Holidays....Biking and some Tree Cutting.

Well, It's the holiday season.  What does that mean for you?  For me it's meant everything from some cold weather biking at night, hiking on sunny days to find a Christmas tree, and a few bicycle advocacy meetings (Sutro Street this time around).  Other than that....life has been low key.  Hope your holidays are treating you well!

Some street somewhere....biking....not warm!

Yep...we cut down a Christmas tree and we're two miles from the truck!

A decent crowd last week at the Sutro Street Bike meeting.

Post-Turkey Day Biking Adventure.

What can I say....we were fat and happy and full of turkey.  Just the thing to spawn a mini in town bikey adventure.

Since we now live over by Hidden Valley, my adventure started with a pleasant 6ish miles up the river path!  Pleasant if you have good bike lights that is!  It also gave me the chance to ride the newly improved 4th street with some great lighting of its own and very plush bike lanes.

The ride ended up bringing us to the Reno Home Brewer, right next door to an old favorite building (the previous home of the Reno Bike Project).  There, warming commenced with a couple of pints of beer at a discounted rate for those who arrived by bike!

Bicycles are welcomed right inside!

Although, since the new customized bike racks have arrived and should be installed on the beautiful sidewalks outside the front door....you might not need to park inside!

So while perhaps not much of an adventure overall, it did give us a reason for riding, beers with good friends, and another blog entry for the books!  So get out and find your reason to ride over the holiday season!

People for Bikes!

Last night there was a second talk organized by TMBA and People for Bikes.  It was out at a new(er) Giant bike shop in Sparks that I hadn't been to before (out on Disc Dr. if your interested in a visit).  The previous talk was hosted at Patagonia and was a packed house (~100 people)!  Our turn out last night was a little reduced (maybe 25 people) but it was a good time regardless.

If you're wondering what People for Bikes is and what they're trying to accomplish, the platform works a little something like this.

Step 1.  By whatever means necessary gather all types of cyclist in your community together (aka at Patagonia or Giant Bicycles).

Step 2.  Provide said people with free beer (Battle Born Beer in this case) and free food (Eclipse Pizza, yum).

Step 3.  After a round of community announcements / ride announcements / etc., give 3 or 4 short (5 minute limit) talks about biking and biking related topics in the region.  For last night it was an update on the Center Street Cycle Track, a review of Lime Bikes (from Lime bike staff), and a talk on a new bicycle based business that happens to be a custom bakery that delivers by bike!  Each talk get's an additional 5 minutes of Q&A.

Step 4.  More beer and social discussion / make a new bikey friend.

All in all it was a fun gathering and I'm encouraged that it will be taking place 3 times a year here in Reno thanks to John McCann of TMBA.  So keep your eye out for the next one in the spring of 2019.

Tahoe Pyramid Bikeway Closure

So....somehow I've never ridden the new(er) sections of the Tahoe Pyramid Bikeway and I decided to have a go of it this weekend.  I even did a little homework to make sure I remember where Quilici Ranch Rd and Crystal Peak Park were.  No problems there.  However, once we charged into the Sunday morning headwind and approached the beginning of the actual trail / fire road we were greeted with this.

Not a big deal....trail closures are a part of life.  However, you have to ride about 2 miles out just to find out the trail is closed!  No sign in Crystal Peak Park or the extra parking area where the trail starts from.  That's just irresponsible road closure!  It's the only non-paved route from Reno to Truckee....which in my mind makes it the bicycle equivalent of I-80.  Imagine if we closed I-80 with no warning or appropriately located signage (not to mention realistic detours) and how people would react!

So, since it was Sunday and no one was working I did something that I don't recommend.  I rode it anyway.  It was great and I enjoyed exploring.  However, they are doing real work to the flume and they are using large haul trucks (40 ton) that would squish a cyclist like jelly.  So don't repeat my ride until the closure is over.  And yes, I know by not honoring the sign I run the risk of making cyclists look bad....but I'm also tired of being treated like a 2nd class citizen with respect to construction projects.

Also, I don't hate this project because while it's tearing up the road/trail right now, I'm hopeful that TMWA will make the trail that much better after the project wraps up!  A few pics to show that it's still a nice ride construction or not!

Reasons that Fall is the Best Season for Cycling!

Here's six reasons (stolen from bicycling.com) that make fall riding great!

#1  Riding thought the leaf fall!

#2  Finally getting to pull the warm riding gear out of the closet!

#3  Not being a sweaty mess when you finish a ride!

#4  It's Cyclocross Season!

#5  Biking around Apple hill for cider, beer, and fall festivities!

#6  Pumpkin / Oktoberfest Beer!

For the Love of God...Ride your Bike to Drink Beer!

Folks....this is just terrifying!  Climate change is now threatening our beer supply.  The only clear solution is to ride bikes....to drink beer.  Save the planet one pedaled to pint at a time!

