West Bend 2010 Bike to Work Day event a success

From our friends in West Bend:

Cyclists from all over attended West Bend’s annual Bike to Work Day Event this morning. The event was pushed back to May 28th due to poor weather on May 21st. The re-scheduled date did not seem to have an effect on attendance. More than 100 cyclists rode in from as far as Beaver Dam to participate in the morning rally.

“We had a tremendous turn-out this year's event, though we had to move the date due to rain,” said event coordinator Ori-Anna Ramsey. “I spoke with riders from West Bend Mutual, Kettle Moraine YMCA and Gehl Company. Area employers really supported us by encouraging their employees to participate this year.”

The Commuter Raffle was a huge success as well. The event raised enough funds to purchase a pedestrian sign, which is to be installed in the lanes of traffic at the intersection on Decorah Road and the Eisenbahn Trail. “I’m so thankful for those who donated and participated in our raffle this year,” says Ramsey. “We reached our goal thanks to the support of our sponsors and all the dedicated bike commuters from near and far.”

Bike-to-Work Day is an annual event held on the third Friday of May across the United States and Canada promoting bicycles as an option for commuting to work. The event is designed to help commuters network with each other, learn more about the benefits of cycling as a lifestyle and to create awareness of bike commuters in West Bend and surrounding areas.

Be sure to mark your calendar for next year’s annual Bike to Work Day scheduled for Friday, May 20, 2011.

Up-to-date information about West Bend’s Bike-to-Work Day event can be found at
www.bike-to-work.weebly.com.

Bike to the Mallards = $1 donation to the Bike Fed

Trek Stores of Madison are sponsoring the Trek Store Bike Blind again this year at Madison Mallards games, which is a secured bike parking lot for fans who ride their bikes to the Mallards games this summer. For each fan who rides their bike and parks it in the lot during a game, $1 will be donated to the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin. Also, you can get $1 off a bleacher ticket when you show your helmet at the ticket office. And they'll even fill your tires!

July 14 will be a special Bike to the Ballpark night. Trek will offer free bike safety checks starting at 6 p.m. and the game starts at 7 p.m.

West Bend Bike to Work Day Rain Date in Effect

From our friends in West Bend:

Bike-to-Work Day for West Bend has been rescheduled due to rain. The rain date for the event is Friday, May 28th. “It seems Mother Nature has different plans for us today,” says event coordinator Ori-Anna Ramsey. “We’re hoping to get the word out to remind people about the rain date so they can make plans to participate next week instead.”

National Bike-to-Work Day is an annual event held on the third Friday of May across the United States and Canada promoting bicycles as an alternative form of transportation. “Anyone can participate in the event,” says Ramsey. “It doesn’t matter if you work or not, and it doesn’t matter if you currently use your bike to commute.” According to Ramsey, the event is open to veterans to commuting by bike and those who are thinking parking the car and riding their two-wheeler instead. The event is designed to help commuters network with each other, learn more about the benefits of cycling as a lifestyle and to create awareness of bike commuters in West Bend and surrounding areas.

Don’t miss this year’s Bike to Work Day Event on Friday, May 28th. Festivities will be held at Imagine Coffee House located at 705 Village Green Way (under Rivershores YMCA) in West Bend from 6:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Participants should ride their bikes in to receive complimentary coffee, a free goodie bag and snacks. There will also be free tech support, fix-a-flat clinics and of course the ever-popular biker raffle.

Up-to-date information about West Bend’s 2010 Bike-to-Work Day event can be found at www.bike-to-work.weebly.com.

Please also remember to celebrate Wisconsin Bike to Work Week June 6-11. Workplaces can sign up for the Commuter Bike Challenge, which takes place that week, at the Bike Fed Web site.

Bike boxes in Madison

Since Tuesday, Madison has been all abuzz about painted bike boxes that are being installed at a major downtown intersection.

What are bike boxes? The Bike Fed's lead planner, Kevin Luecke, explains them this way:

"A bike box is a street marking at an intersection with a traffic signal that requires motorists to stop a short distance before the crosswalk and encourages cyclists to stop in the area between the cars and the crosswalk. The boxes allow cyclists to use the full lane when waiting at a light rather than lining up in the bike lane, which can create issues with traffic turning right. Bike boxes encourage cyclists to wait for the signal in a highly visible position and also gives them priority when the light turns green. After moving through the intersection, cyclists can then merge back into the bike lane."

You can find the City of Madison news release explaining the bike box project here. Wisconsin State Journal reporter Patricia Simms filed this article and video and Chris Murphy of The Capital Times had this commentary.

Thanks to Jenn Jackson at Downtown Madison Inc. for the photo. Additional pics of the construction process are on our Flickr page.

The Today Show takes the National Commuter Bike Challenge

You can take the Wisconsin Commuter Bike Challenge Jun 6-11.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Bike racks on buses around Wisconsin

We've updated information about bike racks around Wisconsin and the new program in Milwaukee on our Web site. We answer:

• How many transit systems in Wisconsin allow bikes on buses?
• What are the benefits of bike racks on buses?
• How do I use the bike rack on my bus?
• When did Milwaukee County begin to offer bike racks on buses?
• How many people use the Milwaukee bike racks?
• How much did it cost for Milwaukee County to purchase and install bike racks on its buses?
• How much does it cost Milwaukee County to maintain the bike racks?
• How many people need to use the bike racks on Milwaukee buses each year for the program to break even?

Enjoy, and let us know if you have additional questions.

U.S. Transplant Games looking for cycling course volunteers

Madison will host the 2010 U.S. Transplant Games. The U.S. Transplant Games happen every two years and to raise money and awareness for transplant programs across the country by giving living donors and organ recipients a chance to show off their quality of life. The games are expected to attract 8,000 competitors and visitors to Madison. They will feature athletes of all abilities, from those who just want some fun to those who want to crush the competition (the latter go on to represent the United States in the World Summer Transplant Games).

The Games are looking for volunteer course marshals for the 5K Time Trial and 20K Road Race on Sunday, August 1 on a shut down John Nolen Drive. Volunteers should have prior experience marshaling cycling events, must attend one volunteer training in Madison, and will be on or near John Nolen Drive from 8am-2pm the day of the event to help with course management. The Games are looking for people who aren’t timid and are willing to open their mouth to people infringing on the course if need be.

Questions? Contact Jocelyn Vande Velde, education product manager, Saris Cycling Group.

Ride the Drive Volunteer Opportunities Now Available!

Ride the Drive on June 6 is a community event that invites all citizens to leave their cars behind to experience some of Madison's most scenic byways from a whole new perspective - by riding, walking, skating or strolling. Volunteering for Ride the Drive is a great way to help make this a successful event and have a lot of fun at the same time.

More than 250 volunteers are needed for Ride the Drive. As a volunteer you will receive a really cool Ride the Drive t-shirt, an informational training, snacks and so many smiles, it will make your summer!

Thousands of people will be out enjoying walking, biking, running and rolling in the traffic-free streets. Sign-up to volunteer here.

Contact RidetheDrive@cityofmadison.com" with questions.