Contact Your Senator Today to Vote Yes on Complete Streets

AARP, co-sponsor of bills HB 1137 and HB 1125, Says

Contact Your Senator Today to Vote Yes on Complete Streets

Louisiana needs streets designed to be safe and convenient for travel by automobile, foot, bicycle, and transit, regardless of age or ability. As Louisiana's population ages, Complete Streets planning presents an opportunity to increase the safety and availability of older adults' travel options. Complete Streets initiatives encourage local, regional, and state planning agencies to change policies, procedures, and laws so that non-auto forms of travel become a routine part of project development. As this happens across Louisiana, we will see neighborhoods and communities, towns and cities connected once again.

HB 1137 supporting legislation to proposed Complete Streets policies in the Department of Transportation and Development

HB 1125 authorizes "Share the Road" specialty license tag

Find out who your senator is and how to contact him or her by clicking on the link below.

http://senate.legis.state.la.us/senators/ByAddress.htm

--
Mark E. Martin
Baton Rouge Advocates for Safe Streets
BRASS
PO Box 19403
Baton Rouge LA 70893-0403
www.brsafestreets.org
markemartin@brsafestreets.org
225.892.3059

West Fel Classic Race This Weekend

Here is the link to the West Fel Classic to register.

http://www.westfelclassic.org/

Big Chris

Baton Rouge Bike Club Century

Please join the Baton Rouge Bike Club next Sunday, May 30th, at the West Feliciana Sports Park for our annual Spring Century! Register online at Active.com (no active.com fees will apply) or by mail.

Or, join the West Feliciana Classic Stage Race on Saturday and Sunday, May 29-30. Register online at Active.com (no active.com fees will apply). See www.westfelclassic.org for more details.

There will be plenty of free beer, food, drinks, and entertainment at the Sports Park to enjoy after the ride!!

What: Baton Rouge Bike Club Century
When: Sunday, May 30th
Where: West Feliciana Sports Park, just north of St. Francisville, La.

This year the BRBC Spring Century will be part of the West Feliciana Memorial Weekend Classic. The ride will include four routes: 100 miles departing at 7:30am, 50 and 61 miles both departing at 8:00am, and a family route of 21 miles departing at 9:00am. All routes will start at the West Feliciana Sports Park, take the riders through the beautiful rolling hills of West Feliciana Parish, past live oaks and plantations, and then back to the Sports Park.

Included with the ride are: rest stops with snacks, water, sport drinks, and toilet facilities; route maps; route markings; pre-ride announcements; t-shirts; and participation in the West Feliciana Classic Festival events. A roving support van will be available to support tired bikes and riders. With participation, the rider will also receive a one year membership in the Baton Rouge Bicycle Club.

Fee is $25 for early registration, $30 after May 28th. Registration the day of the ride will open at 6:30 am.
Mail-in registration forms are here. Online registration on Active.com (No active fees will apply!)

For more information, go to www.batonrougebikeclub.com , or www.westfelclassic.org

hit and run suspect as well as the Ride of Silence.

Great update on the hit and run suspect as well as the Ride of Silence.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/94031569.html

According to the official report filed by the State Police, Mr. Hahn gave a statement in which he said he was dirving south on River Road: "eating a breakfast sandwich from McDonald's when he struck a bicyclist riding south on River Road in the southbound lane."

So much for the unavoidable accident claim by his attorney. After hitting Mike, Hahn didn't stop, drove away from the scene and went to work. The judge set bond at FIFTEEN THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS!!!! Thats right, $10, 000 for running Mike down, $5,000 for leaving the scene and $100 each for the traffic charges. Judge Johnson set the bond which I am sure was posted before Hahn spent any time in jail.

We have to make ouselves heard about this. If we don't then you can be sure that Hahn won't spend anytime in jail. Its up to us to let the District Attorney and the Judge know that enough is enough. This man needs to be convicted and go to jail as an example to other criminally negligent drivers.

I also want to remind all of you about the Colin Goodier Memorial Ride on Saturday, June 19, starting at 8:00 from Pharr Park. We need to turn out in big numbers to make our voices heard.

Looks like Hahn will be the first person in the state to be charged with breaking the "3-foot law" (the Colin Goodier act). This law is to protect everyone not in a motorized vehicle who is standing, walking, running or cycling on a roadway. You have to pass people no closer than 3 feet. It's the law!

WBRZ News 2 Louisiana : Baton Rouge, LA | Hahn booked into EBR Parish Prison

The Ride of Silence this Wednesday

The Ride of Silence is an international rolling memorial to cyclists injured and killed by motorists. It happens to be this Wendesday, May 17th from 7-8PM. The Baton Rouge version will be starting from the parking lot on Skip Bertman and River Road across from the Vet School. The ride will progress at 8-12mph for about 10 miles through downtown, midcity, and LSU and will be silent. Helmets are required and lights are reccomended.