**Clearly....it's a slow bicycle news day.  Sometimes you have to find something to post!**

New Bike share in Reno!

It might be a limited offering for people who live (or work?) out of a certain building, but offering more transportation options that aren't single passenger vehicles is always a great idea!

Click the image for a video link

From KTVN News:  A new bike share service is in town, but the bikes are not lime green and only about 200 residents can use them. It's called Zagster.
Zagster officially launched in Reno, Tuesday. It's in partnership with Basin Street Properties, who wanted to offer the service specifically to its business tenants. They're starting out with six bikes, but could grow to more.
Similar to Limebike, you have to download the app to use it, or you can rent by texting.  However, the general public isn't allowed to ride them.
Users also have to return the bikes to the single docking location on West Liberty Street. Employees get the first four hours of riding for free, then pay two bucks an hour after that.
Basin Street Properties implemented this service to promote a healthy lifestyle for their tenants. Judy Villagomez, Senior Property Manager says, "It's all about sustainability, you know keeping the environment clean, keeping people in shape, getting outside and enjoying the weather we have here."
The pilot program is expected to last at least six months, then they'll evaluate the service. If it's been successful enough, Basin Street Properties could expand Zagster to their other two properties in town.
Villagomez says Zagster did get their business license approved with the City of Reno. We reached out to Zagster but never heard back. A representative with the City of Reno says the company is playing by the rules.
If you'd like to learn more about the service, click here.

Bicycles in America Talk tonight at UNR (4pm and 6pm).

I almost missed this one (yes, it's today)!  Isn't it just terrible when the bicycle based events overwhelm! 

Adventure Cycling Bikepacking Ride on Saturday!

Well, I'm back from vacation and the bikey scene in Reno is rolling!  The tweed ride just wrapped up with an attendance of around 50 people and a there's a bike packing event on Saturday with a prep "packing" event on Friday night.  Both are hosted by Orange Pedal Cycling and the Reno Bike Project so you know they'll be great!  I believe the pre-packing event is Friday night at 7 pm and the ride leaves from the parking lot at 8:30 the next morning.

The trip will take you out to the canyon in the back of Lockwood (Largomarsino Canyon) which has a ton of Indian Rock Artwork and is beautiful to boot.  Aka....Lockwood isn't just a landfill if you were wondering.  So bring a bike....get some advice on how to pack it....and get out for a fall bike packing bonanza!

I think the one way mileage from the trail head is around 14 miles with 1700 feet of climbing.  A great trip with just enough work to make you feel like you earned that beer at the end of the day!

Southeast Connector as Bicycle Infrastructure.

Smooth sailing on the connector path.

I have a love hate relationship with the Southeast Connector.  A little context....if you ride it, you can see my house's back yard across the wetland.  Meaning, I used to have a really silent, remote back yard and now I definitely get some traffic noise during the commute hours.  On the up side, I don't think I've every seen a bicycle facility that gets more daily traffic.  There is literally almost no time when I can't look out my back window and see a cyclist or runner using the path!  And it serves a much needed route from the South Meadows and Double Diamond areas all the way to Sparks, Legends Mall, and beyond.

Last night it proved its worth when I met up with some old friends for dinner.  It sure was nice to ride a 10 mile round trip and not have to mingle with auto traffic!

And it's even lit across some of the bridges!

Wayfinding Signage is Coming to Reno Bike Routes (or at least the Tahoe-Pyramid Bikeway)!

Yep.  Another step forward is in the works!  A little birdy at Washoe County told me that there is money in the pot for this and they are moving forward on selecting signage options for the river path.  I'm hoping that the standard can then be applied to our bike routes in town....but that will be a separate project to start pushing.  Anyway...another round of positive news for everyone who likes to get around by means other than cars!

New to me Mountain Bike Trail....Ballardini Ranch Trails!

Trail head Map....The future trail connection to Thomas Creek isn't quite finished
but goes a lot farther than the map shows!

At some point during an early morning hot tub and coffee session, it was decided that mountain biking would be happening to celebrate the newly cooler temperatures!  As my girlfriend is now working for Washoe County as a trail/rec planner, we decided we should definitely ride in an area that is up for some additional project work.  Turns out it was easy to find and really close for us.  Just a quick trip heading south on Lake Side Dr. and then turn West on Lone Tree Lane and you'll run into the nice little trail head.

There's two principle loops that would total out at about 2.2 miles of riding....but the real treat once your legs are warmed up, is to head out on the connector trail.  You'll get about 850 feet of climbing over 6.5 miles (total) with this option.  It's classic Reno high desert single track (aka rocky in places) with great views from the top of the climb and a bomber of a run on the way back down. 

So if you're looking to ride something super local and not Peavine Mountain for the umpteenth time....head over and give the trails at Ballardini Ranch a spin.  It's another resource that gives a quick local ride for the morning and with a little support and love could add some new trail to your standard Dry Pond loop!

