Via the grant, MCE is one of 26 organizations to receive a $1,000 grant for a project designed to encourage students and their families to safely walk and [...]]]>

Congratulations are in order to Minneapolis Community Education, who were awarded a coveted Safe Routes to Schools mini-grant for spring 2012 from the National Center for Safe Routes to School.

Via the grant, MCE is one of 26 organizations to receive a $1,000 grant for a project designed to encourage students and their families to safely walk and bicycle to school. The proposed Minneapolis program includes a two-part bicycle repair program for youth. During the winter, 12 students will refurbish bicycles donated by a local shop, as well as be trained in bicycle safety. Upon program graduation, each student will receive a helmet, lock and bicycle. Graduates will also serve as cycling ambassadors in their schools, and provide bicycle repair services to peers during the next National Bike to School week. Additional refurbished bicycles and training will also be offered as part of that event.

Walking or biking to school helps children achieve the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity recommended for health each day. The Safe Routes to School program aims to make bicycling and walking safe, accepted in the community, and fun. Small programs, such as this mini-grant program, can make real differences in community acceptance of cycling to school with a low price tag. This is a perfect example of the kind of program I’ve talked about in the past — one using smaller investment funds to help reach out into new communities or enhance visibility of existing infrastructure, and not an expensive infrastructure program. While $1,000 isn’t chump change, it’s also an achievable funding goal for many organizations even as local governments lack the money to do much more. I look forward to hearing the results of this project!

As someone I know points out, one of the best parts of this video is where the guy sweeps up the glass afterwards. Very thoughtful.

And if you’re doing an event such as these or similar, your butt wants to talk [...]]]>

Mid-June is here, and in the midwest that is the prime season for multi-day bicycling events. These events can range from 2 days (like the already-complete MS150) to a week or more (events like Bike Across Minnesota, TRAM, CANDISC, RAGBRAI, etc.).

And if you’re doing an event such as these or similar, your butt wants to talk to you and make sure you’re prepared.

1. Training: A truism of a one-day event is that if you can usually do between 1/3 and 1/2 of the event distance on a regular basis, you ought to be able to finish. This is true for single-day rides only. Do not rely on such things to do day after day of personal best mileage. You need to put in some serious butt-in-saddle time before a ride like CANDISC or RAGBRAI. Do some shorter hammer rides on weeknights, longer rides at an event pace on weekends. There are many recommended mileage programs online and in magazines. Find one. Follow it.

   This will make the event more enjoyable (maybe) and also not make you a burden on organizers.

2. Bring several pairs of shorts. Do not bring any brand new shorts. Know your chamois. Know that it doesn’t leave bizarre butt pimples and rashes. It’s also best to bring shorts of different brands where possible if you aren’t a berserker brand loyalist or pro rider who is paid to be brand loyal no matter the brand. Different chamois rub in different spots day over day, so if something should emerge as a result of the extended use/multi-day opportunity, you have a backup that won’t keep opening that one sore. Yeah, THAT sore, the one that really hurts.
3. Events like this tend to roll rain or shine, save for the type of rain that comes with sirens and mayhem. Deeply consider your love of your white shorts. Do you love them that much? Wear them in the shower one morning then pose in front of the mirror. How’s the view? This is best not tested in field conditions, for the good of your fellow riders. There are some exceptions, but be absolutely sure that you are an exception in a mind other than your own before prancing in wet white shorts, please.
4. Chamois butter of some kind really is your friend, even if you’ve not used it before.
5. If you aren’t wearing bib shorts, be absolutely sure your jersey back covers down below the shorts waistband. Or, apply some lotion to the area between midback and buttcrack just to be sure. You will appreciate not having a burned waistline area later when trying to sleep.
6. Fiber. Eat it. Nothing is worse on a multi-day ride than having intestinal mayhem as a result of road food. Fiber won’t cure every possible issue, but it helps with many. Packing some Immodium tablets is a preventive measure that may make you someone’s hero (or even your own).

Your butt and fellow riders will appreciate your compliance with these tips.

There was a light crowd last night — early yet in the season — [...]]]>

Last night was the first Thursday Night Lights of the season at the NSC Velodrome up in Blaine. My family headed out to check it out, as it was a lovely evening, and my preschooler is a fan of the track cycling experience.

