Ladies and gentlemen:

Start your (carbohydrate, protein and lipid fueled) engines! The first Dump the Pump Challenge Pageant Prologue is coming to Savannah Wed May 23 at 6pm. There is no charge to compete.

Dump the Pump Challenge is a cooperative effort with Chatham Area Transit (CAT) and the City of Savannah where 3 competitors race from 12 Oaks Shopping Center to City Hall, to be held this year the morning of Thurs June 21. Competitors include one motorist, one transit rider, and one bicylist. Competitors must park vehicles legally and observe all rules of the road and traffic signals.

Savannah Bicycle Campaign has taken home the gold each of the first three years of this race, and while Frank McIntosh is retiring as a champion, we have no intention of the bicyclist losing the prize in this year’s event. To help choose our best hope for the event, we’re holding this qualifying event – the Bike Pageant Prologue – to test the city cycling skills of potential competitors, along with their poise and appearance both before and after the ride, since after all, this is an event tailor-made for the press!

So, bring your bike and your “A” game, your best cycle-ready workday attire, your grace, and your charisma. Equally weighted components of the competition will be (1) prologue course time, (2) post-ride appearance, and (3) interview. It’s gonna be awesome, so make your plans to attend as a competitor or as a volunteer! Top competitors will walk away with fantastic prizes, the top competitor with the honor to represent Savannah’s bicyclists in the June 21 Dump the Pump Challenge!

We’ll wrap the event with some congratulations and refreshments – don’t miss it! Register below or at this link to compete! To volunteer, please send an email to volunteers@bicyclecampaign.org.

What: Bike Pageant Prologue: a time-trial bike race through Savannah’s city streets, plus judging of post-race appearance and interview.
When: Wed May 23 6pm
Who: Bicyclists hoping to represent SBC in the June 21 Dump the Challenge
Where: Forsyth Park Bandshell
Why: ’cause we can’t lose. We need to put our best rider forward!

FREE REGISTRATION BELOW:

Bicycles Make Savannah Better Photo Contest:

To kick Bike Month off, we’re running a photo contest – winners will get complimentary tickets to the TEDx Creative Coast on Friday, May 18 at the Jepson Center. Send an image that demonstrates our motto, Bicycles Make Savannah Better, via email to info [a t } bicyclecampaign {d ot] org. By sending an image(s), you certify that the rights for use of the image are not held by another entity; by sending, entrants further confer permission for Savannah Bicycle Campaign to use the images. All entries must be received by 11:59pm on Thursday, May 4 – so get working!

Sat May 5, 2012
10am – 2pm Tour de Kids
Where: Lake Mayer Park
Description:
Kids bike ride and kids bike skills activities led by Savannah Bicycle Campaign certified instructors! Registration is $10 and includes an event T-shirt, lunch and access to carnival style activities in thepark and entertainment by Magic Marc. The aim of the bike ride is to raise money and awareness about homelessness in Savannah. Children from local schools and congregations are encouraged to take part in the ride. To register, call 912-790-9446 or email lbrown@ihnsav.org.

Wed May 9, 2012
8:15am – 9:00am National Bike to School Day
Where: Hull Park, 31405
Description:
A combined event for Charles Ellis Montessori and Jacob G. Smith Elementary Schools to celebrate the first-ever National Bike to School Day on May 9, 2012 with a ride from Hull Park to Charles Ellis and JG Smith.

Fri May 18, 2012
8am – 9am 2W2W National Bike to Work Day
Where: Habersham Village to TEDx Creative Coast at the Jepson Center
Description:
meet @ Habersham Village for a bike commute convoy to the Jepson Center. Join us inside for refreshments at the TEDx Creative Coast, and stay for the presentation if you have tickets…

5:15pm -5:30pm Price Street Bike Lane Dedication
Where: St. Julian Street and Price Street Calendar: Savannah Bicycle Campaign Created by: awade1975@gmail.com Description:
City of Savannah dedication of the Price Street bike lane, joined byelected
officials and Savannah city staff. Stay with us for a ride down the lane, finishing at the post-TEDx reception for socializing.

5:30pm – 7:30pm Bike 2 Brilliance social
Where: Price Street Bike Lane dedication to TEDx reception
Description:
Monthly social for bike month! National Bike to Work Day event leaves from the
Price Street Bike Lane dedication and finishes with a social gathering at the closing reception for TEDx Creative Coast at their office on Wright Square.

Wed May 23, 2012
6pm – 8pm Bike Pageant Prologue*
Where: TBA
Description:
Dump the Pump (DTP) Challenge Pageant Prologue: A competition to determine the Savannah Bicycle Campaign’s representative for the annual DTP in June. DTP Challenge is a race from 12 Oaks Shopping Center toCity Hall between a bicyclist, a motorist, and a transit rider. The bicyclist has won each of the first 3 contests and is retiring from competition. This contest will include a bike course with obstacles, judging of workday appearance before and after the race, and an interview. The winner will walk away with fabulous prizes and carry the SBC banner for the DTP Challenge in June.
*prologue- A short individual time trial before a stage race, used to determine which rider wears the leader’s jersey onthe first stage.

