Is this in Omaha's future?

Streetfilms posted a video of the "Oaklavia" that took place on June 27th in Oakland.

Would you like to see Omaha do something similar? If so, where would you choose to have such an event?

Adams Park Trail Day Party!!!!

Join us for a family event!!!!

Saturday, June 26th at 12noon
Adams Park
(3230 John A Creighton Blvd)

Celebrate with us the opening of a new hiking/biking trail!!! Bring your kids, bikes and helmets or try our demos!!! Snacks and drinks will be provided!!

This is an organized event sponsored by Activate Omaha, THOR, YMCA, City of Omaha, National Parks Service, and the North Omaha Development Project.

Federal Safe Routes Program Under Attack	Take Action!
Urge Your Representative to Support Safe Routes To Schools
House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) has targeted the federal Safe Routes to School program established under the 2005 Federal Surface Transportation Bill (SAFETEA-LU) as wasteful government spending in his weekly "YouCut program". Each week representative Cantor asks people to vote for which of five options they would cut from the federal budget. Republicans then hold a floor vote in the House of Representatives to try to eliminate the program that gets the most votes. This week, the federal Safe Routes to School program is one of Rep. Cantor's targets. He argues that SRTS duplicates other bicycling and walking programs, and that bicycling and walking infrastructure is a local government responsibility. We need your help making sure that Members of Congress understand the value of Safe Routes to School and support it. Please take a few minutes to send a message to your Member of Congress to ask them to vote against any effort to cut Safe Routes to School. Thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter.

OmahaBikes Event on Saturday!

OmahaBikes invites all cyclists to come to Stinson Park on Saturday, May 29, beginning at 5:00 pm continuing to 7:00 pm to enjoy time meeting with other cyclists and enjoying some special bicycle activities. The Soul Dawgs will be giving a free concert in the park at 7pm, so stay for that, too!

This will be a fun family event in a very bike friendly location, right off the Keystone Trail. A new playground has been installed nearby as well, so the kiddos will have something fun to do once you get there.

Activities include:


MAT bike rack demo – A MAT bus will be available to all riders to try out the bike rack system. Try out your bike, or use one of the demo bikes that will be available.


Unusual and unique bikes –See a display of rare antique bikes from Omaha bike collector Don Rock, recumbent bikes, and some very unusual bikes built to accommodate people with special riding needs. If you have a unique or unusual bike, please bring it or ride it to the event and join the fun.


O.w.L. Bike Ride - Find out more about Omaha’s first ever night time summer urban bicycle ride – Omaha with Lights - scheduled to begin at 11:00 pm on Saturday, July 17. Talk to the ride organizers and get ideas about how to prepare for the ride and decorate your bike for what will be a fantastic night ride.


Community cycling “411” – Learn more about OmahaBikes, the new community based bicycling advocacy group, and talk to members of local bike clubs.

Hope to see you all there!

Register now for the Urban Omaha – The Ultimate Adventure Race on June 5^th!!

Click here to register today!!!

Photos and Video from the 2009 Bike De'Lights Holiday Lights Tour

Almost 30 people of all ages showed up at Glo Lounge at Midtown Crossing for the first annual Bike De'Light Holiday Lights Tour. We rode about 10-15 miles and viewed millions of lights at Turner Park, houses in the Field Club neighborhood, the Conagra campus, and the Gene Leahy mall in downtown Omaha.

After an extreme cold snap in Omaha, the weather cooperated by providing temperatures in the upper 20s and a light wind. The roads were still a little damp, and some side streets still had a slush from last week's snow storm, but no ice or dangerous slick spots were encountered.

Special thanks to Midtown Crossing security for helping with traffic control on Farnam Street, and to the Glo Lounge, 13th Street Coffee and the Blue Line Coffee Shop for working to serve almost 30 people looking for a warm drinks and spirits.

Video





Click here to view the video at YouTube.

Photos

Will we Bike De'lights in the white stuff?

Bike De'Lights rescheduled for Friday, December 18.

The quantity of snow on the trails and streets that we will be using, along with the forcasted single digit temps on Friday, would make this a difficult ride for casual riders. The extended forcast for the 18th looks much better, and most of the snow should be off of the streets and trails by then. See you on the 18th.

The first annual Bike De'Lights ride is quickly approaching. Most of us have noticed that some of the "White Stuff" has covered many of the Omaha roads and trails. With more snow on the way on Tuesday and possibly Wednesday, we are keeping a close eye on the road and trail conditions along our proposed route. We will announce the final Go/No Go for the ride here and here on Friday by noon so that you can plan accordingly.

