Friday, June 7, 2019

BWL Column: It's never too late to learn to ride


BikeWalkLee Column
The News-Press, June 6, 2019
by Ken Gooderham


Is it ever too late to learn how to ride a bike – or ride it better?

Sure, if you’re a kid, learning how to ride is considered de rigueur – a virtual rite of passage of one’s childhood. The mastery of a new skill, a sense of newfound freedom, the launch of what (for some) becomes a lifelong passion – all common results of learning to ride.

And there typically are a variety of opportunities to learn to ride a bike, or ride one better, for kids. One good example we covered in an earlier column is the Wheel Lee Fun summer camp which begins next week, where riders ages 8 to 15 can learn and expand their cycling skills.

What about the adults new to cycling and seeking to learn to ride (period), to ride better or to expand their cycling skill sets? There may not be summer camps for that, but there still are a number of options.

If you need to learn how to ride, it’s never too late – and you have a number of ways to pursue that skill. One is to find a cycling instructor to teach you in person; local bike shops can be a good source for potential instructors. There are also a lot of resources online, both from websites (look for reputable ones to start, until you can discern the difference between savvy and silly on your own) and the ubiquitous YouTube, with more videos than you’ll have time to watch them.

If you already can ride but would like to ride more skillfully, it may come down to the skills you’d like to learn to guide your pursuit. Want to learn how to ride in a group? The best to learn is to do it, and local bike clubs often offer sessions on group skills as well as rides where you can practice what you’ve learned.

You can also look at cycling skills classes and instructors, often coordinated through state or national advocacy groups – such as Florida Bicycle Association and the League of American Bicyclists. Check out their websites for details.

Of course, while online you can search for tips or videos that can also boost your skills. These will help you see how to get better… but nothing beats actually doing it for the best learning experience.

Another important skill for cyclists is taking care of your bike – including making emergency repairs on the road. How much you need to know depends on how far afield you plan to ride… so if you’re just cruising the neighborhood, the best skill you may need is knowing how to get your broke-down bike to the local bike shop. But if you’re looking at longer rides, it’s smart to have some basic repair skills (like replacing or repairing a flat) that can enable you to make it back home safely.

For those, again you have choices. Bike shops frequently offer clinics to help new riders (and potential customers) learn the basics of bike maintenance; check your local shops for offerings. That’s also a great way to make new contacts with fellow cyclists and the local biking community, if you’re interested in that.

Have some basic mechanical skills? Then a little research and reading (as well as some careful wrenching) can expand your repair repertoire rapidly. (Just make sure you don’t make a bad situation worse by a botched repair, and that you have the tools necessary to get the job done.) Also, YouTube (again) has a ton of videos on bike repair to show you how it’s done.

Perhaps the best advice is to know what you don’t know so you can find someone who can tackle that on your behalf. Handling basic maintenance is one thing, taking on a major repair is something very different – particularly repair of a crucial component such as brakes, gears and chains.

After all, you want to spend your time riding, right? Not being broken down on the side of the road – or worse – from a repair gone wrong.

Ready to ride or run? 

Run? Still a few organized races for those willing to get up early to beat the heat. This Saturday, there’s the Cape Coral Elks 5K at Rotary Park in Cape Coral (3dracinging.com or active.com). The following weekend (June 15), the Fort Myers Track Club holds its annual Membership Fun Run 5K at the CenturyLink Sports Complex, Fort Myers (ftmyerstrackclub.com).

Ride? Back-to-back Critical Mass rides this weekend, with the original SW Florida night ride in downtown Fort Myers Friday and the Sanibel night ride Saturday. Lights are required for night rides and helmets are recommended; details at meetup.com. Looking for summer activities for your kids? The first week-long Wheel Lee Fun camp kicks off June 10. Details at caloosariders.org.


Both? Upcoming events include:

TELL US ABOUT YOUR RIDE:

Have a favorite route you like to bike, or a unique walk you’d like to share with others? Tell us about it at info@bikewalklee.org, and maybe we can feature it in an upcoming column.

# # #

Ken Gooderham writes this on behalf of BikeWalkLee, a community coalition raising public awareness and advocating for complete streets in Lee County — streets that are designed, built, operated and maintained for safe and convenient travel for all users: pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders of all ages and abilities. Information, statistics and background online at www.BikeWalkLee.org. 


