Photos from Congressional Bike Ride and Delegation Reception now up!

Arizona state flags proudly flying in honor of Representative Gabrielle Giffords and those killed in the Tucson, AZ shooting.

What better way to close the National Bike Summit than with a RIDE?

(left to right): Shane Farthing and Kevin Belanger from the Washington Area Bicyclists Association (WABA) escort Summiteers back to the Capitol.

Congressional aides, bike/ped advocates and National Bike Summit attendees gathered at Garfield Circle in front of the Capitol on Friday morning take a tour of Washington, DC by bike and see some of the latest bicycle infrastructure improvements, including the new bike lanes installed down the center of Pennsylvania Avenue (!!) and the two-way cycle track on 15th Street.

Hosted by the Washington Area Bicyclists Association, this year's ride was dedicated to Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), a member of the Congressional Bike Caucus, and in memory of those killed in the Tuscon, AZ shooting.

Photo, right: Shane Farthing, Executive Director of Washington Area Bicyclists Association (WABA) , right, asks ride participant how she likes the new Capitol bike Share program that quickly, cleanly and efficiently transports individuals around the Metro DC area.

See the full catalog of photos on our Facebook album here.

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National Bike Summit: Oregon Delegation Congressional Reception

Photo above: Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) shares a few words of inspiration with the Oregon delegates gathered.

Photo above: Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR) (left) and BTA Executive Director Rob Sadowsky (right).

After a busy day of asks on Capitol Hill, Cycle Oregon hosted a special reception at Capitol City Brewing Company (next to Union Station) to thank all of the Oregon delegates represented at elected representatives and their staff of their tireless efforts to make Oregon a heathy and sustainable state to live, walk and ride.

Photo left: Benjamin Beamer, Chairman of Greater Oakridge Area Trail Stewards and Alison Hill Graves, Executive Director of the Community Cycling Center, wear it loud and say it proud: "CELEBRATE THE RIDE!"

Photo, right: Jerry Norquist, Executive Director of Cycle Oregon (left) and Randy Dreiling, Owner of Oregon Adventures and Promoter of Mt Bike Oregon (right), agree whether it's on pavement or trail, Oregon is a beautiful place to tour by bike.

See the full catalog of photos on our Facebook album here.

National Bike Summit 2011: What are we Asking For?

Once again, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) kicked off the opening convocation of the National Bike Summit by asking the question: “How many people, right this moment, in America, are stuck in traffic on the way to a health club to ride a stationary bike?” And once again, he brought a standing room only crowd of advocates, transportation officials, shop owners, industry leaders and legislative aides to their feet to offer thunderous appause.

Over 700 individuals are in attendance at the League of American Bicyclists' 11th annual National Bike Summit this week to meet with their elected representatives and discuss a number of America's troubles--climate change, energy dependence, the obesity epidemic, air pollution and congestion mitigation--that can be addressed with a suprisingly simple solution: the bicycle. Indeed, with reported 4:1 ratio of investment dollars (meaning for that every dollar spent on bicycle or pedestrian transportation improvements, 4 dollars are returned back to the communities from which they originate), one would be hard pressed to find other low-cost, high yield strategic transportation investments that foster healthy people and healthy communities.

Photo, above: left to right: New York City DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and League of American Bicyclists President Andy Clarke discuss what inspires them in their work.


Yet the atmosphere this year is cautious and protective at best. With a new Congress fiscally focused and looking to make major cuts to bugets across the board, advocates are charged with the task of educating new members of Congress (96 newly inducted in the last election, 35 of whom have never held public office beore) about what transportation options entail, and establishing or building good working relationships. "We're not making a big sexy ask this year, like the ACT Act or a big transporation re-authorization bill," states Andy Clarke, President of the League. Rather, delegates will meet with their local representatives to request they support continued dedicated funding for bicycling and walking programs in 3 target areas:

1. Transportation Enhancements

2. Safe Routes to School

3. Recreational Trails Programs


Photo, left: Oregon state delegates gather before visits to Capitol Hill on Thursday.
According to the League of American Bicyclists, "Just 1.5 percent of federal transportation dollars currently support biking and walking, although these two modes represent 12 percent of all trips in the U.S. Bicycling and walking improvements are relatively inexpensive, highly cost-effective investments that create significantly more jobs per dollar than road repair and upgrades; they also boost local small businesses and increase real estate values."

