Richmond Outside

Greater Richmond Bicycle Coalition launches

By Andy Thompson | May 23, 2013

Leaders within the Richmond region bicycling community have announced the launch of the Greater Richmond Bicycle Coalition, a new partnership of organizations and individuals formed to coordinate and encourage progress in bicycle infrastructure projects within Richmond and the surrounding region. Members of the Coalition have met over the past few months to discuss the continued need for bicycle infrastructure and programs that appeal to people of all ages and abilities, and that encourage bicycle use for everyday transportation, recreation, and sport.

“We have a great dirt trail system and a thriving racing culture in the Richmond region. But we also want our kids, parents, and grandparents to safely and comfortably bike to school, the grocery store, and the park,” said Max Hepp-Buchanan, director of Bike Walk RVA for the Sports Backers. “Richmond should be bikeable for everyone, from an eight-year-old child to her eighty-year-old grandfather.”

With combined membership numbering in the thousands, Coalition partners will be active in promoting bike-friendly plans, policies, and funding within the Richmond region by encouraging local elected officials to prioritize development of a connected network of shared-use paths, protected bike lanes, bicycle boulevards, and other bicycle infrastructure needs.

“Richmond officials have been talking about bike infrastructure for years, and now is the time to act. With just two-and-a-half years until the entire cycling world will be focused on the Richmond region as the host of the 2015 UCI Road World Championships, we have more reason than ever to become a bike-friendly city,” said Tim Miller of Richmond 2015.

The Coalition partners share a vision of a Richmond region that is vibrant and where people want to live, work and play; where people are healthy and active; and where quality of life is made better because bicycling is safe, convenient, and comfortable for people of all ages and abilities. The mission statement of the Greater Richmond Bicycle Coalition is, “Building a Richmond region that is bikeable for everyone.”

The growing list of Coalition partners includes:

Richmond-area residents, businesses, and organizations can join the Greater Richmond Bicycle Coalition by visiting www.rvabike.org. The Coalition also has a social media presence, including Facebook (www.facebook.com/GreaterRichmondBicycleCoalition) and Twitter (@RVABicycle) to provide residents with further information on how to join the coalition and get involved. Questions about the Coalition can be directed to info@rvabike.org.

The Coalition will host a Bike Month Wrap Party at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery on Friday, May 31 from 5 PM until 8 PM. The celebration is open to the general public, including children, and will feature live music by local band Solpocket. Ten percent of beer sales go to benefit the Greater Richmond Bicycle Coalition.

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Big bike news and events

By Andy Thompson | April 23, 2013

I’ve featured a couple of cycling related events and news items in my recent Times-Dispatch columns that I want to highlight here also. First the news, and this is a big one: Pocahontas State Park is in line for an extreme makeover –mountain bike addition. If a public/private partnership comes together as hoped, the state park in Chesterfield County will be the site of 35-40 new miles of singletrack. What’s that, you ask, doesn’t Pocahontas already have some serious singletrack? It does, but the new stuff will be IMBA-built “mountain bike optimized” trail. And if it goes through, it, along with Richmond’s downtown trails, would give the area a good chance to become an official IMBA “Ride Center.”

The governor (pressed by aide Jasen Eige, a trail runner and biker) got the process rolling, by adding a $50,000 budget amendment that recently made it through the General Assembly. To those funds will be added $50,000 more from Dominion Resources. The $100,000 will get the ball rolling on what could be a project costing north of $1 million. Click here to read more.

As for events, I recently featured the Virginia Capital Trail Foundation’s Cap2Cap ride. This year will be the eighth annual Cap2Cap, the ride day that has grown from 150 participants to over 2,200 last year. What once was an event for hardcore cyclists, is now a party (in both Richmond Williamsburg, depending on where you start your ride) with some riding mixed in. It’s also the group’s largest fundraiser, bring in over $110,000 in 2012. This year’s event goes off on May 11. Click here to learn more.

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