I have confirmed media coverage from WBRZ and others for Wednesday. Let's show motorists that we are here to stay.

I would urge everyone here to find a Ride of Silence in their area and participate. I would also urge everyone to continue to advocate for safer roads and respect from motorists by contacting your local, state, and national politicians to support bicycling legislation, give to the League of American Bicyclists, join your local bike advocacy group, and do everything in your power to be seen and follow the rules of the road.

Following the ride, there will be a benefit for Mike Bitton at Chelsea's under the Perkins Rd overpass. The LSU cycling team is working on this now and will have more details soon. Please consider comming out to help support Mike and his family.

For more information, check out:

www.rideofsilence.com
ride of silence, Baton Rouge facebook page
Support Mike Bitton facebook page

The Ride Will Not Be Silent!

Chris Clark

"Donate blood in the name of Michael Bitton"

Taylor invited you to "Donate blood in the name of Michael Bitton" on Monday, May 16, 2011 at 8:00am.

Event: Donate blood in the name of Michael Bitton
Start Time: Monday, May 16, 2011 at 8:00am
End Time: Monday, May 16, 2011 at 4:30pm
Where: LifeShare Blood Centers, 3849 North Blvd, Baton Rouge, LA 70806, other locations throughout Louisiana

To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=128897213787346&mid=25abd5aG5af32dc2ebd6G4d28fdG7&n_m=pedalplay%40eatel.net

Thanks,
The Facebook Team

Ride of Silence Ride Wednesday...

Fellow Cyclists,

In light of the recent hit and run severely injuring Mike Bitton, we are moving the Ride of Silence start to the parking lot on Skip Bertman and River Road across from the Vet School near the site of the collision. The ride will still begin at 7PM, head down Nicholson to Government to Acadian and back to the Vet School. We will be done with this 10 mile loop around 8PM

Everyone is invited to Chelsea's under the Perkins Road overpass following the ride for a benefit to raise money for Mike Bitton. The LSU Cycling team is organizing a benefit to help defray the massive costs him and his family are incurring following the accident.

Remember, Helmets are mandatory for the ride and lights are highly recommended. If possible, wear a black armband for those who have died, or a red armband if you have been injured by a motorist.

For more information, see:

www.rideofsilence.org
Ride of Silence, Baton Rouge facebook page
Support Mike Bitton facebook page

-Chris

This is just sad! Hit and Run, Come on Burton Guidry, really?

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - State police have arrested the man they believe is responsible for sending an LSU graduate student to the hospital with life threatening injuries. State police say Marshall Hahn, 30, from Lacombe accompanied by an attorney, turned himself in around 2 p.m. Sunday. Hahn is accused of hitting 34-year-old Michael Bitton as he rode his bicycle along river road early Saturday. Police say after hitting Bitton, Hahn took off in his friends black 2005 Toyota Tundra. State Trooper Russell Graham says after getting a tip from the public police were able to find the Tundra, which led to Hahn turning himself in. He now faces a long list of charges including felony hit and run and negligent injury. "You get in a crash and I understand people get scared when things like that happen," said Graham. "But you need to stop and you need to check on these people to see what's going on. State law requires you to stop and render aid."

Hahn's attorney, Burton Guidry, released the following statement. "Our investigation so far reveals that the accident was unavoidable and that the cyclist was traveling River Road in an area that has no bicycle path and inadequate shoulders, and where cyclists must travel within the roadway in the path of oncoming vehicles." He went on to say, "It is our understanding that at least four cyclists have died in the past 10 years after being hit by vehicles in the same area of River Road. "Marshall and his family sincerely regret the error in judgment in his not remaining at or near the accident scene. Marshall and his family are praying for Mr. Bitton's full recovery and wish him and his family Godspeed."

Bitton is still in the intensive care unit fighting for his life.

John Couvillon wrote:Also, too, I drove by the site tonight. There was about a 1-2’ of standing water in the ditch where we found Michae

come on out to Hooper Road this Sunday

I know there are alot of you here who find occassion to ride some dirt. If you have not been in awhile, come on out to Hooper Road this Sunday. Weather alleged to be great! Trail in great shape! Get out there a grab you a root!

Pre-register on Active.com or show up for 8AM.
Online Registration is live: http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1842033

BREC's Hooper Rd Bike Trails
6261 Guynell Dr
Baton Rouge, LA 70811

Divisions:
First Timers- Men, Women and Children: 1 Lap- $20
Beginners- Men, Beginners- Women: 2 Laps- $25
Sport-Men, Sport-Women: 4 Laps- $25
Expert-Men, Expert-Women: 5 Laps- $25


Check In/Race Day Registration will be at 8 am. Races will begin at 9 am. Volunteers will be needed on the course as well as for timing. Please email Jason Hoggatt at jasonh@brec.org to volunteer and please specify whether you would like to help time or man a spot on the trail.

