Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Ride of Silence status

The Ride of Silence is ON for tonight, 21 May.  The organizer will make a decision to cancel if rider safety is at risk. This possible choice will be made after 6:30 and take into account the latest weather reports and radar images. The ride will go on if there's only rain falling (and no high wind gusts).

At this moment the weather report looks to be possibly wet but the chance of rain will be diminishing through the late afternoon and evening.  So, be prepared for the weather!

There will be updates here up to  6:30 if any changes are made.

Thursday, May 1, 2014

2014 Bike Week Information and Schedule

READY TO ROLL: 
Rochester Bike Week 2014!


May is National Bike Month! Hop on your bike, enjoy the smell of fresh air and lilacs, and experience the freedom of exploring our community on two wheels. The City of Rochester will help to launch the 2014 summer biking season with Rochester Bike Week, May 10-18.




Biking in Rochester: General Information






Learn more about the city’s many efforts to become more bike-friendly here: www.cityofrochester.gov/rocthebike 



Learn more about several exciting projects currently underway to make biking in Rochester even better as we pedal forward:



·         Rochester Bicycle Boulevards Plan www.cityofrochester.gov/bikeblvd/



·         Rochester Area Bike Share Feasibility Study www.rocbikeshare.org

o   NOTE: Public Input Meeting on Mon, May 19 (5:30-7:30pm) Kate Gleason Auditorium, Central  Library (see details under Rides and Events below)



·         2014 Greater Rochester Area Bicycling Map published by the GTC will be available soon! Please check the GTC website at: http://www.gtcmpo.org for the latest status, or contact Bob Torzynski at rtorzynski@gtcmpo.org for further information and/or printed copies of the map.




Rochester Bike Week 2014: Rides and Events



Please join us for one of the rides, classes, or events below. There’s something for every age and any comfort level to explore different parts of our city. We hope you’ll join us!





Wednesday, May 7



·         Kick-Off Event: 11:30 a.m.  

o   Reading of our Bike Week 2014 proclamation

o   Ribbon Cutting at Yellow Haus Bicycles, Rochester's fifth and newest independent bike shop 

Tire change clinics offered at Yellow Haus Bicycles every Wed-Sat at 11am (except on 5/7)

o   Meet at Yellow Haus Bicycles, 987 Monroe Avenue

o   Bring your bike to celebrate Bike Week 2014

o   Contact: 311  



Saturday May 10


     Ride your Bike to the Public Market (8am-1pm) – Enjoy the best possible market parking AND qualify for free giveaways and prizes!
    • 8am-1pm, table with information about bike week activities, bicycling in Rochester, summer recreation events, and more
    • Everyone who bikes gets a free reusable public market bag
    • Everyone who bikes gets a raffle ticket for special prizes (bike panniers, public market cookbook, public market history book)
    • First 20 to arrive by bike get a free $5 market token 
      • Show your helmet at the Bike Week Table near the covered bike parking to qualify for the giveaways above
    • Bike racks are located outside the market office, near Zimmermans, and next to the Railroad Street parking lot, near the Railroad Street arch/gate. For more info on biking to the market, see: http://www.cityofrochester.gov/article.aspx?id=8589946435
    • Contact: Elizabeth Murphy, elizabethmurphy@flhsa.org  



·         Ride in the Lilac Festival Parade (9:30am-noon) – enjoy the best seat in the Lilac Parade

o   Meet no later than 10am in the parade lineup on Science Parkway (off South Ave)

Look for the “Bike MS Bicycle Lifestyle” section of the line-up

Parade begins at 10:30am

o   Dress up in festive colors!

o   Decorate your bike with flowers!

o   Contact: Scott Wagner, scott.wagner.ny@gmail.com



·         Bike Cash Mob at the Lilac Festival (~noon-1pm) – a demonstration of purchasing power on two wheels

o   Meet directly after the Lilac Festival Parade ends (~noon) near the Highland Park Pansy Bed

o   Proceed to the Cornell Cooperative Extension building (249 Highland Ave) for lunch and socializing

o   Join Rochester’s bike community to support local vendors and make bikes/biking visible at the Lilac Festival

o   Contact: Glenn Cerosaletti, glenn.cerosaletti@rochester.edu


     Flat Tire Clinic (3-4pm) 
    • Free clinic at Full Moon Vista Bike & Sport (661 South Ave)
    • Learn everything you need to know about changing a flat tire and all the secrets – flat-resistant tires, quick release operation, v-brake, caliper release and disc brake operation, tools needed and appropriate tire pressure.
    • Contact: www.fullmoonvista.com/clinics.html#flat or 546-4030 



