Spring around the corner and ride update

Spring is just a few days away and with it comes milder and improved weather conditions for cycling. The weekly group rides though the winter have been on a "weather permitted" basis and I have been able to get out on a few of them through January and February.

Local Trail News

For those who haven't been around the Edgewater Bar/Derby Reach area in a while, some new sections of multi-use trail have been added. As many of you may know, last year a section of trail was added from 208th Street (half a block north of Allard Crescent) which takes you toward the river, through some farm land then comes back out to Allard. From Allard, another new section of this trail has been added this last Fall/Winter which runs along the north side of Allard Crescent then turns back toward the river and joins with the trail through the Edgewater Bar trails and then the rest of the trail to Fort Langley. I will try to get a route mapped as soon as possible, but have not ridden on the newest section which was still being worked on several weeks ago. Here is a description of the newest section which is a demonstration project of the larger Experience the Fraser project.

"Derby Reach Regional Park: Golden Ears Bridge to Derby Reach Regional Park Connector - the walking/cycling segment in Derby Reach Regional Park is under construction. A grant of $107,000 was received from the Trans Canada Trail Foundation for work in Langley outside the park. This is a partnership between Metro Vancouver and the Township of Langley."

These new sections are to be a part of this much larger project to create multi-use trails from Georgia Straight to Hope along the Fraser River. These new trail sections will now make our route even more "family friendly".

Group Ride Schedule Update

We will continue with the schedule as it is for the time being with some small changes. Because of my involvement in a new part time venture which will require me to attend training sessions on many Saturday mornings, I will likely not be able to lead or join in on many of the next several Saturday rides so I hope someone else will be able to step forward to lead them. I will not be able to lead tomorrow's (March 5) ride, but I have reserved March 12 at the regular 9:30 AM start for a bike ride. Weather permitting, I will be there on that day but other than that I will not be available for the next several weeks for Saturday morning group rides.

Route Map

As a reminder of the route we use for our Saturday group rides here is a map in case you can't find it elsewhere. Note that this map does not include the new trail sections. I will create a new route map at the first opportunity I have to ride the whole route again including the newest trail additions.

VeloRiders 20K Leisure Ride - Fort Langley - Derby Reach Loop

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

I will update the blog as this situation changes and hopefully by the time the warmer mid to late Spring weather arrives I will again be able to lead these and other group rides. I will also be looking into arranging other longer rides using different route for later in the Spring or Summer and certainly another Pitt Meadows, Central Valley Greenway and/or US bike ride are possibilities.

Ride On!

Summer's Coming

It has been a while since updating the blog due to a number of factors. First, I have personally been quite busy with work, my commitments as chair of our Langley committee of the VACC, team leader for my workplace Bike to Work Week team and life in general. We have been having pretty poor weather for our Saturday bike rides with only two or three good days to ride which has resulted in an understandably poor turnout. Even after my recovery from surgery which went into mid spring the weather was poor and I have only been able to ride on 3 Saturdays myself, only one day of which was sunny. I am ever optimistic that we will have good weather as we approach the summer and that we will have good turnouts as a result.

News

In local Valley VeloRider news, I are planning a little bit more promotion of these weekly rides which will include a poster and route map to be made available through the Fort Cyclery Bike Shop to hand out to those interested. In addition the rides will be promoted through the Langley VACC committee event calendar and other local media outlets. Be sure to let anyone interested know about our rides as well. Also, you can now join on our rides even if you don't currently have a bike as the Fort Cyclery now rents bikes at a very reasonable rate which includes a helmet. Check it out on their Rentals page. Since their Saturday hours are 9AM-5PM the shop will be open for the start of our rides. I have also received a request for ride information from Peter Sylvester for his church's mens group to participate in one of more rides. I have sent him the information he needs along with a link to the route.

