If you can't make it out to our mt bike ride at Rockville on November 2nd, but are going to be in the bay area, think about signing up for a trail day! The more mountain bikers that show up and represent our community in a positive way, the better! Plus, it's a great workout! You can sign up for any portion of the Bay Area Ridge trail here: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/7875354397
The Sacramento Velodrome project took a huge step forward. Yesterday members of the Sacramento Valley Velodrome Association met with the Granite Park Director, the land developer, and Councilman McCarty. According to Dean Alleger, Chief Executive Office of the Sac Valley Velodrome Association, "the Park Director, the land developer, and Councilman McCarty all want it to happen! The City will work to come up with matching funds and we are free to offer naming rights to corporate sponsors".
A velodrome in Sacramento would be such a wonderful asset to our cycling community. If you're interested in learning more there will be a free media event on October 21. Here's info from the Sac Valley Velodrome Association's Website: We are hosting a FREE media event in the 250 seat 24th Street Theatre at The Sierra 2 Center for the Arts and Community in Curtis Park on Monday October 21st from 6:30-7:30! It will be a short one hour presentation regarding our plan to build a velodrome in the Sacramento area. Our key speaker, among others, will be 1992 – World Professional Pursuit Champion and 2010 U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame Inductee Mike McCarthy. We’ll also be screening No Coast, a short film about four local riders who pedaled track bikes from Portland to San Francisco in seven days last year. We are exploring the option to build at Granite Regional Park. The City and its developers have shown an interest and all interactions have been positive. Granite Park is our first choice due to public transportation access and its central location, but we are in the early stages of negotiation and are open to discuss other locations. For FREE reservations to our presentation and/or entry to our pre-presentation VIP fundraiser please sign-up at TimeYourRace! Today Gov. Brown signed Assembly Bill 1371, this year's 3-foot passing bill!
The bill requires drivers to give bike-riders at least 3 feet of clearance when passing them from behind under most circumstances. Gov. Brown vetoed earlier versions of this bill passed by the Legislature in 2011 and 2012. According to Assemblymember Steven Bradford's office, the unusual Sept. 16, 2014 effective date was requested by the DMV to give them time to complete some federally mandated data system updates. Implementation of other legislation was also affected by these updates -- it doesn't appear to be specific to the 3-foot passing bill. About the $35 and $202 fines contained in the bill: These are "base fines" set by state law. A complicated formula is applied to each base fine to calculate additional fees used to fund the local court system. What drivers will pay is $154 and $960. A driver who killed a bike-rider by deliberately passing unsafely could also be subject to vehicular manslaughter charges, for which penalties are huge. The American River Parkway is the crowning jewel of the Sacramento area. We need to keep it as beautiful as possible and you can help! SABA is coinciding the upcoming trail clean up with the Great American River Clean Up on Saturday, September 21 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Last year's clean up was a huge success and we hope to get even more volunteers this year to make our trail even more beautiful. We will work from the Sacramento Northern Bikeway entrance on C st. between 19th and 20th streets as far to the bridge as we have hands for. We also are stewards for Mile 8, around the Guy West Bridge area. There will be garbage pickup as well as some weed abatement and pruning. So come on out, bring your work gloves and sturdy shoes, and help us keep the parkway the gorgeous showpiece that it is!
If you would like to volunteer for this event, please register at the ARPF's website and sign the ARPF's Volunteer Waiver. Please RSVP to [email protected] if you want to do either of the above locations. Please feel free to pass this along to anybody you think would be interested in volunteering. If you have any questions regarding the volunteer program or anything else, please feel free to email [email protected] Thanks to all of you for helping make Sacramento a better place to be. See you out there! After enjoying the many trails northern California has to offer the Mountain MissFits are dedicated to helping to build and maintain these amazing trails. Just this summer we’ve volunteered more than 25 hours of service with TAMBA and FATRAC with more planned for the Fall. We’ve been enlightened by what it really takes to build good trails and encourage all users to participate and give back. Trail work can be challenging but extremely rewarding. There’s nothing like working on a trail and building a rockin’ element that everyone loves.
On June 19 we attend a public meeting discussing recreation opportunities for Sutters Landing Park in Midtown. We were there to show our support for a pump track and have subsequently submitted comments to the City of Sacramento in support for a pump track at the park. Here are the comments we submitted:
[email protected] SUTTER’S LANDING PARK COMMENTS I am submitting comments to build active recreation, in particular a bicycle pump track, in Sacramento at Sutter’s Landing Park. Bicycle Skills Parks and Pump Tracks are being lobbied for and built in communities around the nation as a low impact human powered recreation facility for bicycle enthusiasts of all ages and abilities to enjoy. The community benefits of a bicycle facility such as a pump track are significant. Due to their low cost and multiple benefits, pump tracks are a desirable addition to the recreation options in any community. A pump track is an endless loop of rollers and berms where the riders propel themselves through the track by shifting their body weight, or “pumping”, in conjunction with the track contours, rather than having to pedal. It creates a fun experience where riders can recreate, work on their bike handling skills, and get an excellent workout. Who can use a pump track? The short answer is anyone with a bicycle. It doesn’t matter how young or how old, users can be toddlers on balance bikes or riders into their 60’s or 70’s that already enjoy riding on trails. Go to any northern California pump track and you’ll see this very thing! A pump track provides a safe environment to experience riding a bicycle, have fun, and get exercise. These facilities offer a community gathering spot for families, children and adults. Benefits of a Pump Track 1. Pump tracks create a fun and positive atmosphere within the community This is the kind of community place where people want to be. Kids can hang out together; families can bike from their homes to get in a nice ride after dinner. Adults get off work and come straight here to get a few laps in before dark. Riders of all ages come on the weekends and stay for hours on end. On the whole, people come together here to enjoy the simple sport of cycling and in doing so create a unique social setting for building friendships and new acquaintances. 2. Active recreation sites like pump tracks provide safe places to get exercise and great family fun Active recreation facilities like pump tracks promote healthy, physical outdoor activity. 3. A pump track at Sutter’s Landing can provide family recreation that accessible by local bike lanes/trails and helps reduce carbon dioxide and other emissions. The Sutter’s Landing location offers a great location where members of the community can safely access the pump track via established bike lanes throughout town. A pump track located outside of town would not have the same benefits. For this reason it’s important to build active recreation like a pump track in this park. From an emissions point of view, active recreation located outside the city would likely generate more vehicle trips and thus more emissions than if the track was located in a place where users could bike to instead. There would be no need to pack bikes into a car and travel outside the city to recreate. 4. All ages and skill levels can learn in the same location Users of pump tracks are of all ages and abilities. You need only travel to pump tracks in Elk Grover, Folsom and Truckee to see toddlers scooting around the track on their balance bikes, or parents and grandparents recreating alongside their children. Pump tracks are not too intimidating for a beginner or too easy for a professional rider. |