Participant bags

We’re getting ready for CSC by putting together volunteer and participant bags. Were only three days out from CSC with people still registering. Make sure you are part of this fun and athletic experience!

Cycle South Carolina, the Ultimate Lowcountry Cycling Tour

For those who haven’t heard of Cycle South Carolina, here is a brief overview of the expectations we strive to provide to cycling participants…

This is Cycle South Carolina’s first year back since the passing of John Bryan, the ride’s original organizer. This year’s ride is dedicated to John Bryan in loving memory of everything he brought to both South Carolina and the world of cycling. Cycle South Carolina is not just about riding. It is about bringing people together to help those in need. Sponsors and riders are the backbone of Cycle South Carolina, and it is their dedication and generosity that makes this event successful.  CSCs route encompasses over 400 miles of beautiful Lowcountry scenery with participants biking approximately 75 miles a day.

Cycle South Carolina is a nonprofit bike tour to help raise funding for the United Methodist Relief Center.  UMRC is a non-profit located in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina that works to repair, replace, and rebuild homes for very low-income homeowners. UMRC works primarily in the rural areas of Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester, and Georgetown counties, with some services extending state wide. Since 1989, UMRC has been dedicated to ensuring that every individual has access to a warm, dry, and safe home.

All participants of Cycle South Carolina are not just riding in a bike tour;  they are providing hope to the less-fortunate and the means for volunteers of UMRC to provide help. Riders will also have the opportunity to relax and have the options of kayaking, bar hopping, taking scenic tours of the historic cities and much more. Nightly entertainment includes live music, beer tents, ice cream socials and more.

“Nalini on Me”

All you cyclists with a tale to tell, keep a lookout in the upcoming issue for a chance to be outfitted for your next tour! Bike Tour News has partnered with Nalini to present the “Nalini on Me!” submissions contest where your tour story might just win you some sweet new gear! More details to follow in the June issue.

Bike Lot with Personal Attendant- Topic of Discussion in NYC

I recently read an article in the New York Times by Patrick McGeehan. The article addresses the issues of where New York City cyclists can park their bikes. Those New Yorker’s who do use their bikes to commute to work have faced the problems of not being allowed to bring their bikes into their work buildings or having a secure place to lock them up. Many who have locked and left their bikes outside have returned to find them stolen or damaged. A couple of business executives have come up with a private-sector solution calling for a bikes-only parking lot. This lot would have its own attendant and be a practical solution to prevent damage to the bikes.

While this would be a great addition to the diversity associated with the city, the questions of where and how to provide this type of service arise. They have estimated that in order to make this concept come to fruition, they would need some sort of corporate sponsor to donate roughly $200, 000 a year to maintaining and funding such a lot.  Stonehenge Management has offered a 2,600 square-foot-lot on the north side of 33rd Street, and plans for development have gone underway. The inital lot would hold 100 bikes and have the option to expand if the demand is there. As for fees, regular users would pay some sort of fee yet to be determined, but short-term use would be free of charge.

Police Officers often unaware of Bike Laws

Have you ever been biking down a stretch of road, rocking out to some Radiohead, and next thing you know, you’re getting pulled over by a police officer for “obstructing traffic?” If so, then you might want to keep reading. It was my junior year at the College of Charleston and I would bike to classes on my Nishiki road bike I nicknamed Papa Smurf because of its smurf blue color. I tended to follow biking and traffic laws, i.e., stopping at red lights and stop signs, going the right way down a one way road and so forth. Even though I adhered to these traffic laws, I still managed to get pulled over by a police officer while on my commute home from classes. I must admit that I was in disbelief. There were other bikers in front of me that I was following, until I made the turn onto my street, yet I was the one to get pulled over. After a mild discussion pertaining to his reasons for pulling me over, the officer took down my information and sent me on my way without giving me any specific reasons for pulling myself and Papa Smurf over. 

Needless to say, that when I came across the article “Police Officers Unaware and Untrained on Bicycle Laws”,  in the April edition of Bike Tour News, it caught my attention. The article, written by Peter Wilborn, an Attorney at Law at Derfner, Altman & Wilborn, maintains that the root cause behind many of the tensions between bikers and law enforcement arise from the fact that “many law enforcement officers simply do not know much about bicycling and bicycling laws.” More often than not, police officers are unaware of the laws surrounding biking and simply rely on their commonsense when determining the “rights and obligations of cyclists.”  Mr. Wilborn has overseen multiple cycling injury related cases and states that “it is not unusual for police officers to rewrite accident reports where the initial determinations were wrong. I have had many situations in which an officer has cited the cyclist at fault only to change his or her opinion after reviewing the applicable traffic law.” When exasperation leads to formal and informal discussion methods between cyclists, it often becomes easier to place blame on the responding officer, instead of questioning their training requirements. When given the opportunity to enhance their knowledge concerning cycling law, police officers often embrace the opportunity and seek to bridge the divide between ”commonsense” practices and bike law. In December of 2009, NPR released a story highlighting the tensions between drivers and cyclists resulting from a case of road rage that resulted in the injury of two cyclists in Los Angeles-the driver was fully prosecuted. This NPR story is a very suitable example of the results achieved when police officers are aware of cycling laws.

FUNctional SAG bus winner

In our March issue of Bike Tour News, we issued a challenge to our readers for picture submissions of the most FUNctional  SAG (support and gear) buses. The winner was guaranteed a monetary reward of $100 to be donated to the charity of the sponsor of the winning bus. With thousands of cycling tours across the country that draw many diverse people, it was important to find a SAG bus that captured the spirit and personality of their group of cyclists, while still maintaining its main function: carrying medical supplies and personnel, a bike repair mechanic, bike repair tools, water, snacks and often times a radio operator.

We received numerous submissions of SAG buses, and although the decision was a tough one,  Team Spirit was donned the winner of the most FUNctional SAG bus, with Team “Got Beer” coming in a close second. The Team Spirit SAG bus supports the RAGBRAI tour based in Manchester, IA. This cycling tour began 15 years ago and hosts members from Utah, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Kansas. Although the current RAGBRAI SAG bus can claim certain features such as an RV toilet and shower, inside staircase to access the deck, a neon ‘Cocktail’ sign, a covered deck for sleeping above the mosquitos, and a “killer sound system,” it can not claim to have seen the riders through the 15 year history of the RAGBRAI tour;  the first SAG bus provided 10 years of loyalty to the racers and support staff. The picture depicted of the Team Spirit SAG bus is from 2006 and was submitted by  Cheryl Soshnik to pay homage to their ‘Support Driver’, Steve, who passed away shortly after the 2006 tour.  The honorable mention FUNctional SAG bus is Team “Got Beer”.  This SAG bus has features such as an inside/outside premium sound system, a full graphic wrap outside and inside ceiling, a flat screen DVD system inside and a 55 gallon drum on the roof that dispenses vodka lemonade.

Thank you to everyone who submitted a picture and a description of their SAG buses, and congratulations to Team Spirit and Team “Got Beer”. Located under this post are a few of the submissions we received. In order from left to right the SAG buses are: Best ass on the Bus Whoop-SNIFF, RCTC-Russia, Team Spirit (2006), Team Spirit (2007) and Team “Got Beer”.