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Palmetto Cycling Coalition E-newsletter March 2010
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Visit our Facebook cause. Please join and donate today!
SC bicycling photos uploaded to our flickr photo sharing account weekly. Check it out!
To stay 'in-the-know' about the latest in bike gear, advocacy news, events and much more, subscribe to the PCC RSS feed.
i bike, i vote: A resource dedicated to educating South Carolinian bicyclists about candidates running for public office.
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Share the Road
The
South Carolina Share the Road license plate is a great way to
contribute to the Coalition AND show your support of bicycling in South
Carolina. Don't worry if you just renewed your plates, the cost of a
new Share the Road plate will be pro-rated. Click here to download the appropriate form, fill out the necessary personal information, and then head down to your local DMV office to purchase your plate today!
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Sponsor Spotlight:
Abacus Planning Group,
a financial planning firm in Columbia and long-time PCC and bicycle
advocacy supporter, has exemplified their community-wide philanthropic support by offering a beautiful office space for
our Columbia office at no cost. President Cheryl Holland has grown her firm to a staff of 17 and has been awarded numerous awards and recognition along the way--all the while still finding time to get out on her bike with her family.
On a quarterly basis, Sponsor Spotlight
will feature a different supporter of the PCC that has donated an
exceptional amount in terms of time, money or in other meaningful ways.
To find out how to support the Coalition, visit the Sponsorship page on our website.
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Greetings! As you're reading this, we're hot on the heels of National Bike Summit, and there is a lot happening at the Federal level just in time for this annual conference. Not to mention a lot happening within the state, too. Enjoy this month's newsletter, and safe cycling! Your friends at the Palmetto Cycling Coalition |
| Good news for the SC drivers exam
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Despite the Coalition's efforts several  years ago, the current South Carolina drivers exam contains no questions mentioning bicycling and bicycles. Fortunately, the SCDMV is working on significant changes to the exam, and the Coalition was able to submit eight questions for consideration by the committee that approves all questions on the exam. This is a great step towards educating road users about their rights and responsibilities when it comes to bicycles and bicyclists.
The questions included a variety of topics, including: a cyclists' position on the roadway, how to safely pass a cyclists on a road, cyclists riding two abreast, cyclists indicating intended direction of travel, and more.
Contact Rachael with any questions or feedback on this effort.
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| LCI Seminar March 26-28
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As you likely know by now, the PCC will host SC's 3rd series of the League Certified Instructor (LCI) workshops. Becoming an LCI to teach the Smart Cycling Curricula is
a great way to help cyclists in your community. Certified instructors
can teach Smart Cycling classes to children as well as adults.
YOU can help bring the
joy of safe cycling to others. If you are an experienced cyclist and
would like to teach others, consider taking the next step towards
certification. The course will be held in Columbia, March 26-28, and will be taught by the Director of Education at the League, Preston Tyree himself!
And, and! The PCC is offering a 50% discount on the course to the first 10 registrants (must be a PCC member to register). The course, normally $200, will be only $100 to the first 10 PCC members who register. We have a few more scholarships remaining, so contact Rachael ASAP if you are interested.
In order to take part in the LCI workshops, you must first take Traffic Skills 101, an 8-hour course on the ins-and-outs of riding safely on the road. But, you're in luck, because there is one more TS101 courses between now and March 26:
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| Charity Rides--now thru May
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There are so many fantastic rides benefiting charities in the spring and summer, that we are only going to mention those happening in the next three months. These rides are not only a super way to support a charitable cause while doing what you love most (bicycling, of course)--but these rides are a fantastic way to simply promote bicycling in South Carolina.
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Pedal 4 Pattison's: Saturday, March 6. ECO Fitness will sponsor the third annual Spinning® Marathon to raise
money and awareness for the needs of children served by Pattison's
Academy Day Camp. The event will be held from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon this Saturday at ECO Fitness in Mount Pleasant.
Double Dip Bicycle Ride: Saturday, March 20. This ride, departing from Awendaw Green in Awendaw, SC, will benefit Louie's Kids, an organization which strives to fight childhood obesity. In addition to the rest stops and SAG supports, this ride will feature Wholly Cow ice cream treats and coffee!
Colon Cancer Challenge 2010: Saturday, March 20. A one-day bicycling event to raise colon cancer awareness.
Le Tour de Red Cell: Saturday, April 17. Proceeds benefit the Peidmont Blood Center.
Tour de Lake: Saturday, April 24. Proceeds to benefit the Rotary Club of Lake Murray-Irmo and: Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics, Veterans Transition Retreat, and Water Mission International.
 SC Tour de Cure:
Saturday, May 1. Each year, the Tour de Cure seems to get better and
better--and the 2010 Tour is going to be no exception! Please consider
signing up as a rider, join the PCC team,
or simply support a friend or colleague who is riding in the annual
event to raise money and awareness for the American Diabetes
Association. This years event will take place in Little Mountain, SC.
Muddy Angels Ride: May 15-22. This is the National EMS Memorial Bike Ride, in which several SC cyclists are participating.
Tour de Midlands: May 15. The first annual century ride in the Midlands of SC to support the Lexington Greenway Alliance.
 Water for Haiti Charity Ride: May 22. A ride to support the public health crisis happening in Haiti in light of the recent earthquake. Happening in Columbia. Contact Joseph Boggs for more information.
Hardeeville Mayor's Bike Ride for a Diabetes Cure: May 22. For more information, contact Renee Pendergrass.
