A Big Finish to Tacoma's Inaugural Kidical Mass Summer

Last weekend we wrapped up Tacoma's first season of Kidical Mass with our fifth and final ride of the summer. Kidical Mass went Point-to-Point with over 100 kids, parents and friends riding together on the new waterfront trail from Point Defiance Park down to the playground at the Point Ruston development. 

With nearly 250 participants pre-registered for the ride, I was amazed to see so many families turn up on what was a very wet and chilly day. It's evident that Tacomans want their kids to ride!

The Point-to-Point ride was just one component of MetroParks's Downtown To Defiance Sunday Parkways event, a first-of-its-kind activity for Tacoma that opened a 7 mile stretch of our beautiful waterfront solely to cyclists, runners, and pedestrians. MetroParks estimates over 800 people took the opportunity to ride, run or walk part of the trail that morning. 

On behalf of our riders, THANK YOU to the Tacoma Wheelmen's Bicycle Club, Hilltop Pop Shop, Point Ruston, Defiance Bicycles, Downtown On The Go, MetroParks, and the City of Tacoma for organizing this event and supporting Kidical Mass in Tacoma. We're already looking forward to more family rides in 2014!

Kidical Mass Tacoma 3: Share, Snack, Play, Crash

Kidical Mass #3 took place on Saturday July 13, starting and ending on the beautiful campus of the University of Puget Sound. We had 42 riders including Jeff's Ice Cream and several kitted members of the Tacoma Wheelmen's Bicycle Club who not only came along for the ride, but also offered mechanical support and TWBC tattoos!

Once the kids were inked and their bikes were decorated, we had a brief safety message to emphasize Stay on the Right and Don't Bunch at Intersections. These have been key concepts to emphasize while we are on the road as well.

We made our way south to our first stop, the Central Tacoma Free Radical Media Exchange. It's the largest of several Little Free Libraries in Tacoma. Because it's located down a loose gravel alley, we dismounted and walked down to check it out. 

The pocket library concept seemed new to most folks, but the kids quickly jumped right in to hunt for books and pick a few fresh raspberries. Many thanks to library curator RR Anderson for showcasing a great way to creatively re-use materials and share with neighbors.

Now loaded up with books, we took off for Franklin Park. On the way we had our second minor crash that resulted in a flat 12" tire. A few folks stayed behind to try and patch the tube, while the rest of the bunch continued to the park for a longer break. Ultimately, the young rider's dad had to go back for his truck to give him a lift to the finish. There's always free ice cream at the finish and he had definitely earned his ice cream.

Just a few blocks from UPS, a third rider went down. He was ok, buck shaken up. Thankfully, his mom was willing to give him a pump back to campus and a cargotrike dad was able to carry the young rider's 12" bike to the finish. Teamwork!

Interestingly, when we pulled over to make sure mom and son were ok, several of the kids noticed we were stopped next to another little library! It was a surprise to me, too, since this one isn't registered on the LFL website. Look for it north of 6th on Puget Sound Ave.

Back on campus, the kids enjoyed made-in-Washington ice cream bars from Jeff's Ice Cream and raced bikes around Jones Fountain. My helmet is off to all of the pedal parents and kid riders who persevered on this rather rough ride. The street surfaces of Central Tacoma are in the poorest condition of any that Kidical Mass Tacoma has ridden so far.

This was also our longest and most involved ride yet. Our average speed of 4.5mph has been quite consistent on our three rides and is based primarily on a single-speed rider with 16" wheels. I don't want to discourage riders with 12" wheels from attending Kidical Mass, but parents should be aware that Tacoma's road conditions don't always play nicely with wheels that small. Potholes are the bullies of neighborhood family bike rides.

As always, your feedback and comments on the ride are always appreciated. I'm still ironing out the route details for KM #4 in August, but it will likely be a South Tacoma route. More details to follow soon!

Fantastic February

While folks back east were getting pummeled with difficult weather, the Tacoma area experienced an uncharacteristically warm and dry spell that is still going strong.  I've been biking a ton, with and without kids along for the ride.  Between miles and events, February is shaping up to be a busy bike month.  Who knew?  Here's a recap and a few upcoming events - it's not to late to get a piece of this action!

Mobility Master Plan:
The City of Tacoma issued a draft plan that details how they will address nonmotorized transportation issues in the coming years.  I attended one of the public meetings and it felt great to be in a room full of people that share the same level of enthusiasm about these projects as I do. The public comment period ends March 12, after which there will be several opportunities to speak publicly to show your support.  Tacoma can be a bike town!