There was a light crowd last night — early yet in the season — but as the crowd grows, there have been some changes for the 2011 season to be aware of:

• Admission fee: The suggested donation of $2 is now the admission price for adults. Apparently, a lot of people weren’t supporting the racing, and thus the fee is not optional for those over 12 years of age. The fees support the velodrome and the racing and development programs for young racers, so this is still a good deal.
• Beer: The snack shack has been upgraded mildly. Pop, ice cream, pretzels and Peace Coffee all remain available, but there is now bottled beer as well thanks to a new sponsor.
• Prize races: The sponsored ‘prize races’ are back, in which spectators pick a racer to win, and all who pick the actual winner are entered to a raffle to win a fabulous prize. This year, the race organizers are pushing filling out race cards early — before the racers line up, certainly. For prize races whose participants are determined by qualifier heats, this means spectators need to note the winners of each heat to know who’s even an option for their raffle entry.

Last night’s racing was a good mix of newer racers, juniors, and Cat1/2 riders starting the season. Race selection stuck to the basics, with a chariot race being the most ‘complex’ option on the slate — bit early in the season for keirins and Madisons. There were several traditional points races, scratch races, and miss-and-outs.

Definitely make a point to check it out some Thursday, and bring your exact change for admission!

Pre-registration is essential, but [...]]]>

The Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota is serious about delivering bicycle education. So serious, in fact, that they are putting on a free half-day of Confident Cycling this Saturday, April 2, from 9:30am – 1:30 pm at the Midtown Bicycle Center. Local LCI (and sometime Ride Boldly! commenter) Hokan will be leading the course.

Pre-registration is essential, but you can do that via the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota. Once again: This is FREE, it is awesome, it is this Saturday. Go and register.

Personally, I find this a little ridiculous. By 12 months, many children are pulling [...]]]>

If you read the literature that comes with the average bicycle baby trailer, your reaction to actually hooking it up may be one of panic. Industry standard recommendation is not to even put the kid into a trailer until at least 12 months.

Personally, I find this a little ridiculous. By 12 months, many children are pulling themselves to standing positions or even walking. While there are certainly developmental concerns to be heeded before putting a kiddo in a trailer, that level of advancement is not necessary. At the same time, the people who rig up strange accommodations involving their carseats and the trailer are probably jumping the gun, and creating unstable riding situations.

With my first child, he didn’t land in the trailer for cycling purposes until about 10 months — he was born in the spring, so that first summer was not going to happen, regardless. My second child is a winter baby, and depending on her development, she may get into the trailer in time for fall 2011 — or wait until spring 2012, when she’ll be closer to 18 months.

My doctor says the 1-year recommendation is probably lawyer-driven, and based on a conservative expectation of infant development. Here are some physical signs that a child may be ready for a trailer ride:

• Able to sit up under his/her own power
• Good neck strength
• Ability to find a helmet that fits/trailer harness that is secure

Neck strength is probably the biggest factor, as the bike helmet adds some weight/awkwardness that neck strength is needed to deal with. The soft spots (fontanelles) on a baby’s skull are also a potential factor — but 12 months isn’t a particularly solid guideline around the soft spot, as they typically begin to close at 6 months but won’t completely grow together until sometime between the 9th and 18th month.

My recommendation is to speak to a medical professional about your child’s physical readiness for a trailer experience. Keep in mind that even with a nice child trailer, the ride in a child trailer is not especially smooth, even on the nicest trail. Every bump will be felt. When you feel comfortable putting the child in the trailer, try to choose smooth routes that will minimize the jostling of the trailer. It helps to have a doctor who is supportive of cycling, and whose response won’t be to freak out about the general safety of cycling.

Additional tips I offer based on personal experience:

• Build in fun stops, especially as the kiddo gets mobile. Parks are always a good choice.
• Carry snacks.
• Ride with a friend. Even if you have someone to call if you have a major mechanical or the like, it’s good to have a buddy with in case of an emergency where you can’t call or someone needs to hang on to the kiddo.
• Wear your damn helmet. It is not okay to make sure your kid has one and you do not. Being the adult means being a good example.
• Be sure your bike is in good condition. Tune-ups matter.
• Don’t try too long a ride the first few times out, between the kid getting used to stuff, and you getting used to the turning radius and weight.

Once we started with Child #1 in trailer, we found he liked to nap in the trailer, and sometimes sing. In nice weather these days, at nearly 3, he’s been known to march up to either me or his father holding his bicycle helmet to demand a ride in the trailer, and he also loves outings to the Thursday Night Races at the NSC Velodrome. We’re hoping to achieve similar result with his little sister, when she’s able to get on board — probably in early fall 2011.