GREEN Bike Tour, Saturday, May 5, 10:00 a.m.          

Limited space available.  Pre-registration ($10) required.

We will gather at BikeAthens Bike Recycling shop located at 149 Tracy Street, Athens, GA 30601 in the Chase Park Warehouses off of Chase and Barber Streets.

Registration

$10 registration fee can be paid online here.  All proceeds will be donated to BikeAthens’ Bike Recycling Program in order to refurbish children’s bicycles.  If you would prefer to pay with a check, please contact ACHF to make reservations and mail your check to ACHF, Old Fire Hall #2, 489 Prince Avenue, Athens, GA 30601.

The Program

ACHF has partnered with BikeAthens, an alternative transportation nonprofit, to showcase examples of “green” building methods and to educate participants on safe biking strategies for our area and encourage discussion on walking, biking and public transportation options.  Our bike tour route can be found here.

Heather Benham, Director of Operations at the Athens Land Trust, will discuss infill within historic neighborhoods as well as Earthcraft standards incorporated within the Athens Land Trust headquarters on Pope Street.  Lori Bork, of Bork Architectural Design Inc., a full-service design firm in Athens, will present information on the sustainability features of each of the properties visited and will also provide a tour of her LEED Platinum home. A third property in Cobbham will illustrate sustainable indoor and landscaping principles.  The interiors of all homes will be part of the tour.

Tour stops include properties in Pulaski Heights, Boulevard, and Cobbham. Water will be provided, but BYOB (Bring Your Own Bike).

This should be a really fun event and not too strenuous. And, if you are inspired by this weekend’s Twilight Criterium, not to worry…there will be no tight turns taken at 100 mph. ;)

USGBC/AIA continuing education credits will be offered: (estimated) 3 CE hours.

This leisurely-paced 5.8 mile ride will start from City Hall, take you through the historic Boulevard neighborhood, swing by Bishop Park for a water break, then wind through Normal Town before a fast and fun ride down Prince Avenue. The ride will end at Little Kings for the BikeAthens Social from 7-9PM where BikeAthens members can enjoy discounted pints!

We hope to see bikes, people, and gear of all shapes and sizes on this ride!  Come out, bring your friends, and help us form a spectacle of cycling diversity that will grab the attention of our Classic City!

Join us for either, or both!

6-7PM – Group Ride, starting from City Hall (Downtown Athens, on the corner of Washington Street and College Avenue)

7-9PM – BikeAthens Social, Little Kings (223 West Hancock Ave, Athens)

**BikeAthens Members get $3 pints at the Social!  not a member? We’ll have membership forms at the event!

RSVP on Facebook!

But first, pre-register and see ticket prices here, by 5pm Wednesday, April 25th.

We are proud to welcome Joshua Ploeg, Joe Biel, and Elly Blue as they traverse the southeast. We’ll start by filling up our plates, finding a seat, and start enjoying new and amazing flavor combinations cooked up by touring vegan chef Joshua.  BikeAthens will chat about local bike/ped issues and ways to get involved.  Then Elly, a long time bike advocate and organizer, will talk about the bicycling economy interspersed with Joe’s short, inspiring movies about Portland’s bike culture.  At the end there’ll be time for questions and to peruse the mobile book and zine shop, featuring transportation and food related titles.

The national tour also features short films made by New Belgium’s fans that cross the genre divide by highlighting New Belgium’s main follies: craft beer, sustainability and whimsy. Last year, the top three films included lizard wrangling in the dead of the Wisconsin winter, a talking beer bottle sketch comedy and a miniature day on a tremendous mountain. Stay tuned for previews to this year’s independent films! The free outdoor screening of these collected films is sure to complement a full tasting of New Belgium’s Lips of Faith beers and food from local vendors. In Athens, all proceeds from beer sales benefit BikeAthens. Recycling at the event will be handled by ACC.

BikeAthens will be raffling a Fat Tire bike, valued at over $350, at a downtown location. Stay tuned for details…

For more information on the 18 city cLips of Faith event, visit www.clipsoffaith.com.