If the trails are not in a condition acceptable for our younger riders, we will move the ride to the scheduled weather delay date of Friday, December 18th.

Stay tuned, and get out there and Bike Omaha.

Deck Your Bike With Boughs of Holly...

Many of us are getting into the spirit by decorating our bikes for the holidays. Even if you can't join us for the Bike De'Lights event, don't let that stop you from joining in the fun!

Start a new family tradition of decorating your family bikes and riding with your kiddos to school...and then see how many friends you can convince to join in on the fun. You'll have a great time, and also realize that riding in the chilly weather isn't as big of a deal as you thought it was!

Be sure to send us a link to the photos of your bike(s) in the comments of this post - show it off and inspire someone to give it a try at the same time!!

Dashing through the snow

On a decorated bike

Up the hills we go

Pedal with all your might!

Bells on handlebars ring

Kids with smiles wide

Oh what fun it is to

Get to school on your bike!

Bike De'lights 2009 - UPDATE

Bike De'Lights rescheduled for Friday, December 18.

The quantity of snow on the trails and streets that we will be using, along with the forcasted single digit temps on Friday, would make this a difficult ride for casual riders.  The extended forcast for the 18th looks much better, and most of the snow should be off of the streets and trails by then.  See you on the 18th.

We have made the following changes to the original post, but we are making a separate post to insure that you will not miss them.

Update 1: The updated route (see below) is currently ~ 13 miles.  Let us know if you think 13 miles is too long for any of the riders you would like to have join us.  We are still fine-tuning the route and we can adjust a few things to bring the distance back down if we need to.

Note: Don't be frightened by the 13 miles. There are easy opportunities to shorten the ride if you or your kids aren't comfortable with that distance, or the weather. You could ride from Midtown Crossing to Field Club, and then return to Midtown Crossing. Alternatively, hook up with us at 13th Street Coffee at 8pm and just ride downtown. Either way, you'll have a great time and see some awesome light displays.

Update 2: The following route map was added to get rid of the scarry list of turns.  Riders will not need to memorize the route unless they plan to go off on their own and meet up with us at one of the stops.  We will have people leading the ride and keeping the group together.


View 2009 Omaha Bike De'Lights Ride in a larger map

Bike De'lights 2009

Bike De'Lights rescheduled for Friday, December 18.

The quantity of snow on the trails and streets that we will be using, along with the forcasted single digit temps on Friday, would make this a difficult ride for casual riders.  The extended forcast for the 18th looks much better, and most of the snow should be off of the streets and trails by then.  See you on the 18th.

Omaha Bikes is inviting You, to the first annual Bike De'lights ride.

Who: You and your family on bikes

What: A 13-mile social ride (distance is approximate)

When: Friday, December, 11th at 7:00pm (bad weather reschedule date Dec. 18th)

Where: Ride starts at Midtown Crossing Marcus Theatre at 3201 Farnam St (Meet Inside)

Why: To spend time with friends enjoying the lights and activity of downtown Omaha

We have made the following updates.  We will keep this post updated if we make any additional changes.

Update 1: The updated route (see below) is approximately 13 miles.  Let us know if you think that is too long for any of the riders you would like to have join us.  We are still fine-tuning the route and we can adjust a few things to bring the distance back down if we need to.

Note: Don't be frightened by the 13 miles. There are easy opportunities to shorten the ride if you or your kids aren't comfortable with that distance, or the weather. You could ride from Midtown Crossing to Field Club, and then return to Midtown Crossing. Alternatively, hook up with us at 13th Street Coffee at 8pm and just ride downtown. Either way, you'll have a great time and see some awesome light displays.

Update 2: A route map was added to replace the scarry list of turns.  Riders will not need to memorize the route unless they plan to go off on their own and meet up with us at one of the stops.  We will have people leading the ride and keeping the group together.

The Bike De'lights ride will be family friendly and we will all be riding together at a casual/conversational pace. We will be making stops along the way to warm up and relax. Children are welcome and encouraged to participate. The ride will take 2 or 3 hours depending on how long we stay at each stop. Bike De'lights will be a social ride, so we will not be in a hurry.

Participants are encouraged to wear WARM & casual street clothes. You should dress like you would for walking around downtown in December. There will be several chances to get off the bike, go inside, and warm up.  However, you should dress warm and bring extra layers in case it's colder than you expect. Participants should also ride with lights on their bikes if at all possible. Plus, we can be a rolling holiday lights show at the same time.

