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August 2012
We are a member supported non-profit working to improve bicycling access, safety and education in South Carolina. |
 Wondering what rides, races and rodeos are happening this weekend? Check out our calendar.
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We are only as strong as the members that support us, so please donate and be a part of our efforts today! |
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I am honored and excited to begin working as the Executive Director of the PCC! Rachael worked hard for PCC, and many of you came to know her well. Her energy was well received among advocates as well as policy makers. I have big shoes to fill, and I look forward to continuing her initiatives. Our Communities for Cycling program is an excellent example of sharing resources and providing a forum for showing off what works at the grassroots level in SC. I hope to continue this and many of her other initiatives due to the great success.
I hope to engage advocates statewide to place strategic pressure on decision makers, so city and regional bike planners can get the help they need to do the jobs they love. On July 31, I attended the SCDOT Multi-Modal Transportation Plan Kick-Off Meeting, where I witnessed repeated calls for everyone to work together: advocates, public officials and elected officials combined.
After many years as an advocate and more recently as a staff person for a transportation choices organization called BikeAthens, I know and love the challenges and opportunities as an advocate for cycling in the Southeast. While at BikeAthens, I dove deep into bicycle Advocacy as it relates to transportation policy and funding at all levels. I'm excited to bring this experience to the PCC! I also understand the benefits of state support of the efforts of local organizations. Perhaps the most interesting part of working with PCC is the ability to work with the knowledgeable and valuable advocates and transportation officials throughout the state. I look forward to meeting our members and collaborating together as a state resource for grassroots support!
As a fellow cyclist, I also understand firsthand the safety and infrastructure concerns in the Southeast. I ride to work each day for more reasons than I can state. Some of those reasons are because it's a cheaper form of transportation, it feels good, and it's an opportunity to connect with my world. And on the weekends, I ride for fun. Being able to do so with adequate infrastructure is important to me, and I know it also is to you.
I would love to hear from you, so feel free to call or email me! I look forward to hearing about your experiences in your own town or city- and I especially look forward to working hard in the interests of bicyclists in SC!
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Safe Streets Save Lives Update
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Our strategic safety initiative is still moving forward as we aim to educate people during the warm summer months, obviously a very popular time for bicycling. Do you have any summer safety tips to share? We'd love to hear them! Visit our Facebook and leave us a message or tweet at us using the #SafeSummerStreets tag.
Safe Streets Save Lives has also been receiving media coverage across the state. Greenville News ran a piece on bicycling safety, and Cait was recently interviewed on the South Carolina Business Review about the increase in bicycling in our state. Visit our blog for more local news about bicycling and Safe Streets.
As summer winds down and we prepare for fall, stay tuned for more tips for teaching your kids to bike safely and commuting to school!
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In most communities, people who would like to start bicycling face a challenge: where do they learn? There are generally many places and ways to learn the how of riding a bicycle, but the options for learning safety, laws and riding techniques are few and far between. The League of American Bicyclists offers the Smart Cycling curriculum to help fill that gap in knowledge, however these classes require trained instructors. The more instructors we have, the more classes can be held, and more prospective bicyclists can have their questions answered.
That is why our friends at Partners for Active Living are hosting a League Cycling Instructor seminar from August 17-19 in Spartanburg. This an opportunity to become certified to teach the Smart Cycling curriculum to people in your community. As an League Certified Instructor, you will be able to teach such classes as Traffic Skills 101 and 201, Group Riding, Commuting, Safe Routes to School and Bicycling Skills 123 as well as a skills class for youth. You must be a League member and have taken the prerequisite Traffic Skills 101 to be considered. Contact Anne to learn more.
For those who are just interested in improving their bike handling and knowledge, consider taking Traffic Skills 101 on Saturday, August 25 in Charleston. The class will be offered by Charleston Moves; to learn more and sign up, contact Charles Fox.
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Georgia-lina Bike Summit Update
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Last month we announced our partnership with Georgia Bikes,Wheel Movement and SORBA to present the first Georgia-lina Bike Summit from October 19-21 in Augusta. Now we would like to give you a chance to get involved and attend the summit at a discounted rate!