RenoCross!

Well...I wasn't sure I'd get motivated to go to RenoCross, but it happened and it was a blast.  The energy at these events and the bikey people just make it fun!  Enjoy my horrible photo skills with a picture montage!

So much Bikey doings!

Hey.  I don't get as much time to do this as I'd like, and there is a ton of Bikey stuff that is happening or has happened.  So....I'm going to shotgun a few things.

Interbike is in Reno this week and will host CrossReno at Rancho San Rafael today .  You missed (or made it to) a great talk by Adventure Cycling director Jim Sayer.  There is a trail building seminar at Patagonia tonight at 7pm! 

So get out and do something bikey!

Reno Cross is at Rancho San Rafael today from noon until 9ish!

Trail Building Talk at Patagonia tonight!

Jim Sayer giving a great talk that made you want to plan your next tour today!

Patagonia was packed for the talk....over 100 people turned out!

Pigeon Head provided some excellent IPL!

Gear Hut (a new second hand gear store off of Wells Ave) was hanging out to encourage us recycle our used gear!

The Push tonight at the Pioneer for the Performing Arts Center!

PUSH: Cinematic Teaser from ThePushIsOn on Vimeo.

Grant Korgen is presenting his movie, "The Push" tonight at 7pm.  I got to know Grant a little bit (years ago) through whitewater kayaking.   He was a genuinely  great all around guy.  Then in 2010 while snowmobiling he literally broke himself in half.   He lives the true outdoor adventure lifestyle like few others.  Definitely worth the 20 bucks to see the show!

Adventure Cycling Talk at Patagonia Outlet!!!

When: Monday, September 17 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. Mingling starts at 7:00 PM, and the program starts promptly at 7:30 PM.
Where: Patagonia Outlet Reno at 130 S. Center St., Reno, NV 89501.
Please RSVP at info@adventurecycling.org or 406.532.2751 by September 14.
We look forward to seeing you in Reno, Nevada!
Are you able to lend a hand? We’re looking for a volunteer or two to help with the event. Please contact Adventure Cycling at info@adventurecycling.org or 406.532.2751 if you are interested.

Details

Inspiration. Empowerment. Connection. The power of bicycle travel. Come find all of these at a special regional gathering of people interested in cycling and bicycle travel hosted by Adventure Cycling Association at the Patagonia Outlet Reno on Monday, September 17 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM (program from 7:30 to 8:30 PM).

During the next year, Adventure Cycling staff will visit more than 40 cities across the United States. At gatherings in all of these cities, we’ll share three things: (1) news and stories on the joys and benefits of bicycle travel, as well as resources for how to travel by bike; (2) exciting new strategic directions for Adventure Cycling; and (3) an opportunity for you to provide ideas for how we can grow a larger and more connected bicycle travel community.

This gathering is open to Adventure Cycling members and non-members who have an interest in bicycle travel or just want to learn more.

Adventure Cycling’s Executive Director Jim Sayer will be on hand for the gathering, as well as other staff and volunteers. Enjoy refreshments and a chance to socialize with many other folks in your area who are interested in cycling and bike travel. Please join us and bring a friend!

Bike in Movie Night at Patagonia! **CANCELLED**

Reminder!  This Friday, Sept. 7th there will be another Bike in Movie Night at Patagonia on Center St. sponsered by TMBA.  I'm not the official messenger for the event but I do believe the movie will be Premium Rush and it starts at 6:30 pm.  There will be free beer and pizza!  Come on....who can say no to that offer!

Cyclist Killed in Battle Mountain by Hit and Run.

From Kolo 8 TV:

It still floors me that any human can do this to another person.  Hit someone with your car....know you did it (drunk or not) and leave someone dying on the side of the road rather than offer to help.  There should be a special place in hell for this type of behavior.

Midtown Bike Planning - Two way cycletrack on Center St.

Well if you missed the meeting....you missed a great example of bicycle activism!  We had a packed house for the RTC presentation of  Center Street / Sierra Street bike lane options and had an immense amount of positive comments during the public comment period.

Impressively, we also had three city council members in attendance (and support) of moving the project forward with construction by 2020.  While we can always count on David Bobzien and most often have Oscar Delgado in our corner, I was pleasantly surprised to see Neoma Jardon present and pulling for the project.  She sits on the RTC board as the city counsel representative and has often offered some push back on previous bicycle oriented projects.  Perhaps her time on the RTC board has shifted her opinions or she sees some unique value in having an option for bicycle connectivity to midtown from UNR (since the Virginia St. reboot will not add bike lanes).  Either way we want to welcome her to our side and show her it's worth the political capital!

Given the good nature of the meeting, a large group of old and new bicycle advocates ended the night with a bike ride down Virginia St. (taking the lane the entire way) to Cheney Ave. and a visit to Pinion for a celebratory adult beverage and further bikey discussions!  Next time we hope you'll be there to join us!