Saturday, November 3, 2012

Time to Go Home


Every ride eventually ends.

And I will be finishing my nine-year Tour de Tampa stint soon.

I’m going home. Not to New York.

To journalism.

I will complete my final Bicycle Bash event on Nov. 4 and then return to newspapers.

I am heading West. I have accepted a reporting job with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, where I will cover the business of sports – a beat I have covered at other newspapers.

I didn’t expect to last nine years in Tampa, let alone the past 6 ½ years working for a group of bike shops to increase the profile of bicycling in Tampa Bay and to get politicians to understand the value of bicycling for health, transportation and economic development.

I came to Tampa to work for the Tampa Tribune and I leave happy knowing that more people in government in the Tampa, Hillsborough County and the Tampa Bay area seem to appreciate the many benefits that bicycling can offer a region.

The most beautiful thing of all is that so many of you joined my little journey to make bicycling more visible to those in power.

No fewer than 15 bicycle shops in the Tampa Bay area are or were SWFBUD members, while three lawyers joined the cause and even a really terrific guy who makes world-class bike seats.

SWFBUD was a unique concept, but in the end it was not financially sustainable in the long term beyond 6 ½ years. Besides, when I bike the mountains of The West, there's an exhilaration I just don't feel when cycling the flatlands of Florida.  

I will cherish all the amazing people I met through bicycling in the entire Tampa Bay region and close to home here in Seminole Heights.

I have many folders of photos to remind me of the Hub Grub Bike rides and the Seminole Heights Club treks and the Bicycle Bashes held in St. Petersburg, Hillsborough County and now Tampa on Sunday.

I have nothing but smiles when I look back. The fact is it’s you who kept me going and motivated much longer than what I thought was possible.

You have no idea how much your emails and comments of encouragement meant to me.

At the start, I found myself on a lone branch at city council or county commission meetings urging elected leaders to fund trails or stripe more bike lanes or appreciate what bicycling can do to a community. Many of the politicians on the diases looked at me with bored expressions.

Now they listen because improving bicycle conditions means our Tampa Bay region can economically compete with other metro areas across the country.

They know that to attract talented people and high-tech businesses you can’t have an area that’s known for its Ghost Bikes.

So Sunday will be last Bicycle Bash. I’ll be around at the SWFBUD tent, so swing by and say hi.

Tampa Trib Story on Front Page Highlights Bicycle Bash


Nice story by Keith Morelli who wrote about Sunday's Bicycle Bash:

http://www2.tbo.com/news/breaking-news/2012/nov/02/tampa-bicycle-bash-organizers-peddles-safety-ar-551692/

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Perfect Weather for Sunday's Bicycle Bash


Sunday's weather for the Bicycle Bash in downtown Tampa looks exquisite -- High of 80 degrees, sunshine and zero chance of rain! Special thanks goes to Jim James E Shirk whose work on the Bash is making this annual bicycle advocacy event possible. To my bicyclist friends in Pinellas, please come and enjoy the bike stores of SWFBUD, a short, easy bike ride with Mayor Bob Buckhorn, Columbia Cafe foo
d, free bike helmets courtesy of the Hillsborough County sheriff's office, bicycle legal advice from Steele Olmstead, Cigar City beer, chats with national bike advocacy leaders like Andy Clarke of the League of American Bicyclists, a swap meet and free raffle for free bike goodies. And don't forget the first-ever Tampa Bay Bicycle Summit the next day on Monday Nov 5 from 1-4PM at the History Center. More info here --www.bicyclebash.info

You want to turn around Tampa and make it into a bicycle town where bicycling is both safe and enjoyable? Then get involved. See you at the Bash and stop by the SWFBUD table to say hi.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Rahm Says Build Bicycle Infrastructure To Recruit High-tech Start-ups

Enjoyed chatting tonight with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who told SWFBUD that he recruits high-tech start-ups by building bicycle infrastructure in Chicago. Good advice for Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Bike Bash/Post-Bash/Bike Summit Sked -- Nov 4-5


Bicycle Bash Schedule

Sunday NOV 4    10 am to 4 pm  Cotanchobee Park, Old Water Street in Downtown Tampa

10 am -- Start of Bicycle Bash
10:30am -- Group stretch
11am -- Mayor Bob Buckhorn bicycle ride
12 noon -- SWFBUDDY Awards
2 pm -- Kids bikes along Riverwalk
3 pm -- Free gear raffle
4 pm -- Bike Bash ends

Activities -- swap meet, demos, Columbia Cafe food, Cigar City beer, music

Sunday NOV 4   7 pm to 9 pm   Independent Bar, 5016 Florida Ave. in Seminole Heights

Meet and greet Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists; and Tim Bustos, executive director of the Florida Bicycle association


Monday NOV 5   1 pm to 4 pm    Tampa Bay History Center   Downtown Tampa

"The Big Turnaround: Bridging the Divide to Becoming a Great Bicycle Town"

Speakers/facilitators

Andy Clarke, League of American Bicyclists president -- What makes a great bike town?
Rick Baker, former mayor of St. Petersburg -- Why should an elected official invest in bicycling?
Cheryl Stacks, St. Petersburg bike-ped coordinator -- How do you keep bicycle projects rolling?
Jean Duncan, Tampa transportation director -- How does Tampa turn things around?
Tim Bustos, Florida Bicycle Association executive director -- How do we bridge the hopes of advocates with the goals of public officials?

Friday, October 12, 2012

Congrats To This Year's SWFBUDDY Award Winners


One of the best things I enjoy most about the annual Bicycle Bash is giving the coveted SWFBUDDY Award to local citizens and elected officials who step up and make Tampa Bay a more bicycle-friendly place. SWFBUD is proud to announce the 2012 Class of SWFBUDDY Award winners, who will receive their SWFBUDDYs at the Bicycle Bash event on Nov 4 in downtown Tampa. Our SWFBUDDY Award winners are:

-- Cindy Roberts, wife of fallen Tampa Police Officer Cpl. Mike Roberts. Cindy rode her bike 250 miles as part of the Police Unity Tour last year and she showed how truly inspirational bicycle riding can be when she rode in the memory of her husband during the PUT.



-- Tampa City Councilwoman Lisa Montelione, who has consistently supported bicycling on the city council and as a member of MPO panels. Lisa knows bicycling makes Tampa a better place to live and has used her position to support steps to improve bicycling.


-- Architect Ken Cowart and political consultant Kevin Thurman, who this year submitted a business plan to the Hillsborough County Commission that prompted the commissioners to not demolish the Friendship TrailBridge. Not only did their report stop the demolition of the beloved Friendship TrailBridge, which was used by 600,000 annual users before it was closed, but their work has resulted in Hillsborough County government now working on a request for proposal to draw bids to rebuild the Friendship TrailBridge.



-- Antiques specialist Myron Griffin and Tampa Heights community leader Lena Younghave spearheaded a central Tampa bicycle and pedestrian trail movement called the Green Artery to build a network of paths and trails connecting the green spaces of central Tampa. Their unrelenting efforts have resulted in monthly neighborhood meetings in 20 different central Tampa communities over the past two years and have prompted Mayor Bob Buckhorn to support the concept. 


 
SWFBUD congratulates the 2012 class of SWFBUDDY winners and looks forward to the Bicycle Bash on Nov 4 when they will be publicly recognized for their work.