Speaking of cycling, many of you may know that June is Bike Month and there are many cycling events planned for the month with Bike to Work Week being the first, starting today and going until June 6th. If you work at Trinity Western University and want to participate sign up at http://www.biketoworkmetrovan.ca/, look for Trinity Western University and join our Valley VeloRiders BTWW team. Log your trips daily which will enter you in the Bike-A-Day give away along with other prizes. Otherwise sign up for your workplace and join an existing team or create you own. Be sure to check out the many events during the month of June starting with Velopalooza via their Facebook link or the Velopalooza web site. Another site to check out is B.E.S.T. 's Bike Month website for other Bike Month news and events.

Lastly, if you want to have a say and participate in cycling issues, infrastructure and advocacy in Langley come to our monthly meetings on the second Tuesday of the month 7-9PM at Langley Civic Centre in the Murray Creek meeting room. More information is available at the VACC main web site an the Langley committee link.

Lets ride.!!

Upcoming Events

Now that spring is well underway and summer is right around the corner there are many cycling events coming up in the Metro Vancouver area in the next few months. June is Bike Month throughout Canada and there are many events scheduled around this theme for the month of June. A full list of upcoming Bike Month events is available at http://www.bikemonth.ca/events.html.

Here is a list of a few other cycling related events going on throughout the next month.

Golden Ears Bridge Completion Celebration Sunday, June 14, 2009

This long awaited and much debated crossing to Pitt Meadows/Male Ridge is finally here. The bridge is scheduled to open to traffic on June 16, but Translink has schedule a pedestrian only bridge opening party on the bridge deck itself on Sunday June 14. This bridge is also important to cyclists as several groups including the VACC lobbied hard to have safe cycling lanes included in the planning which is extended to the roads and approaches to the bridge as well. The VACC will also be joining the party to hand our maps and other cycling materials. Car parking with shuttles as well a cycling valet service will be provided to participants. Secure bicycle valet services are provided by The Bicycle Valet. More information is available at Translink's website.


Langley side Parking and Shuttle Service - Bike Valet Map
Promotional PDF Brochure

Central Valley Greenway Opening

The Central Valley Greenway is a 25 kilometer route from Science World in Vancouver to Westminster Quay in New Westminster. This bike path route has been in the planning and construction phase for a few years now and is scheduled to be completed this month. An opening day ride is planned for June 27th and would be a great opportunity to enjoy a wonderful new cycling oriented route through the Vancouver, Burnaby and New Westminster.

More information about the greenway is available here.

"Canada Day 142" Populaire

From the BC Randonneurs Cycling Club Web site:

This year's route is 142 km long to celebrate Canada's 142th birthday. (Route available later - here's the 2008 route.) The start & finish location is at the Fort Langley Lions Seniors Hall on the corner of Glover Road and 88th (entrance to parking off 88th). There will be 3 controls along the route and each will have water, fruit and some type of sweet (cookies and/or cake). The route offers a mix of terrain and mostly quiet country roads taking you from scenic Fort Langley through Matsqui and quaint Clayburn, across Sumas Prairie, up Sumas Mountain, through Veddar Crossing, returning across Sumas Prairie, through Huntington, Aldergrove and back to Fort Langley.

Wednesday, July 1, start time between 8-9am
Start/end: Fort Langley Lions Hall, 23022 88th Ave (at Glover)
BC Randonneurs Cycling Club Canada Day ride 142km covering
scenic Fraser Valley back roads. $20 entry.Snacks.
Everyone welcome! Roger & Ali Holt 604-946-8438, aliholt@telus.net.
www.randonneurs.bc.ca


MEC Great Rides

MEC and the VACC have teamed up to organize "Great Rides" from July to October this year. From the VACC Great Rides web page:

"MEC Great Rides are circular routes taking in beautiful country lanes, vibrant city centres and fun local festivals. The rides range from 25km to 50km along quiet roads and dedicated bike routes (some of the rides will have the choice of longer or shorter routes) and are a family-friendly way to get out on your bike this summer.