Prestart: Lounge inside Marcus Theatre


View 2009 Omaha Bike De'Lights Ride in a larger map

The 2009 Bike Bash is tomorrow!

Ryan dropped us a line to let us know about the Bike Bash that is happening tomorrow.

Hello Nebraska Riders! Promoters, volunteers, racers, friends & family of racers, or people just considering racing in the future are all invited to tomorrow night's Bike Bash at Platte River State Park, 6pm. No cost! Free food, refreshments, and Fat tire ale!

You can find more information at Nebraska Cycling News.

Cranksgiving Omaha 2009

November 14th, 2009 is the date of the next Cranksgiving Omaha event.  This is a great family friendly event that helps stock the Omaha Food Bank for the upcoming holiday season.  I participated in 2007 and 2008 and both times it was a lot of fun.  More information can be found at the Cranksgiving Omaha blog.



One participant arrives with a full trailer during the 2008 Cranksgiving Omaha event

Event coordinator Bryan Redemske (left) hands out prizes during the 2007 Cranksgiving Omaha event

"One Lap of the Bluffs" This Weekend!

This weekend is the annual "One Lap of the Bluffs" ride. The ride is sponsored by Christy Creme and Xtreme Wheels. Here are the details:

Christy Creme is once again sponsoring our annual “One Lap of the Bluffs” on Sunday morning, October 4th, starting and ending at Christy Creme, 2853 North Broadway. Cosponsored by Christy Creme and Xtreme Wheels, the 26 mile ride circling the city is 95% bike trails, and the remainder on city and county streets. There will be a couple of hills, which are not too bad. There will be a police escort on the streets at the beginning and at the end of the ride, and a sag wagon will be provided. The registration fee is $30. Lunch at Christy Creme and an event tee shirt will be included. Proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society. Registration forms are on the website (ChristyCreme.com), at our counter, and at area bike shops. The route map is also on the website.

We will leave Christy Creme promptly at 8:00. Registration can be done in advance, or just prior to the ride.

If there are any questions, please call me at 322-2778.

Hope everyone will join us. The fee isn’t mandatory… these are public trails, and the more the merrier. Riders are welcome to join us at no cost… but won’t be able to partake in the food. And make your own contribution to the Cancer Society.

Downtown BOCC Deliveries!

The BOCC Button Bike Messenger service had a couple of extra "helpers" this morning. I wasn't sure how well they would fare, but they did great! This crew is not quite ready to tackle the streets of downtown Omaha, so we stayed on the sidewalks when we could not find a suitable trail or side path.

We started at Blue Line Coffee and had a nice chat with Scott Redd from UP and Sean Morrison from Physican's Mutual. Rafal Doloto from the National Parks Service rolled up to collect his team's buttons, too.

First stop: Gallup. They are a new team this year, and they are doing great. Easy access from Cuming Street to the Riverfront Trail. What a gorgeous campus.

We followed the Riverfront Trail to Heartland of America Park to Farnam to get to RDG- Omaha's first Bike Friendly Business as designated by the League of American Bicyclists. Great to see bikes lining the hallways inside; great to hear about the group breakfast ride that many of them did this morning. One employee noticed the girls' "Walking School Bus" shirts (yes, I use my children for shameless marketing-ha) and told us how much they love their walking school busses at Dundee Elementary!

I had the wrong location in my head for Alley Poyer Architects, so we took the "scenic route" to First National Bank via 10th to Jackson to 13th t0...well, you get the idea. Lots of sidewalks necessary here for my kiddos. Took it slow and talked a lot about driveways and parking lots and pedestrians.

Alley Poyner Macciehtto Architecture is another new team this year that is doing well. How ironic that their location is just a block from Blue Line Coffee? We rode up through the little sculpture park by the OWH and then did some honest to goodness street riding on 15th up to Cuming. The women at the front desk were delightful to chat with. Great artwork in that office.

All in all, a great morning. When I said to my oldest, "Isn't this way better than doing this in the car?" I got a rousing "Oh YEAH!" in response. Judging by the BOCC stats as of today, at least 678 other Omaha riders would agree!

It's a Good Day

10 miles around the lake and back, gaining confidence with every little hill conquered on her $5 Huffy Hearts and Rainbows bike. "I can make it, Mommy! I'm not gonna stop!" Life is good.