Our February Bike 2 Beer is on deck. Next Tuesday, join your pedal powered pals in our monthly social! Two options – ride with us from Habersham Village starting at 5:30pm (we’ll take the long way) OR meet us at this month’s Bike 2 Beer destination, Foxy Loxy Cafe, starting at 6! Hang out, check out the member giveaways and hear about events on the horizon for the Campaign. The fine folks at Foxy Loxy will be serving up lattes and Lone Star beer for $2 each, not to mention that their craft brews will be 10% off…

WHO: You and yours
WHAT: Bike 2 Beer – Monthly Social!
WHEN: Tues Feb 21, 5:30pm Ride/6pm Social
WHERE: Ride starts in Habersham Village parking lot. Social at Foxy Loxy Cafe, 1919 Bull Street
WHY:  Because it’s there.

The Telluride MountainFilm festival is coming to town Jan. 20 and 21 and the Savannah Bicycle Campaign is celebrating with a group ride and a chance to learn more about how bicycles are changing lives all over the world.

The Tellu-Ride leaves from the south end of Forsyth Park at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21 and touches every square in Savannah on its route. Refreshments will be provided at the end of the ride, courtesy of the Sentient Bean and Brighter Day Natural Foods.

One of the most exciting films to be screened at the festival (at least in our opinion) is With My Own Two Wheels  and the filmmakers will be joining the ride and participating in a question and answer session afterward. What’s With My Own Two Wheels All About?

“For Fred, a health worker in Zambia, the bicycle is a means of reaching twice as many patients. For Bharati, a teenager in India, it provides access to education. For Mirriam, a disabled Ghanaian woman, working on bicycles is an escape from the stigma attached to disabled people in her community. For Carlos, a farmer in Guatemala, pedal power is a way to help neighbors reduce their impact on the environment. For Sharkey, a young man in California, the bicycle is an escape from the gangs that consume so many of his peers. With My Own Two Wheels weaves together the experiences of these five individuals into a single story about how the bicycle can change the world—one pedal stroke at a time.”

The ride is free and open to the public. Helmets are strongly encouraged. The total distance is about 7 miles and that number is significant: 5-7 miles is average bicycle commute for a student in rural Zambia. A map of the route is available here. Want to spread the word? Download and print out the event poster here.

Our popular Bike 2 Beer social event continues Tuesday, Jan. 17 at Moon River Brewing Company, from 6-8 p.m. Join your fellow bicycle (and beer) enthusiasts downstairs and learn about the big things happening in bicycling this year. We’ll have the latest on the Telluride MountainFilm festival tour ride and bicycle-related film screenings, the first Pedal Medal awards, and local efforts to make our streets safer for cyclists. See you there!

Savannah’s Coastal Region Metropolitan Planning Organization is hosting a series of meetings to solicit citizen input on its Total Mobility Plan, “an in-depth planning effort which will emphasize sustainability, Complete Streets, Context Sensitive Design, non-motorized transportation and transit. The thoroughfare planning component will address facilities for auto traffic, bicycles, pedestrians, and public transit vehicles, including intersections.”

Adopting and abiding by Complete Streets policies could begin to reshape Savannah’s transportation infrastructure by addressing barriers to safe cycling caused by streets designed with only two goals in mind: maximizing motor vehicle speed and increasing traffic capacity. Thoroughfares of this type are unwelcoming and dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists (and drivers, too).

It’s important for cyclists to express their support for Complete Streets at the meetings and take advantage of this invitation to participate. The meetings will be held at the following times and locations from 5-6:30 p.m., and will and citizens can drop in at any point during the meeting to “map context areas, creating a vision of the desired character in each community.”

Tuesday, Jan. 17

Armstrong Atlantic State University – Armstrong Center, 13040 Abercorn St.

Thursday, Jan. 19

First Presbyterian Church, 520 Washington Ave.

For more information, contact Mark Wilkes at (912) 651-1451 or wilkesm [at] thempc.org

• SAT 11/12: 9pm. Geekend Block Party – SBC pedal blending and bike valet will be on the scene at Montgomery and Broughton, just south of Franklin Square.
• SUN 11/13: 2pm. Jerry Jaycox Fort Pulaski Wheelie - A November tradition, free entry to Ft. Pulaski for the ride, with a cookout to follow. We’ll bring the burgers – you bring a friend and food to share!
• MON 11/14: 5:30pm reception/6:30pm forum. Mayoral Candidate Forum co-sponsored with USGBC and LWV.
  Runoff candidates Jeff Felser and Edna Jackson will answer questions about transportation and sustainability (see press release below)
• TUE 11/15: 7pm. Bike 2 Beer - Our monthly social at Moon River Brewing Company, 21 W Bay Street

MAYORAL CANDIDATE FORUM TO BE HELD NOVEMBER 14 AT COASTAL GEORGIA CENTER
Savannah mayoral candidates Edna Jackson and Jeff Felser will square off Monday, November 14, fielding questions regarding their positions on transportation and sustainability issues. The forum will start at 6:30 p.m., following a brief reception, and will be moderated by Jim Morekis, editor-in-chief of Connect Savannah. The Forum is hosted by the Savannah Bicycle Campaign, the US Green Building Council-Savannah Branch and the League of Women Voters.