Celebration Stations around the route will provide food, drink and encouragement to keep you going and there will be fun things to see as you go. We want to make the event days as worry-free as possible for riders, so we will be providing mechanical support at the Celebration Stations, plus mobile mechanical support should you have difficulties en route (or need a ride back to the start for whatever reason...) In addition, on the ride day you will get a goody bag with safety equipment from MEC and other cool SWAG, a Great Rides route book, bike valet parking and more...plus a whole day of fun and exploration."

There will be 4 scheduled rides, one each month from July through October as follows:

Sunday July 12th - Countryside, Caribbean music and the Golden Ears Bridge. Bike over the brand new bridge between Maple Ridge and Langley. Have fun at the Caribbean music festival in Maple Ridge and explore the quiet lanes of Langley.

Saturday August 15th - Pitt Meadows - Farms, bees and biking the Fraser River Dikes. Taste local honey, or see a bee beard at the honey festival. Bike by farmland surrounded by mountains and along the dikes beside the Fraser and Pitt Rivers.

Sunday September 27th - Port Coquitlam - Bike the Rivers and Trails Festival. Music, rivers, trails and festivities. Enjoy the September weather on your bike along the PoCo Trail.

Sunday October 4th - The Bikennale! A combination bike ride and cultural event, ride between monumental sculptures, music and performance events. Explore the bike paths from Stanley Park to Jericho Beach and beyond to UBC and Queen Elizabeth Park.

Register for one or more of the rides at the VACC Great Rides registration page. There is a cost to these rides as they are partially supported rides with refreshments and mechanical support at the various community stations. See the VACC Great Rides web site for more information.

Velo-City: Vancouver & the bicycle revolution June 4 to September 7, 2009

Vancouver Museum, 1100 Chestnut Street
Vancouver's human-powered revolution that's changing the way people experience and relate to the city, their neighborhoods, and to their own bodies. 604-736-4431,
http://www.museumofvancouver.ca/exhibition.php?id=6

Valley VeloRiders Group Ride

We also have a Valley VeloRiders Group Ride scheduled for Saturday June the 20th (Corrected Date) and participants are invited to my home at the end of the ride for lunch and fellowship. Here are the ride details.

Ride Type: Leisure-Medium
Meet: Reimer Student Centre Cafeteria
Time: 8:00 (We leave no later than 8:30 AM)
Duration: 3-4 hours depending on stops
Planned Route: http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/VVR-Golden-Ears-Bridge-Route
Distance: 57 km

This is a new route that will not have been ridden by anyone yet as it takes us over the Golden Ears Bridge which will be opening to traffic on June 16th. Because parts of the route around the bridge are not yet mapped we will have to play things by ear a bit as the roads and approaches are so new. We will also be starting earlier this morning than previous rides.

The ride will take us around Pitt Meadows following the Fraser and Alouette Rivers along the dyke road. As this ride could incorporate riding on some non-paved bike paths, bikes with skinny road tires are not recommended. Mountain bikes or hybrid bikes would be best for this ride. The route is mostly flat with a 1.2 km climb near the beginning and a longer less steep climb into Forest Hills.

I would like to also invite anyone joining on the ride to stop at my home on the way back for lunch and refreshments before riding the last 4 km to TWU. Please RSVP if you are wanting to stop for lunch at my place so that we know how many people to prepare for.

Richard.

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

BrightBike : A Reflective Bike | Commute by Bike

BrightBike : A Reflective Bike | Commute by Bike

A very good web site focused on commuting by bike operated by Tim Grahl, who formerly hosted the Crooked Cog Podcast. He is also hosting a Bike to Work Podcast which you can subscribe to via this web site or iTunes.

'Bent Culture | Momentum - The Magazine For Self Propelled People!

'Bent Culture Momentum - The Magazine For Self Propelled People!

Since one of our members rides a recumbent bike, a posting of the link to this article in local bike culture magazine seemd appropriate.