Spring "Crank and Camp"

Two weeks ago, several members of the BikeOmaha "staff" and a few community members gathered to take a ride on the Wabash. Due to scheduling and weather issues, no camping was done, but plenty of cranking was.

To start the ride off I(in green) met up with Mike Munson(in yellow). Then Scott and Roxanne(on the left) met us at the Blue Line. From there we rode over the pedestrian bridge and along the Council Bluffs trail system to the Wabash trail head. That's where we met up with Rafal(in black) and Phil(in blue). From there we started our ride on the Wabash. Mike, Scott, Roxanne, and Rafal were only joining Phil and I for the start of the ride. All four of them had other commitments that day. Mike, Scott, and Roxanne pealed off after about 1 or 2 miles on the Wabash. Rafal turned around at Margarita-ville when a small rain squall blew across the trail (he got soaked riding back WITH the rain). Phil and I pushed on and got through the rain after a few minutes of riding.

More details and pictures can be found at Scott's Blog, and my personal blog.

Spring "Crank and Camp" - RESCHEDULED

We have rescheduled the spring "Crank and Camp" for Saturday, May 23rd and Sunday, May 24th.  However, we will be changing a few things to accommodate some scheduling difficulties with our camping gear transportation staff.  

We still plan to be on the Wabash Trace by 8:00, but there will not be a vehicle available that morning for loading gear into.  You will need to coordinate with us directly to get your gear loaded into the transport vehicle on Friday night.  See the note below for contact information.

We believe that the group will be slightly smaller do to the timing of the rescheduled event.  As a result, we should have more room in the transport vehicle.  If you would like to bring some additional items, please let us know, and we will try to accommodate.  A cooler with ice will also be available for food transport but space will be limited.  Let us know if you are bringing anything that will need some space in the cooler.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Each person that is planning to join us for the trip is required to contact us directly at underdahill(at symbol)gmail(a dot)com.  If you do not contact us directly, we will not be able to coordinate with you about gear transportation, and you will have to transport your camping gear to Coin, IA on your own.  We will also be unaware of your participation, and will not be looking for you at the trail head or on the trail.

Bike Blast Busting Melons

About twenty middle-school kids made predictions last Saturday on whether or not a watermelon would break. When it fell to the ground with a dull thud and a mess of red juice, Stuart Shell explained "...it doesn't matter if you guessed right or wrong. You never want to take the chance. Keep your melon in a helmet." The safety lesson was one component of the Bike Blast project underway in Omaha.


Led by professor of health education at UNO David Corbin and artist Eddith Buis, the Omaha Metro Bike Blast is a set of projects involving locally-designed bike racks, bike painting & safety for kids, and a bicycle sharing program. Together the projects seek to promote physical activity, raise awareness for cycling, and beautify the community.

A competition organized by Les Bruning and Eddy Santamaria resulted in artist-designed bike racks. The racks are available for businesses to sponsor and will be on display at the Hot Shops Art Center on May 1 from 5-8pm. 1301 Nicholas, 3rd Floor.

And what kid doesn't want to paint a bike? With the help of the Bancroft Street Market and the First Central Congregational Church, about forty kids have been painting away on Saturdays for the last month. The kids will ride the bikes they've painted (with their melons in helmets) in the Cinco de Mayo parade on S. 24th Street on Saturday, May 2, 10am. Thanks to Sue Schlesinger for help with bike logistics!

Check out the bike blast home page for more info.

2009 Mayor's Ride

Please join us for the 2009 Mayor’s Bicycle Ride, which will be held on May 11. This event kicks off National Bike to Work Week and also Activate Omaha’s 4th Annual Bike Omaha Commuter Challenge. Registration begins at 8:00am. The ride will start with a Mayoral proclamation at the Bancroft Market at 10 th and Bancroft and then proceed downtown.

The Mayor’s Ride is an important visual symbol of our community’s commitment to health and alternative transportation. We would love to have as much participation as possible that morning from the Omaha cycling community! We hope that you will consider allowing at least one employee attend this event during work time to represent your organization.

Hope to see you all there!

Spring "Crank and Camp" - POSTPONED

With the chance of rain on Saturday at 80% and with a chance of thunderstorms, we have decided that riding to Coin, IA this weekend would be unsafe (not to mention uncomfortable).  The tentative plan is to reschedule the event for Memorial Day weekend.  The event organizers will get together and see if that date or another weekend in May might work better.  Stay tuned and we will announce the rescheduled date here in the near future.