 

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Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Micromobility is knocking

Florida Weekly 'Outdoors' column, June 5, 2019
danMOSER
bikepedmoser@gmail.com

E-bikes like this one on display at Tour de Cape are becoming more common.
Getting around in ways other than in a car has become quite common, especially in many urban areas around our country. The advent of bikeshare programs a few decades ago — primarily in our larger cities — meant a significant increase in people using bikes for short and medium distance trips where driving and parking is difficult and costly. But with this rapid increase came concerns about safety and public space use. As those issues were being addressed electric-powered micromobility devices entered the picture in the forms of e-bikes and stand-up e-scooters. As was the case with the original bike-share programs, safety and public space concerns caught many local governments by surprise. Entrepreneurs haven’t waited around for regulators to get a handle on those and other issues created by their businesses and those problems remain in most places where fledgling or even robust micromobility programs exists.

Add to the mix e-scooter and e-bike users operating at higher than appropriate speeds and it’s the lowly pedestrian who faces the most risk, although for inexperienced micromobility device users both sidewalks and roads can be fraught with hazards for them as well.

Cities and universities that rank highest on League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly Community/University lists worked for many years and even decades to get to that level in terms of developing policies, priorities and infrastructure to accommodate a much higher percentage of bicycle use than average communities. Places like Denver, Portland, Ore., and Davis, Calif., still wrestle with too much of a good thing, although it’s clearly positive overall. Where e-bikes and e-scooters have been thrust into communities and college campuses in large numbers that aren’t adequately prepared for a boom in even traditional, human-powered bicycles it’s going to be interesting to see how officials and the general public deal with the inevitable changes that come with it.

A recent report published by National League of Cities “Micromobility in Cities, a History and Policy Overview,” does an excellent job of framing the benefits, negatives and challenges related to this matter. While our city centers in Southwest Florida don’t yet experience the gridlock and parking problems of larger cities (our traffic problems are generally sprawl-related and primarily on major roads, bridges and I-75 interchanges) many of the good, bad and unknowns still apply. For example, getting cars off the roads is always a plus as it reduces delay among those who do drive and may even remove the need to expand roads, a benefit to all taxpayers. However, reallocating space in the public rights-of-way is usually a necessary step once micromobility use reaches a critical level, meaning existing modes — driving and/or walking — may be compromised in order for that to occur.

An important aspect of this phenomenon not to be underestimated is the profit motive of the micromobility businesses either seeking to expand into an area. In a number of cities, rather than asking permission they seek forgiveness after setting-up shop without first gaining official approval, often times creating chaos or at least unanticipated expenses to local governments and taxpayers. As with many other aspects of today’s world, there’s so much change happening so fast that governments are always well behind the curve in getting a handle on both intended and unintended consequences. But since one of government’s primary purposes is to ensure the safety of its citizens as much as possible, regulating micromobility and the various devices — whether as part of a shared system or private ownership and use — is vital. At this point, at least from what I’ve learned, most governments that are dealing with this are still chasing their tails. Here in Southwest Florida there’s been little thought given to an onslaught of micromobility, thus few, if any, regulations are in place. Sanibel is perhaps the exception. Even with the few e-bikes that are among the transportation mix here, I’ve seen many zipping along at high speeds on sidewalks, something that’s illegal but overlooked by law enforcers, meaning yet another hazard pedestrians must deal with.
As always, to learn about these topics and more visit bikewalklee.blogspot.com. ¦




 
- Dan Moser is a long-time bicycle/pedestrian advocate and traffic safety professional who cycles, runs and walks regularly for transportation, recreation and fitness. Contact him at bikepedmoser@gmail.com and 334-6417. 

For Lee County cycling and tri events visit Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club (caloosariders.org); Florida Mudcutters (mudcutters.org); and SW Florida Biking Meetup Group (meetup.com/Biking-SWFL). The Florida Bicycle Association (floridabicycle.org) is your source for statewide happenings. BikeWalkLee’s blog site has all the information you’ll need to stay abreast of advocacy efforts in Southwest Florida as well as statewide and nationally.






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Monday, June 3, 2019

June 3: Upcoming running/walking/bicycling/tri events

Upcoming events

Running/walking:
  • Wednesday, June 5: The Big Run national 5K. For the third year, Fleet Feet and Brooks will come together on June 5 to host The Big Run! The annual nationwide 5K brings thousands of runners together on Global Running Day to do what we love most: run.  Bell Tower Shops, Fort Myers (runsignup.com)
  • Saturday, June 8: Cape Coral Elks 5K. Join us on this fun, flat, and fast out and back course, starting and ending at beautiful Rotary Park.  Water station half-way, water and snacks at the finish.  Tech shirt and goody bag included in entry.  Awards in over all and age catagories following the race.  Race starts at 7:30 a.m. Rotary Park, Cape Coral (active.com)  
  • Saturday, June 15: FMTC Membership 5K Fun Run, 7 a.m., CenturyLink Sports Complex, Fort Myers (ftmyerstrackclub.com)
  • Saturday, June 22: Sugden Stride 5K, North Collier Regional Pak, Naples (eliteevents.org) 
  • Thursday, July 4: Freedom 5K, Cape Coral Bridge (ftmyerstrackclub.com) 
  • Thursday, July 4: Moe’s Firecracker 5K, Fleishmann Park, Naples (gcrunner.org) 
  • Thursday, July 4: USA Independence Day 5K, Hertz Arena, Estero (eliteevents.org) 
  • Monday, Sept. 2: Labor Day 5K, Lowdermilk Park, Naples (gcrunner.org)
  • For more running events visit gcrunner.org/calendar.html; ftmyerstrackclub.com/race-calendar; eliteevents.org and 3dracinginc.com