Whether or not you have previous advocacy experience or are a concerned citizen and bicyclist, the summit can offer you the tools and knowledge to allow you to help shape bicycling policy across borders. We hope you will join us this October; without passionate citizens, we cannot create the change needed in both South Carolina and Georgia to make bicycling better and safer.
To register for the summit, please visit Georgiabikes.org. We will continue to update you on summit information, such as the sessions offered and hotel room blocks, as it becomes available. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. See you in Augusta! |
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National Bike Challenge by the Numbers
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As we enter its final month, the National Bike Challenge continues to challenge South Carolina bicyclists to get out and ride. With the challenge you can record your rides, and add up the miles you've ridden, the calories you've burned, and the gas money you've saved. Thus far, collectively for South Carolina, our 277 riders and 35 teams have:
Ridden 91,933 mi
Burned 2,296,292 kcal
Saved $8,579, and
Eliminated 84,154 lbs of CO2
The top three teams so far are: 1) PCC Board Members, 2) Aiken SC and 3)Team Buddy. The US Air Force holds third place among workplaces, with self-employed individuals in second and our retired community holding a commanding lead in first. Greenwood, Anderson and Sumter are the leading three communities in that order. To check your status in the challenge, log in and visit the leaderboard. The challenge runs through the end of August, so there is still time to join--visit the website and log your miles through your computer or the Endomondo app. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.
It doesn't matter how far you ride, just that you are!
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PCC Board members, staff, and volunteers have been actively engaging with SCDOT to resolve issues regarding rumble strips. First, we reached out into SC communities to assess the impacts of rumble strips for cycling. Now, we are currently engaging with senior level SCDOT staff to give input on an Engineering Directive: EDM 53. This analysis for change of a high level policy was done in the spirit of cooperation, and we believe improvement in communications with SCDOT will show palpable results. We're going to be very specific with SCDOT. We're now organizing with them to identify the most important routes for SC cyclists so they can appropriately accommodate the interests of cyclists on all roads in our state.
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National Omnium Championships
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It was not long ago that we wrote about the opening of the new Giordana Velodrome in Rock Hill. This month the velodrome presents a special treat for competitive cycling enthusiasts. The Giordana Velodrome- still in its inaugural season- is hosting the Elite International Omnium Track National Championships as well as the Masters International Omnium from August 17-18.
The races will feature some of the country's top cyclists and are designed to showcase the best all-around, consistent competitor. It is especially nice for us to have this event in our state just a few short months after the velodrome was completed and opened for business. If you go to Rock Hill for the races, send us a message and tell us about your experience and thoughts!
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The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) of Columbia and Palmetto Conservation Foundation have teamed up to present a series of family-friendly fun and educational gatherings to allow the bicycling and pedestrian community to connect and discuss the issues faced. The events will be held the first Wednesday of the month from August 8 thru November at Publick House on Devine St. Food and beverage specials will be offered to those who arrive by foot or bike. The Handlebar Happy Hours will begin at 5:30pm, with discussion starting at 6:30pm. For your convenience, there are several group rides planned from around Columbia; more information on the gatherings and rides can be found here.
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August Gear Review: Lizard Skin DSP Tape
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Each month, our friends at Hawley share a review on the latest gear that is passing through their hands and on its way to your local bike shop. Below you will find a excerpt of the gear review for August; to find out the rest, visit our blog. As always, thanks to Ken Klatte, Production Artist with Hawley, for this sneak-preview.
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The start of August signals two things: the brutal Deep South Summer has kicked into high gear and those looking towards the Fall and the requisite cyclocross racing that accompanies it have started prepping their bikes for a few months of harrowing race action.
Looking for a change from the usual cork handlebar tape I've been using for years, I was given a roll of Lizard Skin DSP handlebar tape in the fashion forward color of black. If you've been riding for a while, you recognize Lizard Skin as a mountain and BMX company. Their road pedigree is a mystery and left me uneasy to trust my hands to the unknown. With a shrug of the shoulders, I thought, "What's the worst that can happen?" and proceeded to tear open a package of 2.5 mm DSP tape.
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Read the rest on our blog!  |
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Your share the road license plate supports our bicycle programs and initiatives. If you don't already own one, and are looking for an easy way to support our work and bicycling in South Carolina, then please purchase a plate at your local DMV office today!
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Thank you for your support!
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