Discussion also available here: http://www.bramba.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3515

“Cruisin’ The Bayou” in Thibodaux

For those who want to do a century or metric this weekend you can do “Cruisin’ The Bayou” in Thibodaux. The website is below and a flyer is attached.

http://www.bccbike.org/

Peter Giambrone

"Pave the Levee Public Input Meeting"

"Pave the Levee Public Input Meeting" tomorrow.

Event: Pave the Levee Public Input Meeting
Start Time: Tomorrow, April 14 at 6:30pm
End Time: Tomorrow, April 14 at 8:30pm
Where: Bluebonnet Branch Library, 9200 Bluebonnet Boulevard, Baton Rouge

2010 MS Gran Prix Team Geaux Race Cat 5 Report

2010 MS Gran Prix Team Geaux Race Cat 5 Report
Road Race
Kevin, Gregg, Rupert and Chris L. aka “747 Jumbo Jet” participated in the Cat 5 road race on Saturday morning. After a good warm up we waited for the start, which happened to be on top of a hill. The race began and 75 racers accelerated from 0 to 30 mph in about a minute, Kevin was the only team member to stay in the front of the pack. Gregg, me and Rupert were at the back of the pack when in the first 2 miles a large crash of carbon fiber, aluminum and riders hit the pavement blocking the entire road. Gregg, Rupert and I made it through unharmed but we lost the leaders and never would see them again. The rest of the race for us was uneventful until the town of Wesson where the arrows marking the course got us confused with the arrows marking the circuit race. The rider in front of Gregg actually turned around to head the opposite direction, which made Gregg do the same then we figured it out and continued in the right direction. On the second big climb of the race, Gregg was able to drop me and eventually catch and pass a couple of other riders prior to the finish. I continued on to the finish by myself as did Rupert who was a few minutes behind me. Kevin maintained his position with the lead pack and was able to sprint to a 11th place finish, great job Kevin!
We had hoped to stay with the main pack longer to learn some things but the crash prevented that and taught us a valuable lesson, stay in front of the pack if possible. We plan to increase our training to better our chances of hanging on when the pack surges.
Time Trial
Saturday afternoon found us warming up on the 3 mile time trial course, which was actually pretty nice with some gradual ups and downs. Rupert went off first, then me, Kevin and Gregg at 30 second intervals. At about half way through the race I was closing the distance on Rupert, which I later found out was having back issues. At about 2 K to go Kevin passed me then a few seconds later the rider that started behind Gregg flew by me at about 35 mph. Kevin passed Rupert in the last few meters but the fast guy passed both of them, which meant he passed up all four of our team riders for a 2 minute gain! That guy went on to post a 6.08 winning time. Kevin averaged 24.4 mph for the race, Gregg 23, Chris 22.2 and Rupert 21.5, great job by all.
Circuit Race
The circuit race course was a 1 mile trek through a community college campus with one gradual climb, one short steep climb and a few downhill’s. The course was actually pretty fast and not too tight. The start field was less than 40 riders, which was good. Team Geaux Race started to the back as the leaders again pushed the pace very fast at the beginning of the race. Gregg, Rupert and I fell off the back and after a few laps we exited the course and watched the race from the sidelines. Kevin fell from the lead group but hung in to finish the race. The final sprint of the 10 or so riders in the lead pack resulted in a 2 rider crash; both were bruised but walked away.

Overall Kevin finished 18th out of the 75 riders that started, great job!

Lessons Learned
1. Stay in front of the pack if you can.
2. Increase interval training to be able to hang when the pack surges, i.e. training races.

CPLemoine@dow.com

Red Bug Hill Challenge, May 1, 2010

Get ready for the RED BUG HILL CHALLENGE on Saturday, May 1, 2010!

Start and finish will be at Mike and Marie Rourke's farm on Hwy. 421 in St. Francisville.

ALL proceeds from this ride will benefit people in Louisiana with Spina Bifida. The ride is held in memory of our son Jordy, born in 1987 with Spina Bifida, who died unexpectedly of a heart attack in May 2008.

Rides of 20, 40, and 60 miles, as well as a 1-mile fun run, will wind through the rolling hills of West Feliciana Parish and end on "Red Bug Hill."

There will be an optional time trial up "Red Bug Hill," (the Challenge). Age group awards and extra raffle tickets will be given for those who participate in the Challenge. Drawings will be held for thousands of dollars worth of bikes and merchandise after the ride.

Join us for food, drink, music, and the raffle after the ride. Hope to see you there!

Marie and Mike Rourke

To register, go to: http://www.active.com/running/saint-francisville-la/red-bug-hill-challenge-2010

Bicycle Pace Line Etiquette

Riders,

The weather should still be nice for Thursday at 4:30, hope to see you there.

