Yay Bikes February 2010 Newsletter

2010’s Bike 2 Work Challenge

You are invited to join our 2010 planning process! We meetweekly on Tuesdays from 7-8:30pm at the Yay Bikes! office (82 East 16th Ave). You are not required to attend every meeting to be involved; contact Austin to learn more and join the mailing list.

Our committees are:

• Data: Writes the rules of the game and allows us to evaluate our impact
• Info/Promo: Creates promotional materials and the packets of information for Challenge participants
• Sponsorship: Solicit cash donations and prizes for winning teams
• Outreach/Education: Presents B2WW at organizations to encourage their participation, educates people on how to cycle to work, and gets businesses to participate in the Bicycle Friendly Business program
• Events: Coordinates the Kick-Off & Award Ceremonies
• Media/PR: Promotes B2WW

We hope you’ll give some thought to where you belong on the planning team and come prepared to share your ideas! Also, please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Bike Month activities via our friends at The Enrichment Association(just put “Bike Month” in the subject)!

Quarterly Women’s Cycling Forums

Women in the United States bike far less than men; we represent a huge potential area of growth for bicycling. To tap this potential, Yay Bikes! will host four conversational forums for women cyclists and wanna-be cyclists in 2010. At these events we’ll gather data on what cycling means to us, how we experience cycling in Columbus, and what our vision is for cycling in this city. This information will be used to develop a women’s cycling agenda with specific outcomes to be pursued in 2011. Save the following dates and join us:

• February 28, 2-5pm [RSVP here]
• May 30, 2-5pm
• August 29, 2-5pm
• November 14, 2-5pm

Yay Yoga (For Cyclists)!

Mountaintop Pose

Yogi Diana Pearson has agreed to teach a yoga class* that addresses the body issues specific to cyclists! The course begins Feb 13, 10:30am to 12pm at Summit on 16th. Classes are $10 each and will run for as long as we have interest! RSVP to Diana to join the class.

When asked how this will be different from a regular yoga class, Diana said, “Cycling, although a noble and wonderful passtime, brings with it issues related to the hips and lower back that can lead to serious pain and inflexibility if not balanced out. Specifically, cycylists tend to have short hamstrings and longer quads. This imbalance can cause torn hamstrings or blown out knees. The idea of this kind of class is to help cyclists protect their bodies so they can enjoy their sport and prevent injury.”
*Mountaintop yoga bike poses not featured…yet…! 

Andrew Hulvey, Emerging Advocate

Andrew Hulvey

One goal for Yay Bikes! is to support people as they become advocates for the kind of cycling they’d like to see in Central Ohio. Starting this month, we’ll highlight the successes of these “emerging advocates” in this new  feature. First up: Andrew Hulvey!

Andrew has been on the cycling scene in Columbus for more than two years, working as a Pedal Instead volunteer, organizing and leading Critical Manners rides, and generating conversation on our forums. But over the past few months, Andrew has stepped up in a big way to become the primary voice for Yay Bikes! online (see his consistent, intelligent, and open-minded commentary as “lifeontwowheels” on Yay Bikes!, The Dispatch, ColumbusUnderground, and many others). His quest to understand and articulate the needs of local cyclists recently culminated in an outstanding analysis of the Hilltop Mobility Plan and subsequent relationship building on Columbus’s West Side.