Frederick Bicycle Coalition

Heads up trail users, there will be a running race taking place on the Catoctin trail Saturday, July 31st. This includes both Gambrill State Park and the Frederick Watershed (as well as Cunningham Falls State Park, but no bikes allowed there). There will be lots of people out on the trail as well as limited parking and aid stations set up along the way. Soooo….why not check out some of the other area trails on Saturday, then return to your favorite Frederick County trails on Sunday.

Unfortunately the MTB classes have been canceled due to low sign up. If the classes are rescheduled we will post information up.

Do you or someone you know want to sharpen their bicycle skills? If so, the The City of Frederick, the Frederick Bicycle Coalition and the Frederick Pedalers have teamed up to offer bicycle skills classes for both on road and mountain biking. Check the City’s web site for full details on when and where the classes will be held.

Frederick, MD — Calling all Bike enthusiasts! There are still openings in all three bicycle classes being offered through The City of Frederick Parks and Recreation Department this summer. Register now by calling the William Talley Recreation Center at 301-600-1492.

There’s a great letter to the editor in Sunday’s Frederick News-post in response to a recent column complaining about cyclists failure to obey the laws of the road. Unfortunately, the columnist isn’t even fully aware of what those laws are as she inaccurtely asserts it is illegal to ride 2 abreast. I’m always amazed at these types of columns written as if cyclists who are the only ones breaking the law. Apparently this columnist has never witnessed drivers breaking the law daily and endangering pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers!

If the columnist took the time to actually read the MD cycling laws, I bet she would find that much of what she assumes is illegal, is in fact not. If people would extend a little courtesy to each other, whether on the bike, in the car or at the grocery store, the world would run a bit smoother.

Stay safe out there!

Check out the first ever Brunswick Bike Festival on August 21st from 12 – 6pm. Brunswick is a great little town that is right on the C&O Canal and the Potomac river. Easy to get to by bike from a number of locations, so be sure to check it out. Besides bicycles, expect food and music to round out the day. Check the above website for full details.

A Frederick dentist and his son are setting out to ride the Continental Divide trail, a 2,875 mile self supported journey. You can read about the pair in the Frederick News-Post and then follow their journey on TheTrailBetween.com

Update: Unfortunately, it looks like the journey has come to a quick end as the elder Kershner had an accident early in the trip(see their website above). Let’s hope for a quick recovery and maybe they can take a second stab at the journey in the near future. Thankfully he was wearing his helmet. Stay safe out there folks!

Cross country bike ride comes through Emmitsburg

The Sea to Shining Sea ride, organized by World TEAM Sports and sponsored by State Farm Insurance, began May 22 at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. It will end July 24 in Virginia Beach, Va., after 63 days and 4,000 miles.

Sunday’s 70-mile trek through Emmitsburg will mark the 58th day of the ride.

The Frederick News-Post has the story. There’s also more pedicab coverage at the News-Post. Their bicycle coverage continues with notice of the Bicycle Advisory Committee which is forming. Don’t forget, July 25th is the deadline for application submission.

The Gazette gets in on the pedicab coverage and also talks about the upcoming Tour de Frederick.

Slate lists the 3 most popular ideas for making city transportation more efficient. Want to guess what made the list?

AMTRAK expands bike on trains, this should help those looking to do the complete C&O Canal trip (and beyond).

And in NYC, the famous YouTube bicyclist video incident wraps up. Justice?

The clash between the rookie police officer and the bike-riding activist happened in an instant. The fallout lasted for almost two years after video of the Times Square confrontation became a YouTube sensation.

It ended Wednesday as former officer Patrick Pogan’s criminal case was closed without jail time or probation after he was convicted of lying about the 2008 incident.

Full story at Salon.com

It’s that time of year again!!! The 2010 Bicycle Film Festival will kick off tomorrow night at 9pm with gold sprints at Asylum  in DC’s Adams Morgan.  Friday and Saturday evening will be packed with a variety of cycling films at the Gala Theater on 14th Street in downtown DC.  Films will include the Cyclocross Meeting, Bicycle Dreams, the Birth of Big Air and many more.  Organize a carpool and get down to DC to take part in the 2010 BFF!

The League of America Bicyclists just posted some links to cool history of their organization on their blog. It includes mention of the Good Roads Movement, championed by cyclists. Remember it the next time someone tries to make the argument that the road belong to cars and bikes shouldn’t be there. In reality, automobile drivers have past bicycle advocates to thank for what they drive on today.