranged route. The ride leader should also discuss the route before starting the ride and handout any maps, cue sheets etc.. A sweep is the last rider in the group and watches for riders ahead and if a rider is trailing she/he communicates with the rest of the group if a rider needs the group to stop or slow down. The sweep and the ride leader would also provide any mechanical assistance for a rider needing assistance with others if needed. The main principle is to insure the the group does not become separated or lost. We will need people to volunteer for these responsibilities on any rider with 4 or more participants.
As mentioned previously all feedback on any or all of the above issues is welcome.
Richard
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