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Our Mission
Hey All You Cyclists in Alabama… …take a look at what cyclists in Montevallo have been up to. Statewide Bike Plan The 2010 Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan is available to the public for online viewing. Also ALDOT gave a nice presentation summary of the bike plan at the 54th annual Transportation Conference Feb 22-23rd, 2011. To view the Alabama DOT 2010 Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan click here Can You Make Your Own Sports Drink? YES says Gayle Williams, editor of Consumer Reports on Health newsletter and it can save you money and calories compared with buying sports drinks, which aren't always good for you anyway. Electrolytes are minerals in your body that help maintain proper muscle and nervous system function, and the best known are sodium, potassium, and chloride. Anything that seriously depletes your body's fluids, such as diarrhea, vomiting, or excessive sweating from exercise, can disrupt your electrolytes balance. To make your own drinks: Optionally add lemon juice or sugar-free Kool-Aid flavoring to taste And unless you do endurance sports, steer clear of electrolyte sports drinks like Gatorade. They're loaded with calories, plus add sugar, which can actually worsen diarrhea and nausea. Source: ShopSmart (Consumer Reports) June 2011 page 12 Complete Streets 2011 House Bill 342 - more to come Alabama representative Joe Faust, Fairhope introduced the Complete Streets House bill 342 this spring of 2011. AARP in Alabama is actively pursuing its passage. AlaBike president Marjorie Holderer and the AlaBike board agrees with AARP Complete Streets is the transportation future for people and places. Complete streets policies design transportation networks that routinely accommodate multiple modes of travel; public transit, train, motor vehicles, bicycles, walking, and freight. That does NOT mean that everywhere gets the super deluxe treatment. Check out the bill and check out ALDOT's response (click here) to the bill. More details and discussion will certainly follow. Alabike presents bicycling at Alabama June 8th, 2011 Alabike president, Marjorie Holderer was invited to speak about bicycling at the Alabama chapter's conference of the American Public Works Association. The location was the beautifully restored historic Battle House Renaissance Hotel. If desired, contact AlaBike for more information. Click here to see the presentation. See the Complete Streets Policy Analysis Complete Streets policies formalize a community’s intent to plan, design, and maintain streets so they are safe for all users of all ages and abilities. Policies direct transportation planners and engineers to consistently design and construct the right-of-way to accommodate all anticipated users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation users, motorists, and freight vehicles.
First, a thank you to those who helped! I want to take a moment between spasms of equipment sorting and post event debriefs to thank everyone who helped us pull off a safe and fun inaugural Rocket City Criterium here in Huntsville. Rider compliments were many, and both the Saturday Criterium and Sunday Circuit routes were cited as being fast and fun. Save for some Saturday morning set-up issues, an errant over-the-road structure and the minor inconvenience of a full-on tornado warning at the start of the P123 race Sunday afternoon, all races went off with hardly a hitch. Even the Sunday P123 event went on after a 45 minute delay, albeit shortened to 35 minutes. None of this would have happened without our volunteers hitting their marks and using their heads to help us have a successful event. We generated good rider buzz and have laid the foundation for a bigger race next year, thanks to you all. Now info on the event: See an article and photos from the Huntsville Times The Alabama Bicycle Coalition (AlaBike) is joining forces with the Huntsville Sports Commission (HSC), both 501(c)3 non-profit organizations, to host a new premier cycling event: the Rocket City Criterium Races sanctioned by the USA Cycling Federation (USAC). This race weekend features a purse of over $5000 and will include a Saturday criterium race, a Sunday circuit race, and the ERC Kid’s Rocket Races on Saturday during the criterium races. The RCC races will benefit AlaBike. Congratulations to our newest League Cycling Instructors (LCI) certified by the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) Ffeb 26, 2011 in Birmingham ! With these LCIs, the number of instructors in the state has quadrupled including 4 cities that did not have them before. New Instructors: Jamie Miernik, LCI# 3099, Huntsville You can find contact info for all of the LCIs under Programs\Education on the LAB website, www.bikeleague.org
National Bike Summit Check Out the Latest AlaBike Newsletter Cycling surges in the land of the automobile Read article from the BBC Next Statewide HWY map - request bike laws, AlaBike asks Department of Tourism to work with ALDOT to include cycling information on the next official Alabama Highway map 2011-2012. For 2009 and 2010, Alabama is rated the 50th (worst) state for cycling. We have a wonderful climate, beautiful places, and lots of cool things to see. Adding cycling information that a maximum number of tourists and residents will see and use is just one small step in changing that reputation. These maps are printed every two years and are given away for free to tourists at rest stops and everywhere else that tourist materials are displayed. For decades no cycling information has been included. We are available to help. Read on. See the attached letter.
Automobile Association of America - This September/October issue of Alabama Journey starts off with an article from Al Gibbs, the V.P. and General Manager called "School's Open: Please drive safely". Marjorie Holderer President AlaBike Mr Gibbs article reads: School is back in session, so it's a good time to remind ourselves of the hazards children face on their way to and from school. Incidents with cars are still a leading cause of death and serious injury for school-age children, whether they're walking, riding their bikes, being driven, or driving themselves to school. We can all do a number of things to help out. The most important is to slow down and pay attention while driving near schools. Recent studies indicate that as many as two-thirds of drivers speed in school zones. Next, follow basic safety rules. Parents taking kids to and from school often put them at risk: not securing them with a seat belt, car seat, or booster seat; failing to yield to pedestrians when entering a school driveway; or jaywalking across busy streets with their kids in tow. If you have school-age children, talk with them about the importance of traffic safety. Teach them to cross the street at corners and in crosswalks, where cars can see them more easily. Tell them to be sure to stop their bikes at street corners and stop signs. Walk with young children to school for the first few days to familiarize them with the route and to point out possible traffic hazards. If you have teen drivers, take an active role in helping them learn to drive responsibly, and coach them on these school zone safety basics. Also, be a good role model, since teens tend to model their parents' driving habits. Finally, be patient and caring with your teen-helping him or her become a good driver doesn't happen overnight. Please do your part to ensure our children's safety on their way to and from school Nothing is more important. Read Marjorie's letter here.
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New League Cycling Instructors!