Caspar Babypants
"Caspar" is actually Chris Ballew, front man of The Presidents of the United States, who now plays in a children's music duet.  We took a Madsen bucket full of kids to their show at our local library and it rocked!  The kids enjoyed it too as they romped around and sang along.  It's not a bike event per se, but you could certainly bike or walk there.  Two more library shows this month, February 20 and 26.  [PS. Our rain cover sat outside in the rain for the entire hour-long show and the bucket stayed completely dry inside - yes!]

TWBC Monday Ride
I took our 4.5 year-old for her first group ride with the Tacoma Wheelmen this week via trail-a-bike.  She wrote her own name on the ride roster, hassled me about not keeping us closer to the front of the pack, and played tough-kid despite the fog and <40° temp.  We turned around for home after 5 miles (as planned), and made our way back with a stop at the playground and a coffee shop.  She's hooked.  Maybe we'll see you there one of the next few Mondays (9:30 am start at Proctor Starbucks.)

Community Bike Fair
TWBC and Bicycle Alliance of Washington are hosting this event 7pm, February 24 at The Hub (203 S Tacoma Ave.).  Here more about the Mobility Plan, clubs, events, resources, etc.

Road to Roubaix
Local bike shop Tacoma Bike, in conjunction with a few other local businesses, is hosting a screening of the film "Road to Roubaix" on February 27.  Me and the Mrs. will be attending.  Afterward you can test your prowess with the cobbles on a few of Tacoma's hilly side streets as you bike home.

Laugh at the Weather Ride
What? You haven't been riding your bike this winter?! Well, the TWBC is hosting a FREE cycling event on February 28 to lure you and that dusty bicycle back onto the road.  It's a 10 mile ride with FREE pre- and post-ride snacks.  Follow the link to sign up in advance so they can plan for the right number of riders.  And it's FREE.

Bike Activities for the 21+ Crowd

My favorite local bar, the Red Hot, will be hosting a bike-in movie night on September 12th at dusk. I spotted this poster from across 6th Ave and had to run over for a closer look. There's a decent parking lot out back, where I'm sure they will be screening the film. I have no idea what will be showing, and it matters not. The Red Hot is that cool. I'm thinking that our MADSEN bucket bike will provide the best seating option.

If beer and hot dogs isn't your party cup of IPA, but you're looking for a good time on two wheels that same night, then you could head over to this event held by the Tacoma Wheelmen's Bicycle Club:

Tour Wine Countries of the World
Saturday, September 12, 2009
5:00—7:00 PM
Wildside Wine
"The Room Next Door"
610 S Oxford in Tacoma

The Bicycle Alliance of Washington and Wildside Wine invite you to a wine tasting in Tacoma! Sample wines from up to 9 wine regions around the world. Meet Bicycle Alliance representatives. Support bicycle advocacy and education. $35 admission includes wine tasting and appetizers. Proceeds from this event benefit the Bicycle Alliance of Washington. Wildside Wine will donate 15% of all wine purchases that evening to the Bicycle Alliance as well. Space is limited, so buy your ticket in advance! Contact Louise at the Bicycle Alliance, 206.224.9252 x303 or louisemc@bicyclealliance.org to secure your spot in advance.

Either way, be sure to drink and ride responsibly. Cheers!

May is Bike to Work Month

(photo courtesy of Carla Gramlich)

Last year I pushed to get my office motivated to participate in Bike to Work Month. We formed a team for the Group Health Commute Challenge and individually tracked our bike miles with Pierce Trips. There weren't many activities going on in Tacoma that we could participate in since our office was in King County, so three of us made the trek to REI HQ in Kent on Bike to Work Day so that we could be counted and recognized with those folks.

I was excited to hear that my co-workers were keeping the tradition alive this year by forming a team. This motivated me to get out and participate in some of the cycling activities that were happening in Tacoma/Pierce County this year.

Sarah and I biked to the Hub on May 13 in a soaking rain, along with 30 or 40 other dedicated cyclists, for the Bike to a Better Tacoma event where we had free pizza and a chance to chat with the City's cycle transportation staff members. We also met many of the hard-working folks from Tacoma Wheelmen's Bicycle Club, the main advocacy voice for cyclists in Tacoma.

The following Friday was Bike to Work Day. I loaded up my kids in the Madsen Bucket Bike and headed downtown with my sister for free coffee at Black Water Cafe. I met Lauren Walker, one of my city council members, who was pouring coffee and chatting with bike commuters. We also saw Carla Gramlich, Touring Captain and ride leader for TWBC, who has done an amazing job of photographing all of the Bike to Work Month events in Tacoma. We're in there a few times - check it out!

Things seem to be shaping up for cyclists in Tacoma. Let's keep the progress moving forward - get out there and ride your bike!