Cycling:

  • Monday, June 3: Monday Minions Ride. This is a weekly ride that rolls in the 13-15 mph range. Total distance around 15 miles. After the ride most go over to Square 1 restaurant for the $5 burger and fries deal. If you are looking to get into cycling beyond the casual roll, this is an ideal ride for you. 6 p.m., Fort Myers Cyclery, 3630 Cleveland Avenue, Fort Myers (meetup.com/Biking-SWFL)
  • Tuesday, June 4: Taco Tuesday Ride. Every Tuesday night, We Ride For Tacos! After a 21 mile ride on Treeline/Old Airport/Daniels/6 Mile Cypress roads and paths, we'll finish at Tijuana Flats for Taco Tuesday. B RIDERS: 16 to 18 mph for the basic group. A RIDERS: The faster group rides at 20mph plus. We finish well after dark, so Front And Rear Lights are Required. 6:30 p.m., Trek Bicycle Store of Fort Myers, 8291 Dani Drive, Fort Myers (meetup.com/Biking-SWFL)
  • Friday, June 7: SW Florida Critical Mass ride. A family-friendly slow ride through Fort Myers gathering at 7:15 p.m. and starting at 8 p.m. Front and rear bike lights required. Grab your helmet, bring all your friends and meet in the open field next to Publix at First Street Village, 2160 McGregor Blvd. Fort Myers. (meetup.com/Biking-SWFL)
  • Saturday, June 8: Sanibel Critical Mass ride, gathers at 7:30 p.m. at Jerry’s Shopping Center, 1700 Periwinkle Way, on Sanibel. Lights required, helmets recommended. (meetup.com/Biking-SWFL)
  • Sunday, June 9: Wakey, Wakey! Weekly Sunday Morning Ride. This is a weekly ride for riders of most skill levels and most types of bicycles (hybrids, fitness, and road). The ride is sanctioned by the Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club, thus helmets are required, no ear buds, and no aero bar use while in the group. 7.30 a.m., location varies, visit (meetup.com/Biking-SWFL) for details. 
  • June 10-14: Wheel Lee Fun Session 1 summer camp begins for ages 8-15, 1941 Hill Ave., Fort Myers (caloosariders.org)
  • June 17-21: Wheel Lee Fun Session 2 summer camp for ages 8-15, 1941 Hill Ave., Fort Myers (caloosariders.org)
  • Friday, June 21: NE-Lee Critical Mass ride, gathers at 7 p.m. at the Winn-Dixie, 14600 Palm Beach Blvd. Lights required, helmets recommended. (meetup.com/Biking-SWFL) 
  • June 24-28: Wheel Lee Fun Session 3 summer camp for ages 8-15, 1941 Hill Ave., Fort Myers (caloosariders.org)
  • Friday, June 28: Cape Coral Critical Mass ride. Gather at 7:30 p.m., start at 8 p.m. at the Southwest Florida Military Museum parking lot at 4820 Leonard Street for a family-friendly ride through the Cape. Lights required, helmets recommended. (meetup.com/Biking-SWFL) 
  • July 8-12: Wheel Lee Fun Session 4 summer camp for ages 8-15, 1941 Hill Ave., Fort Myers (caloosariders.org)
  • Saturday-Sunday, July 13-14: Wheels & Wings, 15/32/50/62 mile rides from Beef O’Bradys, Punta Gorda (peaceriverridersbicycleclub.com) 
  • July 15-19: Wheel Lee Fun Session 5 summer camp for ages 8-15, 1941 Hill Ave., Fort Myers (caloosariders.org)
  • July 22-26: Wheel Lee Fun Session 6 (final session) summer camp for ages 8-15, 1941 Hill Ave., Fort Myers (caloosariders.org)
  • Ongoing: Join the Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club on one of their many weekly rides for members and potential members, with an array of paces and routes to choose from. Check them out online at www.caloosariders.org.
  • For more Lee County cycling and tri events, visit Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club (caloosariders.org); Florida Mudcutters (mudcutters.org); and SW Florida Biking Meetup Group (meetup.com/Biking-SWFL).

Triathlons:









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