How about a Bike (bicycle) Week?

With all this talk about getting people out of cars and onto bikes, how about some really big events
to help promote cycling? I'm thinking of a Bike Week, like what motorcyclists have several times a
year. If there was such a thing, would you attend? How about having Interbike somewhere more
interesting than a convention center in Las Vegas or Anaheim, where it could be a worthwhile cycling
vacation for the public? There could be group rides and races, both mountain and dirt, family
activities, Effective Cycling courses, celebrity appearances, etc. There are many places in the US
where this kind of thing could work -- ie, that have the proper facilities, the nearby roads and
trails, and a major airport. I'm thinking of Boulder, San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, Salt Lake
City, Seattle, etc.

There are probably a few big events already that are almost there -- like the Sea Otter Classic. I'm
sure others could name a few more. What's needed is to have the whole industry come together with
the purpose of making a really big event that gets national attention.

Despite the huge Harley trend of the last 10 years, I still can't believe there are more of 'em than
there are cyclists. And what an economic force those people are -- bringing millions upon millions
of dollars a year to cities like Daytona, FL, and Myrtle Beach, SC.

Comments? Would you go, and maybe bring your family? If you have industry contacts already, would
you help push for such a thing?

Matt O.

 

Matt O'Toole wrote:
> With all this talk about getting people out of cars and onto bikes, how about some really big
> events to help promote cycling? I'm thinking of a Bike Week, like what motorcyclists have several
> times a year.

I like to see something like this also but there are many such things already in the bicycling
community. Lots of multi-day group rides, charity rides and such. Also remember, these motorcycle
rally weeks don't always get good news coverage with the "outlaw" image and such. And we all know
what Critical Mass has done to bicycling.

 

> With all this talk about getting people out of cars and onto bikes, how about some really big
> events to help promote cycling? I'm thinking of a Bike Week,

Here in Britain, Bike Week is from 14-22 June this year. I don't know if it has its own web site,
but you can probably find it through the London Cycling campaign <www.lcc.org.uk>

Jeremy Parker

 

The increasingly misnamed Bike Week in Toronto Ontario is between May 26th and June 8th this year.
Lots of events, from a free pancake breakfast at city hall to a 50 km expressway ride (closed to
cars) that attracts about 13,000 people and supports the Heart Association.

 

On Sun, 26 Jan 2003 05:04:26 GMT, "Matt O'Toole" <[email protected]> wrote:

>With all this talk about getting people out of cars and onto bikes, how about some really big
>events to help promote cycling?

http://www.bikeweek.org.uk

Gets some good coverage (I was even on the national news, briefly!)

Guy
===
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Sun, 26 Jan 2003 06:54:38 GMT, <[email protected]>, SC Hiker Biker
<[email protected]> wrote:

>And we all know what Critical Mass has done to bicycling.

No. Tell me. What?
--
zk

 

Zoot Katz wrote:
> Sun, 26 Jan 2003 06:54:38 GMT, <[email protected]>, SC Hiker Biker
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>And we all know what Critical Mass has done to bicycling.
>
>
> No. Tell me. What?

There is already a thread going on about this, we don't need to start another one.

 

"Matt O'Toole" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<u%[email protected]>...
> With all this talk about getting people out of cars and onto bikes, how about some really big
> events to help promote cycling? I'm thinking of a Bike Week, like what motorcyclists have several
> times a year.

<SNIP>

I have advocated this before, and will continue advocating it--we need violent cyclist gangs to make
us more intimidating to other road users. Mess with one, you mess with us all. The Bike Week
chappies get the press because the papers are just waiting for them to become the famous barbarians
of the silver screen...since most of them are middle-aged guys trying to look hard (and you have to
be that old to have saved enough money over your lifetime to buy some of the Harleys they ride!),
this is usually futile.

It's easy to cover loads of distance effortlessly on a motorbike, anyway, and you can even carry a
change of clothes. Most people wouldn't dream of going more than a few miles on their bicycle to
converge on a national-scale event, and the people who will, already have the touring miles.

Although it would be pretty cool to get several thousand long-distance tourists together. Think
somewhere between Critical Mass and Yamashita's invasion of Malaya...all those bikes stretching
for miles....

-Luigi

 

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] (Luigi de
Guzman) wrote:

> "Matt O'Toole" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:<u%[email protected]>...
> > With all this talk about getting people out of cars and onto bikes, how about some really big
> > events to help promote cycling? I'm thinking of a Bike Week, like what motorcyclists have
> > several times a year.
>
> <SNIP>
>
> I have advocated this before, and will continue advocating it--we need violent cyclist gangs to
> make us more intimidating to other road users. Mess with one, you mess with us all. The Bike Week
> chappies get the press because the papers are just waiting for them to become the famous
> barbarians of the silver screen...since most of them are middle-aged guys trying to look hard (and
> you have to be that old to have saved enough money over your lifetime to buy some of the Harleys
> they ride!), this is usually futile.
>
> It's easy to cover loads of distance effortlessly on a motorbike, anyway, and you can even carry a
> change of clothes. Most people wouldn't dream of going more than a few miles on their bicycle to
> converge on a national-scale event, and the people who will, already have the touring miles.
>
> Although it would be pretty cool to get several thousand long-distance tourists together. Think
> somewhere between Critical Mass and Yamashita's invasion of Malaya...all those bikes stretching
> for miles....
>
> -Luigi

Paris-Brest-Paris. It's biannual.

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email protected] http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

 

It's Bikeweek in Perth Western Australia.

2500 cyclists turned up to a free breakfast in the centre of the city this morning to launch the
week and there are around 25 different cycling activities planned over the next 10 days.

It's a great way to encourage people to dust off their machines and to experience the wonderful
cycling conditions here in Perth.