May First Thursday Open House and Alley Party

May is Bike Month and the Bicycle Alliance of Washington and our Nord Alley neighbors are kicking it off with an Open House and Alley Party on May 3 (First Thursday) from 5:30-7:30 pm. 

 

We’re highlighting the Tour de France photographic work of Mike Hone on our gallery walls.  Mike, an Experience Designer for Adobe, is also an amateur Cat 1 racer and the owner/manager of the Audi Cycling Team. Nord Alley will feature moss art palindromes and alley pallet vertical gardens.  Check here for more info on the Alley Party.

The good folks from Schooner Exact Brewing will be on hand to launch their limited edition Ale-Liance IPA.  This tasty beer was crafted especially for the Bicycle Alliance to celebrate Bike Month!

Thanks to our Nord Alley neighbors who are co-sponsoring this event:  ISI Seattle, Feet First and Back Alley Bike Repair.

May First Thursday Open House & Alley Party

May 3, 2012 – 5:30 to 7:30pm

Bicycle Alliance of Washington

314 First Ave S in Pioneer Square

Desk Space for Rent in Pioneer Square

Looking for desk space near downtown Seattle?

Join a vibrant and lively community of active transportation advocates!  The Bicycle Alliance of Washington has desk space for rent in the historic Nord Building in Pioneer Square.  The $400 rent includes IP connection, copier, wi-fi, complimentary espresso and easy access to a bike shop.  Contact Barbara Culp for more information or to arrange to view the space.

May Bike Rides

All things bicycle seem to be happening in May…the National Bike Challenge kicks off, communities around Washington are holding Bike to Work events, and May 9 is the first ever National Bike to School Day.
 

Bike riding season is in full swing and there are five May rides that support the Bicycle Alliance’s work to grow bicycling statewide:

May Day Metric rest stop.  Photo by Louise Kornreich

The Vancouver Bicycle Club presents Ride Around Clark County on May 5.  RACC offers four beautiful and challenging route options through scenic Clark County.  Kids under 12 ride free.

The May Day Metric, presented by Phil’s South Side Cyclery on May 6, offers three challenging routes that travel the back roads, byways and bike trails of the South Sound region.  Distances range from 50, 72 and 104 miles.

Looking for a ride east of the Cascade crest?  How about the Group Health Inland Empire Century on May 12?  Routes skirt the Columbia and Yakima rivers, through parks and over bridges, and return through the Horse Heaven Hills.  This ride is organized by the Kiwanis Clubs of Columbia and Tri-Cities Industry.

The Skagit Bicycle Club presents the Skagit Spring Classic, also on May 12.  This ride offers routes through scenic northern Skagit and southern Whatcom Counties, and features an all-you-can-eat pasta feed at the end of the ride.

Joint the Port Townsend Bicycle Association for the Rhody Bike Tour on May 13.  There are five routes to choose from—including a family-friendly trail ride.  The longer routes sample the varied terrain of east Jefferson County’s rural roads.

Check our Ride Calendar for a complete listing of rides that support the Bicycle Alliance.  Now get out and ride!

Friday Fun: Detroit Bike City

We were inspired and impressed with the bike culture that has emerged in Detroit and we wanted to share it with you.  Happy Friday!

Retiring Again

Barb (R) & Andy are ready for pedal adventure.

It's true!  I'm retiring and this time I really mean it!  

In 2007, I left the Bicycle Alliance to travel in France with my husband and friends.  I worked briefly as a consultant, and hated it.  Then I tried my hand in program implementation at Seattle Children's Hospital, and loved it. Except...I missed bicycle advocacy and the day to day excitement and enthusiasm of growing bicycling statewide.

What has changed since I returned in 2010?  What's changed is me and my priorities!  My daughter is expecting; she lives in Portland with her husband, and I want to spend a lot of time there.

More travel is in my future: my husband Andy and I absolutely love long distance bike touring and will combine train and bikes to see more of the  national parks.  We'll help with outreach along the US Bicycle Route System.  I'll spend more time gardening, more time with friends, more time reading, and of course, I'll have a grandchild to teach about the joys of bicycling!  

I'm super excited about the direction the Bicycle Alliance is moving with outreach, legislation, and programs around the state.   We have a great staff, and a wonderful board of directors sprinkled all across the state.  Check our website for the job posting, apply or forward it to a great candidate.

This isn't  "so long";  it's more like  "I'm rolling along down the road in search of another adventure!" 

May 2 and GiveBIG Approaches!

 In eight more days Bicycle Alliance of Washington will participate in one of the largest philanthropic events in the Northwest! 

GiveBIG 2012 arrives on Wednesday, May 2, providing an opportunity for the Puget Sound region and surrounding communities to give generously to over 1300 non-profits that are making a difference in our community and quality of life. Between midnight and midnight (Pacific Time) on May 2, each donation made will receive a pro-rated portion of matching funds from both The Seattle Foundation and multiple GiveBIG sponsors. The amount of the match will depend on the size of the matching fund pool and how much is raised in total donations on GiveBIG day. 

We encourage supporters of our mission to grow bicycling in Washington State and create a more bike and pedestrian friendly landscape to mark your calendar and make a donation on May 2! To learn more about our programs and current need, visit the Bicycle Alliance Donation Page.

GiveBIG is only possible with the generous support of community-minded organizations that contribute matching funds making this event a unique and even bigger financial success. We’d like to thank our GiveBIG Sponsors with the hope you’ll support them when making future purchasing decisions.

Sign up for the National Bike Challenge: Part 2!

Thank you to Scott Chilberg for preparing this post.

As we’ve mentioned before, the Bicycle Alliance is acting as the Washington State representative for the 2012 Get Up and Ride National Bike Challenge, and we’re continuing to encourage people to sign up, either as an individual or on a team! Washington has consistently been ranked the most bike friendly state in the nation, and we want to prove that once again by getting as many Washington state residents as possible to sign up for this free nationwide challenge, which starts May 1.

The Challenge works like this: You register on the National Bike Challenge website, you log your biking miles online from May 1^st until August 31^st, and you compete for prizes and qualify for awards as the challenge goes along. Pretty simple stuff! You get 20 points for each day that you ride plus 1 point for each mile that you log. You can also download a smart phone app to log miles as you go!

For a full list of rules, click here. You can also download a full list of prizes here. 

The challenge is free to sign up, so there’s no reason not to participate! Plus, May is National Bike Month, so this is a great way to bump up your biking while competing for prizes at the same time.

So go register now! And pass this along to your friends, family, colleagues, and whoever else you think might be interested!