Candidates will answer formal questions delivered by the moderator before taking questions from the audience and the media.

“As we choose our next mayor, it’s more important than ever to ensure that Savannah grows into the future and grows wisely,” said Mark Fitzpatrick, Chair of the US Green Building Council-Savannah Branch. “Through this forum, candidates can express their vision for how Savannah can be a leader by demonstrating responsible stewardship of our environment while incorporating innovative strategies as part of that solution.”

“We’ve seen a tremendous increase in the use of bicycles for transportation in the community. The City of Savannah government has been a positive influence in that growth, and we hope this forum allows candidates the chance to address how they will help continue this trend and also make transit and pedestrian options more viable,” said Drew Wade, Chairman of the Savannah Bicycle Campaign. “Several long-term transportation planning efforts are reaching the point where those decisions become a critical part of the community we live with for the next several decades; we need to make the right decisions.”

The Forum will be held at the Coastal Georgia Center for Continuing Education, 305 Fahm Street, Savannah, GA, http://cgc.georgiasouthern.edu/. For more information about this forum, please contact Frank McIntosh, Executive Director, Savannah Bicycle Campaign at frank@bicyclecampaign.org or 912-272-1074.

Make sure these folks get the credit they deserve by nominating them for the Savannah Bicycle Campaign’s first Pedal Medal awards. Nominations are open now through Dec. 1. Simply fill out the form below now closed. Pedal Medal winners will be honored at the Pedal Medal Celebration on Thursday Feb. 2 – purchase your tickets today!

This November Savannah will elect leaders to watch over the present and future of our city. Because the decisions they make on transportation and the built environment have long reaching effects, election season is an important opportunity to educate and get feedback from candidates and voters on how those changes should shape the community.

Savannah Bicycle Campaign, U.S. Green Building Council, and
the League of Women Voters present
Alderman At-Large Candidate Forum
6-8pm, Tuesday September 27
Coastal Georgia Center

With that in mind, we have partnered with the U.S. Green Building Council and the League of Women Voters to host a forum for city council candidates elected by city-wide vote — Alderman At-Large Post 1 and Post 2. The forum is next Tuesday, 9/27 at 6pm at the Coastal Georgia Center. More details are below in the press release.

ALDERMAN AT-LARGE CANDIDATE FORUM TO BE HELD SEPTEMBER 27 AT COASTAL GEORGIA CENTER
Alderman At-Large candidates will gather Tuesday, September 27 to field questions regarding their positions on transportation and sustainability issues. The forum is free and open to the public, will start at 6pm and be moderated by Orlando Montoya, news producer with Georgia Public Broadcasting in Savannah, and Jim Morekis, editor-in-chief of Connect Savannah.

Candidates will answer formal questions delivered by the moderators during the program before taking questions from the audience and from the media.

“As we choose those that will represent us in deciding policy for our City, it’s more important than ever to ensure that Savannah grows into the future and grows wisely,” said Mark Fitzpatrick, Chair of the US Green Building Council-Savannah Branch. “Through this forum, candidates can express their vision for how Savannah can be a leader by demonstrating responsible stewardship of our environment while incorporating innovative strategies as part of that solution.”
“We’ve seen a tremendous increase in the use of bicycles for transportation in the community. The City of Savannah government has been a positive influence in that growth, and we hope this forum allows candidates the chance to address how they will help continue this trend and also make transit and pedestrian options more viable,” said Drew Wade, Chairman of the Savannah Bicycle Campaign. “Several long-term transportation planning efforts are reaching the point where those decisions become a critical part of the community we live with for the next several decades; we need to make the right decisions.”

The Forum will be held at the Coastal Georgia Center for Continuing Education, 305 Fahm Street, Savannah, GA, http://cgc.georgiasouthern.edu/. For more information about this forum, please contact Frank McIntosh, Executive Director, Savannah Bicycle Campaign at frank@bicyclecampaign.org or 912-272-1074.

Our Monthly Bike 2 Beer social is at 7pm at Blue Turtle Bistro at 5002 Paulsen Street. We also welcome you to join us to ride there starting at around 6pm at Savannah Arts, or just come straight to Blue Turtle at 7. We’ll have some giveaways there including Midnight Garden Ride raffle tickets for the 2011 Fat Tire Cruiser…

Bike 2 Beer this week follows the Price Street Bike Lane Open House from 3-6pm at Savannah Arts Academy, a drop-in public meeting on the Price Street Bike Lane project, the final step before city council takes up the issue for an up-or-down vote.