Sunday, May 11



·         Family Bike Ride/ROC “Kidical Mass” along the Genesee River Trail (3-5pm) – a safe fun, youth-led ride from Charlotte Beach to Turning Point Park and back

o   Meet in the Charlotte Beach parking lot (North River St. parking lot near Pier 45) at 3pm

o   All ages and bike comfort levels welcome!

o   ~5 mile ride on a separated trail, one short hill

o   Enjoy a frozen custard or walk out the pier afterwards

o   Led by youth from the Genesee Community Charter School (GCCS).

o   ROC Kidical Mass started in 2013 as a student-led project by GCCS sixth graders to support Rochester’s bicycle culture.

o   Roc Kidical Mass is a bike ride geared towards families to help promote youth bicycle ridership in our community.  Come join us for a great ride along a great river!

o   Contact: Christopher Dolgos, cdolgos@gccs.org



Monday, May 12



No formal event planned.  We invite you to take a ride on your bike, and invite your family and friends! Pay a visit to your favorite park or trail, or set out to explore a new place or part of town that you’re curious to learn about.  You can use the city’s interactive bicycle facilities map and a google map of Greater Rochester Bicycle Rideability Ratings to plan your route.




Tuesday, May 13




o   The Cinema Theater (957 S Clinton Ave), doors open at 6:30pm

o   Tickets cost $8 – Available online or at the door (if the event does not sell out online)

o   This year's feature film is Douglas MacKinnon's  The Flying Scotsman. A selection of bicycle-related short films will accompany the feature.

o   Event bike racks will be located outside the theater.  Ride your bicycle to the event and show your helmet at the door to receive a $1 rebate on admission.

o   Proceeds will benefit the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy 





·         Right Ride Adult Safety Program (6-8pm)FIRST of two classes

o   Held in Genesee Valley Park (meet outside the Genesee Waterways Center, 149 Elmwood Ave)

o   Build your comfort and confidence to bike in the street !

o   Geared for adults 18+ interested in learning the fundamentals of safe road cycling

o   Preregistration, including a $10.00 registration fee, is required.  Scholarships are available.

To register visit the City of Rochester’s Bureau of Recreation and Youth Services (400 Dewey Ave) or call 428-6770. 

o   Participants that complete the entire training course will receive a voucher for a free bike at R Community Bikes (some restrictions apply).  

o   Contact: 428-6770



Wed, May 14



·         Bicycle Commuting Workshop at Strong Hospital (noon-1pm)

o   Held in 1-9576 Ryan Case Method Room (2nd floor adjacent to the Flaum Atrium)  

Park in Lot L, off Elmwood, west side of Medical Center Campus

o   The workshop will cover fundamentals and advanced tips for bike commuting and safe biking, including equipment, safe riding techniques, and post ride cleanup.

o   Open discussion on how to improve biking facilities and an update on new trails, bike lanes, and bike share will also be reviewed. 

o   Contact: Brittany Fuino 276-4197



·         R Community Bikes’ Celebration and Bridges to Wellness Community Bike Ride (5-8pm) – a ribbon    cutting and neighborhood bike ride

o   Ribbon cutting at 5:30pm, ride begins at 6pm

o   Help dedicate a new mural and Little Free Library at R Community Bikes, experience a community ride with stops at local gardens, murals, and points of pride in the Bridges to Wellness neighborhood, then enjoy snacks and socializing.

o   Flat ~4-6 mile ride with stops on city streets

o   If you don’t have a bike, R Community Bikes can lend you one for the ride

o   Contact: Jesse Knoth, Jknoth@jordanhealth.org or Dan Lill, danlill126@gmail.com





Thursday, May 15



·         Right Ride Adult Safety Program (6-8pm)SECOND of two classes

o   Held in Genesee Valley Park (meet outside the Genesee Waterways Center, 149 Elmwood Ave)

o   Build your comfort and confidence to bike in the street

o   Geared for adults 18+ interested in learning the fundamentals of safe road cycling

o   Preregistration, including a $10.00 registration fee, is required.  Scholarships are available.

