department of parks and recreation
Bike Month 2011
Download the Bike Month Informational
Flyer
Join the City of Greenville throughout the month of May for a variety of FREE bike-friendly
events to keep you pedaling safe and smart. Spring is in the air and it’s a wonderful
time of year to explore our City by bike. Whether you’re enjoying one of our many
greenway trails, complete streets, or special events, Bikeville is here to help
you go by bike.
Bicycling is a fun way to get work, save money on gas, combine exercise with transportation,
spend time with your family, explore neighborhoods, and show your support for the
environment.
Consider this, for every mile you cycle, you can keep 3.6 lbs of automobile pollutants
from entering the air and atmosphere. The Federal Highway Administration estimates
that 60 percent of all automobile trips are under five miles in distance. Short
car trips (0-5 miles) are the most polluting.
View the Greenville City Council’s Resolution declaring May as National Bike Month in the City of Greenville.
Bikeville is excited to announce 2 new Bike Month initiatives:
Commuter Challenge
Have you ever wondered how much money in gas you save by commuting by bike? Or how
many pounds of CO2 emissions you’ve kept from entering air? How about how many miles
pedaled in a month? There is a way to find out by joining Greenville’s Bikeville’s Commuter Challenge program. Our goal is to track
how many of you are commuting by bike and how that impacts our air quality and fuel
consumption.
Here’s how it works: First, register on the World Commute website and join the Bikeville
group, then start tracking your commuting miles. Make it one of your web browser
home pages so you can quickly log your miles each day. Next, encourage your family,
office, or friends to create their own friendly challenge during Bike Month. At
the end of May, we’ll report to the community how much fun it is to get exercise
while saving money and protecting our air.
As an added bonus, several local bicycle shops are offering discounts on parts and
labor to anyone that joins the Bikeville Commuter Challenge. All you will need to
do is print a copy of your registration and bring it to your favorite local bike
shop. Ask if they are participating in Bikeville’s Commuter Challenge.
Bicycle Greenville Photo Contest
Bikeville is hosting its first Bicycle Greenville Photo
Contest to promote bicycle awareness and to showcase the many amenities
that make Greenville a true bicycle-friendly community. There will be 5 categories:
[1] USA Cycling Professional Championships (within city limits), [2] Swamp Rabbit
Trail (within city limits), [3] Artistic, [4] Bicycle Greenville (catch-all category),
and [5] Photographer under age 18. Prizes will be awarded for each category and
category winners will compete for "Best in Show." Best in Show winner will receive
a prize and the winning photograph will be printed, framed and displayed. Photos
will be judged by local professional photographers and City of Greenville staff.
Photos will be judged on originality, technical excellence, composition and artistic
merit.
Bike Month 2011 Events
TUESDAY, MAY 3 & 17 - ICAR Family Fun Ride
Whole Foods Market, 6 pm - 7:30 pm
The Greenville Spinners host this family fun ride
on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month during the summer. All types of bikes
and riders are welcome. This is a very relaxing social ride around the
ICAR Campus.
Remember, ICAR has bike lanes and very little traffic. Helmets are required. This
is a great opportunity to have a fun ride, learn about bicycling, meet other bicyclists,
and get some exercise! The ride meets in the Whole Foods parking lot on Woodruff
Rd. at 6pm. Come and enjoy an evening on two wheels.
SATURDAY, MAY 7 – Free Bike Valet - Saturday Market
Main St., 8 am - 12 pm
Bikeville volunteers will provide FREE bike valet parking while you enjoy the Saturday
Market along Main St. Look for our tent on the north end of the market. Besides
securely parking your bicycle, volunteers will answer your bike related questions
while providing other educational materials and resources about Greenville’s bicycle
friendly community initiatives.
SUNDAY, MAY 15 - Drive Me to Wellness Event
Fluor Field, 12:30 pm - 3 pm
A FREE community wellness event hosted by Greenville County to showcase the various
healthy living initiatives and programs available to the citizens of Greenville.
Volunteers will provide FREE bike valet parking as well as distribute bike safety
information to the public.
SUNDAY, MAY 15 - Greenville Drive Bike Valet
Fluor Field, 3 pm - 7 pm
Bikeville volunteers will provide free bike valet parking while you enjoy a Greenville
Drive game. Look for our tent at the Field St. entrance of Fluor Field. Besides
securely parking your bicycle, volunteers will answer your bike related questions
while providing other educational materials and resources about Greenville’s bicycle
friendly community initiatives.