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Additionally, there are a couple of rides that indirectly benefit the PCC. These include the After the Bridge Run Ride (Sunday, March 28) and the Aiken to Ride Century (Sunday, April 25).
If you would like to inquire about adding an event to the new PCC events calendar, just contact Rachael.
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| Bike Summit, and more conferences to come!
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National Bike Summit is just a few days away, and South Carolina has four people attending this years 10th anniversary event. Nearly 700 people from across the nation will be at the historic conference, representing the interests of America's cyclists at the nation's capitol.
We will certainly work hard to let our Congressional members know how important bicycling is to South Carolina, particularly given the state's low levels of funding and high rates of bicycle injuries and fatalities. We have meetings arranged with all of SC's Senators and Representatives and their staff, and we look forward to the opportunity of sharing with them all of the potential that the state has to become more bicycle friendly!
And, for you bike/ped aficionados out there, the National Center for Bicycling and Walking has now opened registration for the bi-annual Pro Walk/Pro Bike 2010 conference. This year's conference will be in Chattanooga, TN, and will take place September 13-17.
Last but not least, the Palmetto Conservation Foundation (PCF) is bringing back the Trails and Greenways Conference back to SC! The conference will be October 13-15. The PCC will be working with PCF to create a session dedicated to trail riding--stay tuned for more details.
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The ACT Act!
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Representative
Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) just introduced the Active Community Transportation
Act, H.R.4722. This groundbreaking bill creates a competitive grant
program with $2 Billion to help communities build bicycling and walking
networks. For the first time, communities would be able to compete for
multi-year funding to build active transportation systems, just as they
do for transit and road infrastructure. What does this mean? It puts your community at an improved position of receiving funds, to better allowing you and your
neighbors to walk and bike to the places you live, work, play, shop and
learn.
"Too often we take for
granted the value of being able to bike and walk to work," said
Blumenauer. "It's unfortunate that many communities don't have the
infrastructure in place to make active and healthy forms of
transportation more accessible. The ACT transportation grants will make
it easier for people to get out of their vehicles and onto sidewalks or
bikes, boosting both heart rates and community vitality."
During our visit to Congressional offices next week, we will be discussing this bill with South Carolina's senators and representatives--and we encourage you to do the same from your home or office. Visit the League's advocacy center next week for details and talking points on how to discuss the ACT Act with your Congressmen.
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Bike Month 2010
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Yes, its just around the corner, and we've been nagging you since December about it. If you haven't begun to plan events in your area, then now is definitely the time to start.
C heck out the League's website for lots of fantastic resources, including promotional materials, sample radio and video PSAs, and of course their fantastic bike month guide. As always, feel free to contact us for more ideas, best practice recommendations, partnership opportunities and more.
The Coalition is planning our annual meeting during bike month, so stay tuned for more details on this too!
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| Jim Young on Why I Ride
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About 20
years ago, I took up what could be considered
"serious" bike riding. This was largely prompted by
my desire to find a replacement for tennis, since my knees would no longer tolerate that. Also, like tennis, it was a great activity
that I could enjoy
with my son, as well as the rest of the family. Over the years, I've enjoyed some
challenging bike trips with my son,
including multi-day tours in the Canadian Rockies, Bike Virginia, and mountain biking in Moab. My wife and I enjoy rail
trails, and have done these in 12 states.
A highlight was a cross-country
trip to California
with the bikes on the back of my Odyssey-stopping along the way to ride
trails in almost every state. I can't think of a better way to see the country.
Over the
years, I've done mostly road biking, including weekly rides with the Greenville
Spinners, and the annual ride to the beach on many occasions. More recently, other multi-day tours,
including Cycle North Carolina, and
Backroads' Canadian Rockies trip
have been added.
Now that I'm
retired, I have the time to ride on a much more regular basis. 3 times a week, I meet with several other retirees ( my wife
calls it my "play group" ) , and we get in
a vigorous 2-3 hour ride. The
great thing about cycling is that its FUN. I still enjoy it as much as I did when I first learned to ride, and loved
the speed, and the freedom to travel all over my home town on my own. It's a great stress reliever, which was especially helpful when I was still
working.
Cycling, of
course, has all the benefits of regular, sustained exercise. Since it's a lot more fun that tromping in
place on a treadmill, or making boring laps in a pool, you're more likely to
stick with it. Since you can tolerate
cycling for such long periods, its unsurpassed in its capacity to burn
calories, and aid weight control. Other key benefits include lowering of total cholesterol, and improvement in the
ratio of bad to good.(LDL:HDL). Hopefully, these changes will help to prevent diabetes, and forestall
the development of atherosclerosis and hypertension. We would
all like to avoid heart attacks and strokes, and perhaps live longer.
Jim Young is a recent addition to the Palmetto Cycling Coalition Board of Directors, and currently resides in Greenville, SC.
As a retired
cardiologist, Young also brings his professional interests to the Coalition in
understanding the effects of cycling on the cardiovascular system.
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Closing Thoughts...
Yes, you're looking at a bicycle/hearse--a feature of Sunset Hills cemetary in Eugene, Oregon that aims for more natural burials,
and ensures a zero emissions ride to your resting place. Read more at Wend.com.
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The
Coalition needs the support of cyclists like yourself to continue our
efforts of making SC more bicycle friendly. We are THE voice for
cyclists across South Carolina. If your membership has lapsed, please renew today! If you are not currently a member, please consider becoming one.
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| Your donations ensure our success. Thank you for your support!
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