This month’s Group Ride will take you from City Hall, through UGA’s campus to 5 points, then on a fun stretch down Milledge Avenue to Prince, ending at Little Kings.  A lot has happened to make bicycling easier on-campus since our last Group Ride, and this ride will take you through some of the highlights.  Athens first contra-flow bicycle lane on Sanford Drive & the city’s new bike lane on Pulaski are among them!

BikeAthens Group Rides are meant for each and every cyclist in the community, and are a great way to network among your two-wheeled friends & to see the town at a leisurely pace.  We hope to see you their on your road bike, mountain bike, cross bike, commuter, tandem, fixie, recumbent, or whatever other crafty bike you might have!

Join us for either, or both!  RSVP on Facebook!

6-7PM Group Ride, starting at City Hall  (Downtown Athens, on the corner of Washington Street and College Avenue)

7-9PM BikeAthens Social at Little Kings (223 West Hancock Ave, Athens)
**BikeAthens Members get $3 pints at the Social!  not a member?  join online or at the event!

Don’t forget to bring your helmet, some water, and your friends!

This is the route we will be taking!

Details:

Meet us at Little Kings on Thursday, February 23 for some pizza and a chance to meet 4 Cross-Country Cyclists traveling through Athens!  We’ll be there from 6-9pm, so come grab a slice of pizza and meet four amazing women who are riding cross country from Key West, FL all the way to San Francisco, CA!  This trip is not just for fun, this group of two sisters, a mom, and one close friend are making their way across America on 2 wheels to benefit bicycle safety advocacy efforts, and BikeAthens is excited to hear about the first leg of their journey!

Dubbed “Ride America for Safe Routes” (RASR), their ride traverses 13 southern states and 20 major cities, logging over 5,000 miles.  RASR’s mission is to raise $50,000 for the League’s Bike Friendly America program and for Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs in local communities.  http://www.rideforsaferoutes.com

 RSVP on Facebook!

 www.bikeathens.com/give

Here’s a quick list of what we accomplished in 2011:

• Our Bike Recycling Program refurbished 140 bikes and logged 2300 volunteer hours!
• Assisted Athens-Clarke County in achieving the Bronze level Bike Friendly Community designation, only the 2nd community in the state to achieve it.
• Our Transportation Policy Committee wrote a Complete Streets policy and is building a coalition by partnering with
  other local non-profits and businesses.
• Monthly Group Rides, from April to October, continue to teach safe riding practices.
• Bike to Market Days assisted Commuters, Errand runners, and Social Cyclists in building alternative transportation travel plans.
• We helped citizens stay informed about public input opportunities and state and national policy Action Items.
• Submitted productive comments on TSPLOST project criteria and lists.
• Hosted this year’s Georgia Bike Summit October 7-9, 2011.
• Moved the Bike Recycling Program to a new shop.
• Refurbished and donated over 50 kids’ bikes to various ACC schools and social service agencies for our Holiday Bikes 4 Kids drive.
• At every First-Year Student Orientation session in the summer, we were there distributing maps and teaching students about bike commuting in Athens and UGA.
• Joined community partners in hosting the Bike to Work Day Rally to encourage community members to try and succeed in commuting by bike.
• Worked with Athens Transit to create a new bus map design.
• Wrote a city-endorsed Traffic Calming Manual, the guide for neighborhoods in need of Traffic Calming infrastructure.
• Supported other local nonprofits by participating in the Charity Chili Cookoff.
• Were chosen by New Belgium to host the annual Clips of Faith fundraising event, an honor for only a select number of
  cities with transportation choices organizations.
• Assisted the University’s MPA program in creating a Bike Project Manual for ACC.
• Sponsored the Tour de Farm for 30 riders over 100 miles and 7 local farms for 3 days.

By joining or rejoining now, you will receive a BikeAthens membership card, good for discounts from several local businesses including:

Ben’s Bikes, Blockader Homebrew Supply, Dondero’s Kitchen, The Healthy Gourmet, The Hub, Georgia Cycle Sport, Sunshine Cycles, and Athens Atlas Chiropractic Center- plus the satisfaction of knowing that your money has supported sustainable change.

Please join, renew, or give online today!

Thanks, as always, for your continued support of transportation choices in Athens.

Sincerely,

Mike Ely                                             BikeAthens

Chair                                                   P.O Box 344

BikeAthens                                         Athens, GA 30603