May 16-20: National Bike-to-Work Week
MONDAY, MAY 16 -- Free Bike Commuter Course
TTR Bikes, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm This FREE course will combine hands on training with
an interactive presentation covering basic bicycle maintenance, instructions on
bicycling in traffic, commuting equipment essentials, rules of the road, South Carolina
Bicycle Laws, and route planning tips. Registration required and is limited to 30
persons. Contact scott@ttrbikes.com to register or visit
www.ttrbikes.com.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 18 - Ride of Silence
City Hall on Main St., 6:30 pm - 8 pm A community bike ride in silent procession
to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways.
We will meet at 6:30 pm for a few short announcements, distribute black arm bands,
and depart at 7 pm. We will ride in silence for 1-hour or 12-miles. We will be joining
bicyclists world-wide. www.rideofsilence.org
WEDNESDAY, MAY 18 - Free Bike Valet – Moonlight Movie Series
Peace Center Amphitheater, 8 pm - 10 pm
Immediately following the Ride of Silence, Bikeville volunteers will provide FREE
bicycle parking while you enjoy the featured movie, Winchester 73, under the moonlight.
Movie starts around 8:30, but you’ll want to arrive early for the best lawn seat and
chat with Bikeville volunteers.
FRIDAY, MAY 20 - National Bike-to-Work Day
Bike Shop Rest Stops is the theme this year. Pedal by your favorite local bike shop
on your way to work for free refreshments, coupons, and other great prizes. Each
participating shop will be giving away a Bikeville t-shirt to one lucky commuter,
so stop by, have a cup of coffee and a chat as you pedal to work. Contact your favorite
local bike shop and ask if they are participating in Bike-to-Work Day.
SATURDAY, MAY 21 - Mountain Bike Skills Clinic
Cleveland Park, 11 am - 2 pm
The Upstate Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SORBA) will host
a mountain bike skills clinic for all ages and all skill levels and will lead guided
tours of Cleveland Park’s three miles of mountain bike trails. This clinic offers
participants on-bike training of basic and advance bike handling skills by knowledgeable
instructors. Riders practice their skills on various wooden ramps and features in
a grass field before heading out on guided mountain bike rides. Meet in the large
grass field in Cleveland Park, next to Shelter 5. This event starts at 11am and
participants are encouraged to join in the fun anytime until 2pm. Helmets are mandatory
and this event will be cancelled if raining.
FRIDAY, MAY 27 - Critical Cruise Community Bike Ride
West Washington St. Parking Deck, 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Bikeville will host its monthly Critical Cruise Bike Ride on the last Friday of
Bike Month. Rides are very casual, respectful, and lawful. We celebrate bicycling
and bicyclists' right to the road. This community bike ride is open to all riders,
bikes, and skill levels. The ride is typically 1-hour long and features several
of Greenville's bicycle friendly streets. We will be riding with and in traffic,
so come prepared to follow the rules of the road, have fun, and learn about Greenville's
expanding bicycle infrastructure and culture.
USA Cycling Professional Championship Weekend
SATURDAY, MAY 28 - Community Bike Ride and Free Bike Valet - USA Cycling Championships
Time Trial
Greenville Zoo in Cleveland Park and ICAR Campus, 10 am - 3 pm
The Greenville Spinners will lead a community bike ride from the Greenville Zoo
in Cleveland Park to the start of the Time Trial at ICAR. Once there, volunteers
will provide FREE bike valet parking while you enjoy the racing. The Greenville
Spinners will lead a return group ride back to Downtown Greenville around 3pm.
www.usacyclingchampionships.com
MONDAY, MAY 30 - Free Bike Valet - USA Cycling Professional Championships Road
Race
Race Expo on Main St, 10 am - 5 pm
Volunteers will provide FREE bike valet parking while you enjoy the race. We will
also be collecting your bike trip information so we can document how many miles
by bike we rode, how much gas we saved, and how much CO2 we offset by pedaling to
the race via www.worldcommute.com. Still want more? Plan on taking a spin on our
electricity generating stationary bike that will be connected to a generator which
will power a laptop and other electronics. www.usacyclingchampionships.com
Volunteers Wanted
Bikeville is looking for volunteers to help with many of our Bike Month events,
so if you are interested in donating a few hours during May, please sign-up.