To register visit the City of Rochester’s Bureau of Recreation and Youth Services (400 Dewey Ave) or call 428-6770. 

o   Participants that complete the entire training course will receive a voucher for a free bike at R Community Bikes (some restrictions apply).  

o   Contact: 428-6770




Friday, May 16

     Bike to Work Day (All Day)  



(If your employer would like to host a Bike to Work activity, please notify elizabethmurphy@flhsa.org so we can include you on this list and share resources)



    The 14th Annual Ride for Missing Children (8-6pm)
    • 100 mile bike ride, ride as a group, 14-15 mph pace
    • Departs from 435 West Commercial St, East Rochester (Unity Health System Total Sports Experience)
    • Registration begins at 6:45am, riders depart at 8am
    • Riders stop at 5-6 schools for rest, refreshments, and educational programs
    • Riders return by  5:45pm, Closing Ceremony/Dinner at 6pm
    • $300 minimum pledge to ride, benefits the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children/New York
    • For more information, see: http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/385877/7b9bed6881/1452500525/573c62477c/
    • "We ride to raise awareness for the injustices that are committed against our children. We ride as a community and as a family to make a difference. We ride to enjoy the camaraderie of friends new and old. We ride no matter how hot, how cold, how rainy, snowy, hilly or flat - we ride together as a family…”

·         Light UP the Night Ride (8-10pm) – an illuminating post-sunset ride

o   Meet at 8pm at the Genesee Valley Sports Complex (131 Elmwood Ave) in Genesee Valley Park

    • Riders decorate themselves and their bicycles with as many lights as they can
    • ~ 8 mile route[gmap-pedometer.com] on trails and city streets
    • Riders “light up” the trails and streets as they journey up the Genesee River to the City Center, loop back into the South Wedge and over through Corn Hill Landing before returning to Genesee Valley Park.  

o Bike Lights and Helmets required to participate.

o   Contact: Callie Appleby, 341 7804 (work), 797 8510 (cell), or Caroline_appleby@urmc.rochester.edu



Saturday, May 17



·         Radical Roots History Ride (2-4pm) – a sociopolitical cyclo-tour of local historic points

o   Meet at Susan B Anthony Square at 2pm.

o   Flat ~10 mile route on city streets with stops for discussion

o   The tour will cover sites in and near Downtown Rochester that have been significant in US and local social movements and general history: feminism, abolitionism, labor, ecology, transportation, communication and economic development.

o   Led by Jack Bradigan Spula, a four-season bicyclist, Highland Park Neighborhood resident, social activist, writer, musician and Rochesterian for nearly 50 years. 

o   Contact: Jack Spula, jbspula@gmail.com


Shifting Clinic (3-4pm) 
    • Free clinic at Full Moon Vista Bike & Sport (661 South Ave)
    • Everything you ever wanted to know about shifting – learn about soft pedalling, chainring engagement, chain alignment, and more!
    • Contact: www.fullmoonvista.com/clinics.html#shift or 546-4030 



Sunday, May 18



·       

·         4th Annual Rochester Seersucker Social Ride (10:30am-1pm)

o   Ride starts and ends at the Genesee Valley Park, Roundhouse Pavilion area
o   Meet Up ~10:30am, ride begins ~11am and does til ~1pm
o   Ride is about 10 miles long at a slow pace.
o   Pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the sun after the ride! 
o   Dress up in anything from the turn of the century to the 40's – think Summer Garden Party Fabulous!  (check here for inspiration)
o   Contact: Amy, amylroll@yahoo.com

Bike Repair Skillswap at the Little Flower Community (1-4pm)

o   Meet at the Little Flower Community House (458 Parsells Ave, near Culver)

o   Have an old bike you've been meaning to get back on the road? Just looking to do some general maintenance, but wouldn't mind a few pointers? Want to learn from others in a friendly non-intimidating environment? Our Bike Repair Skillshare is just for you!

o   Volunteers from R Community Bikes will be on hand with tools and parts to help answer your questions.

o   Contact: Joe at 204-6532 or LittleFlowerROC@gmail.com


Mon, May 19



·         PUBLIC INPUT MEETING for the Rochester Bike Share Feasibility Study (5:30-7:30pm)

o   Location: Kate Gleason Auditorium at the Rochester Downtown Library (115 South Ave)

o   Feasibility study being undertaken by: Genesee Transportation Council (GTC)

o   Purpose of public meeting: present an overview of the Rochester Bikeshare Feasibility Study and solicit public input

o   For more info see: http://rocbikeshare.org/  or

o   Contact: Bob Torzynski, GTC Bicycle & Pedestrian Program Manager: rtorzynski@gtcmpo.org


Wed, May 21


·         Rochester’s 4th Annual Ride of Silence (6:30-7:30pm)

    • Meet at the Penfield Highway Department parking lot on Jackson Rd at 6:15pm
    • A 9 mile loop ridden in group silence to honor people that have been injured or died while cycling.
    • Wearing a helmet is required.
    • Everyone – all skill levels – welcome.
    • RSVP is requested.


o   Contact: Andy Stewart,  onetenth@earthlink.net