Armed with packets full of facts and figures regarding how and where dollars are spent in each local district for transportation enhancements, Safe Routes to School and both surface and natural trails programs, the motto of this Summit might well have been dubbed, "keep it local, stupid." Indeed, the Bikes Belong Coalition cites Minnesota as one prime example. Cyclists spend $481 million annually in the state. Before a local trail was put in, hospitality sales tax collected was $250,000; AFTER the local trail was built, bringing in increased bicycle tourism, food traffic to shops, hotels and restaurants, and a place parents could bring their children, the hospitality tax collected shot up to $4.7 million. As Gary Sjoquist, Advocacy Director for Bikes Belong points out, "BIKES MEAN BUSINESS."

Photo, right: Gary Fisher, in blue, a strong leader in the bicycle industry, is present to advocate on behalf of road users and trail users alike.

In addition to reminding elected officials that supporting bicycling and walking programs means supporting local businesses, fueling local economies and building healthy, sustainable communities, advocates making their visits on Capitol Hill today (Thursday, March 10th) re-stated Congressman Blumenauer's plea to his fellow representatives: "Don't cut what you haven't visited."

Photos from National Bike Summit

Have you seen our photos from the 2011 National Bike Summit yet? Check out our albums on Facebook and have a look!

BicyclingHub.com Awarded Bicycle-Friendly Business Award at National Bike Summit

The League of American Bicyclists announced its latest round of Bicycle-Friendly Businesses yesterday, March 9th, at the National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. BicyclingHub.com was proud to be recognized amongst the 55 newly inducted companies across the nation who have demonstrated that being bicycle-friendly is good for business.

"As an international retailer in the bicycling industry, our staff lives, eats, sleeps and breathes bicycling," states Douglas Duguay, owner and Sales Manager of BicyclingHub.com.


In the workplace, we aim to create an environment that encourages and fosters cycling as both a mode of transportation and a way of life. Be it encouraging a 100% staff bicycle commuter rate year-round, installing bike racks at our new office space for adequate bike parking, hosting group staff rides during the summer as 'team-building exercises,' participating in charity fundraisers such as Portland Tour de Cure and Park-to-Park Montana, or sponsoring community-building events such as Pedal Nation films, these investments have yielded excellent returns."

Photo, left: Head Content Developer Jennifer Clunie, left, receives the Bicycing Friendy Business Award from Andy Clarke, President of the League of American Bicyclists, right. In addition, the first-ever Bicycle Friendly University designations were announced, with 20 colleges and universities receiving awards. The program recognizes institutes of higher learning that create exceptional environments where bicycling can thrive and provides a roadmap and technical assistance to create great campuses for bicycling. While Stanford University earned the only platinum-level this round, we were pleased to see both Portland State University and the University of Oregon also made the list.

"Universities have long served as incubators for developing bike-friendly cultures and practices, and that has a big impact on the expectations that students bring to the workplace and beyond," said Bill Nesper, director of the League's Bicycle Friendly America Program. "With the launch of the Bicycle Friendly Universities program, we're able to highlight the crucial role that academic institutions play in shaping a more bike-friendly future."

The League of American Bicyclists' Bicycle Friendly America program has helped communities, businesses, states and now universities improve conditions for bicycling, creating the types of places where people want to live, work and visit. A full list of winners is available here.

Remaining as passionate about cycling as our customers fuels our business and enables BicyclingHub.com to enjoy one of the best customer satisfaction rates for online merchants in the nation. With your help, we look forward to becoming even more bicycle-friendly in the months and years to come.