On another note, I received some complaints about the ride I missed on Tuesday, it seems that there were several violations of pace line etiquette taking place. I think this is indicative of a large group of mixed skill riders so I'm proposing some guidelines for this ride. Please pass this along to those that ride with us that aren't on the email list.

What I would like to propose is that we have sections of the ride for ramping up the speed as well as sections for regrouping. Basically, we need to regroup after we make turns then slowly ramp the speed up following pace line etiquette until the group chooses to slow down or make another turn. If you want to do intervals, please drop out of the pace line and do your thing then return to the pace line if you so desire. The goal is to keep the pace line safe, together as much as possible and moving fast.

If the group keeps growing the way it has been we may have to double pace line to keep from getting too spread out. If this occurs, please follow the pace line etiquette but roll out to the right if you are in the right line and to the left if you are on the left line. Allow room for the riders rolling out to drop back.

Please read the attached Pace Line Etiquette file or visit the http://hubpages.com/hub/Bicycle-Pace-line-Etiquette link to learn more about pace line riding. Below are 4 key areas I would like everyone to know.

Ride at an even speed when leading. Hold the speed of the rider that just gave up the lead until he has time to get on the back then increase speed gradually if you want to. If you are too tired or weak to do your turn at the front of the pace line, don’t pull at the front. Just rotate smoothly through without disrupting the group's pace.
No sudden movements by any single rider, this can be disastrous. This means that abrupt braking, swerving, and any type of erratic riding is always a dangerous, poor technique.
Do not brake or soft pedal at the front of a pace line, this causes the ripple in the “train” behind you.
Keep pedaling as you move off the front. Don't stop or slow your cadence until the following rider has begun to pull through. Don’t drag race the overtaking rider. When the overtaking rider has pulled up adjacent to you, then drop your cadence not your gearing and fall back.


Happy Riding,

Chris LeMoine

3rd Annual Back to the Bogue mtn bike race

Hey guys, just a reminder the 3rd Annual Back to the Bogue mtn bike race is a week away! We have a great course this year, good (warmer) weather, and a very competitive field!

For more info check out: www.mobilevelo.org.
Save time, Pre-Register Now!!

Hope to see you guys in Mobile next Sunday!

Willie
Mobile Velo

Louisiana Mississippi River Trail Meeting

Please see the e-mail below and the attached flyer regarding a community meeting to discuss the Louisiana Mississippi River Trail.
Danielle Ourso
Legislative Assistant to Councilman Loupe
Louisiana Mississippi River Trail Feasibility Study Community Meetings
The Pontchartrain Levee District has undertaken a feasibility study to provide the six parishes within their jurisdiction a guide to future levee trail development. Issues such as alignment, access, trailhead location, phasing, and cost are being analyzed. You are invited to attend a community meeting being conducted by SJB Group to get your input on issues you feel are important to levee trail development through your parish.
Baton Rouge
Bluebonnet Branch Library, 9200 Bluebonnet Boulevard
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 from 6:30-8:30 PM
Please help us spread the word! Post the attached flyer, or forward this email to a friend or colleague.
The meeting facility is handicapped accessible. Persons requiring special assistance due to a disability in order to participate in the public meetings should contact the project team at least 5 working days prior to the meeting.
For more information, contact me, Eric M. Poche’ at 225-769-3400
Epoche@SJBGroup. com or reply to this email.
I hope to see you there!
Eric M. Poche’
Project Manager
Louisiana Mississippi River Trail Feasibility Study
Sincerely,

Eric M. Poche', ASLA, CLARB, LEED AP
Director of Parks and Planning



EPoche@SJBGroup. com
Office (225) 769-3400
Fax (225) 769-3596
Direct Line (225) 706-5656

P.O. Box 1751
Baton Rouge, LA 70821

beginner's bike ride!

Join the Baton Rouge Bike Club (BRBC) the first Saturday of each month for a beginner's bike ride. Rides begin at 9:00 at Webb Memorial Park's parking lot at the corner of Broussard and Country Club Drive. These rides will begin in March and conclude in October 2010.

Rides will be at a slow comfortable pace and will meander through surrounding neighborhoods. Distance will depend on the participants and the weather but will be fairly short.

Benefits:
-Healthy.
-Learn to ride with a group.
-Learn basic road etiquette and laws.
-Meet others with same interest.
-Not intimidating.

Required:
-A bike; mountain, hybrid, or road.
-Helmet.
-Water bottle or camel back.
-Guardian for ages 12 and under.

Contact: Mike 937-9157

Training Races Start Today!

Training races start today from Farr Horse park at 5:30. These 34-mile rides are a great way to hone your racing skills and punish your legs without mercy. Throw on your 'Just for Fun' jersey if you have one and head out just to try, there's sure to be several groups for all levels, just be wary of the sketchy riders :)

Lil' Chris