Map of Greenbelt Bike Crawl location (click to enlarge)
Hi all,
I want to encourage cyclists of all kinds, families and kids to swing by the first-ever Greenbelt Bike Crawl on Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. to visit with the who's who of the Boise bicycle community, pick up some free swag, learn about local bike clubs, safe routes to schools and maybe even get a free helmet!
I'll be there representing ProHelmet, a nonprofit group that promotes helmet safety. St. Luke's Children's Hospital has donated more than 50 helmets for the event. I hope that I'm able to give all of them away to kids and adults who don't have one of their own.
Our motto at ProHelmet is that you've got only one brain. No one ever plans on having an accident when cycling or roller-blading on the Greenbelt, but accidents can happen in the blink of an eye. If you're not wearing a helmet, you could be knocked unconscious, suffer severe head injuries or worse. Look at what happened to Poor Jimmy!
We have almost 10 different bike groups that will be participating in the Greenbelt Bike Crawl. Everyone will be set up between the new 36th Street pedestrian bridge and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Ada County (610 E. 42nd St.) on the Garden City side of the Greenbelt. (Boise Parks & Rec doesn't allow bike events on their portion of the Greenbelt; Garden City was gracious enough to allow us to hold the event on their turf).
Other groups participating Saturday include:
- Boise Bicycle Project - our community's favorite nonprofit according to the latest Boise Weekly Best of Boise survey. BBP will help folks with bike maintenance tips on Saturday.
- SWIMBA - the Southwest Idaho Mountain Biking Association, the top mountain bike advocacy group in Boise. They're a great resource for learning how to mountain bike, discovering great trails, building new trails and protecting our access to trails.
- Treasure Valley Cycling Alliance - a group that assists commuters and road cyclists in the Treasure Valley.
- YMCA Safe Routes to Schools program - Looking for the best route for your kids to walk or bike to school? These folks can help you out.
- Look! Save a Life! - a group that advocates safe cycling and provides tips for riders on how to avoid getting into an accident on our busy streets and sidewalks.
- Idaho Transportation Department Bicycle and Pedestrian Program - Meet the great folks at ITD who assist communities with new pathway projects and safe routes to schools. ITD is one of the few agencies that finances some of these projects.
- Boise State University Cycling Learning Center - This is a relatively new campus-based service focusing on developing healthy and sustainable lifestyles by promoting the use of bicycles and multimodal transportation options.
- Boys and Girls Clubs of Ada County - The club facility at 610 E. 42nd Street in Garden City is a great place for boys and girls to hang out after school, play games, do homework and learn about ways to realize their full potential in life. The club teaches kids respect for others and good clean fun. I'm hoping to give away a lot of bike helmets to these kids on Saturday.
- Cycling Sistas - This is a group of female cyclists from the Boise area who are cancer survivors. Great way to meet people who have suffered the same plight for inspiration. The Cycling Sistas are looking to add more members.
The weather on Saturday is supposed to be sunny, so grab the kids, ride over to the Greenbelt and learn about all of these great cycling resources in Boise! You won't go away empty-handed, that's for sure. You might even learn something!
Hope to see you at the Greenbelt Bike Crawl. If you've got any questions, please give me a call at 208-484-0295 or send an email: sstuebner@cableone.net.
- SS
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