March
2007

Cycling surges in Santa Barbara county

• Maybe it's the Amgen Tour of California. Maybe it's the increasing number of professional cycling teams coming here to train. Maybe it's affluent boomers seeking organized, social bike tours with comfy evenings. Maybe it's the coming of age of bicycling in America. Or maybe its just the word creeping out that we have great bicycling conditions throughout Santa Barbara county.
• Whatever the cause, there has been an explosion in cycling training camps and organized cycling tours in our community in 2007. In addition, we have had a significant increase in competitive racing—both on and off-road—over the years, plus a sustained base of large group rides.
• While not a scientific survey, a compilation of cycling events in our county listed on our website since 2000 offers a general idea of the changes that we are seeing. The adjacent graph shows the results of tallying them. "Camps" means training camps and workshops for both road cycling and mountain biking. "Tours" includes organized multi-day tours with meals, accommodations, personal leaders, and motorized support. An example of this new phenomenon is the several Trek Tours that are being held here, or the locally-based Santa Barbara Wine Country Cycling Tours. The "Races" includes criteriums, road races, mountain biking cross-country and downhill events, all with timing and prizes. Finally, "Rides" refers to non-competitive, public rides like the Solvang Century that attracts thousands of riders (and dollars) to Solvang each March.
• The graph shows results so far for 2007, so the final numbers may end up being greater as we become aware of additional upcoming events.
• What does this mean for us resident bicyclists? Studies show that as more people bicycle, the total number of crashes increases, but the number of crashes per bicyclist decreases. So we're safer. More tours, races and rides means that local business people, especially those in the hospitality industry, benefit from the influx of participants. The restaurants and hotels that do a better job of accommodating the needs of bicyclists will prosper—and more importantly, they will become partners with government and tourist agencies to help improve bicycling conditions for us all. Our air pollution may be reduced because those coming for bicycling events, even if they drive here, have a ready non-polluting means of alternative transportation with them—their bicycles.
• Whether this year's surge in bicycling events is an aberration, or a significant shift in Santa Barbara county cycling, will be determined in the future. However, it definitely appears to be following a trend of healthy growth.

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Ortega Hill ribbon-cutting opens bikepath



Speakers, from the left, are Caltrans District 5 Deputy Director Eileen Loe, Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum, and First District Supervisor Salud Carbajal. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• The Ortega Hill bikepath ribbon-cutting ceremony attracted 50 people, including over a dozen bicyclists ready to try out the nice new path that connects Summerland and Montecito. The $5.2 million project, consisting of the bikepath plus a Highway 101 auxiliary lane, has taken nine years to realize.
• Present at the event, in addition to those in the photo, were SBCAG Director Jim Kemp, Bicycle Coalition President Ralph Fertig, and Santa Barbara City Councilman Grant House. Try it out next time you're in the neighborhood.

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Tour cyclists coming

• As Quick Release goes to press, the cyclists in the Amgen Tour of California are heading down the coast toward stages in Solvang and Santa Barbara. We will have a booth at both locations, telling local residents and visitors what we are doing and to keep bicycling. Watch for a report in our April issue.

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John Forester speaks at local forum
by Ralph Fertig



John Forester speaking at transportation forum. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• Bicycling guru to many, John Forester came to Santa Barbara on February 9th to participate in a forum labeled "An Inconvenient Path." Forester has been active for decades working to repeal "sidepath laws" that require people on bicycles to use parallel paths or sidewalks instead of roadways, regardless of the condition or convenience or danger of the separated facility. Those laws were passed in the mid-Twentieth Century to keep bicyclists out of the way of motorists. We are grateful for Forester's work that now gives us riding options.
• Forester has over the years developed a training course called "Effective Cycling," produced a video, and written a book by that name. He vigorously defends his view that bicyclists fare best when they behave as vehicles on streets and roads.
• His philosophy includes strident statements like "government knows that bikeways don't make cycling safer, but it uses the public superstition that they do," or "the government's bicycle design standard is based on engineering incompetence." Note that he carefully uses the term "bikeways" and does not differentiate between bikelanes or bikepaths—probably because data show that bikelanes are safer for bicyclists than unstriped roads, both of which are less prone to crashes than separate bikepaths. You can read more at his personal site www.johnforester.com.
• Forester appeared as part of a forum sponsored by new group called "Santa Barbara Safe Streets." It was subtitled "A workshop on growth, transportation, and the future of Santa Barbara." About 80 people attended, including many from the City of Santa Barbara: Marty Blum, Helene Schneider, Brian Barnwell, Tony Nisich, Browning Allen, and Rob Dayton. There were four speakers as follows:
• Das Williams addressed transportation, saying "the automobile is no longer the solution, and it's often the problem. The scale of the gridlock challenge is so big that no one approach will satisfy it."
• The MTD's Dave Damiano gave a presentation about what the bus service does, and what improvements in equipment and service are coming our way.
• Randal O'Toole from Oregon was outspoken in opposition to city planning. He lauding the automobile and the suburban single-family house, while deriding traffic calming, higher-density housing, and most bus and rail transportation. O'Toole did comment that he sometimes bicycles, and thinks that "bike boulevards" are a good idea. He drew groans from the audience when he said that the unused land west of Santa Barbara should serve our future housing needs.
• John Forester said that "bikeways" did not make cycling safer, that with a good road network, cyclists need nothing more. "In 15 hours," he declared, "I can teach any 8 year old to bike better than an adult." Overall, he spoke favorably about bicycling, although he thought that it does not have the potential to relieve traffic congestion.

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Santa Barbara “bike kitchen”

• Ed France has taken the lead on creating a Santa Barbara program similar to the bike kitchens in Los Angles or San Francisco. The upcoming result of their February 21st meeting—with 12 participants—is a bicycle workshop on March 24th, at La Casa de La Raza, from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM.
• To spread the word, France has created a project blog at www.bicicentro.blogspot.com and a email group list to subscribe to at groups.google.com/group/bicicentro.
• In order to prepare for the workshop, they are looking for volunteer mechanics, and donated tubes, patch kits, chains, tires, cables, grease, spokes, brake pads, zip ties, duct tape, safety lights, and handlebar grips. They also seek donated flyer printing, public service announcements (PSAs) in English and Spanish, and some food.
• If you might be able to help, or just want to hear more, contact France at 310-936-0857 or edfrance@gmail.com.

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Tom Ritchey leads ride in Goleta



Tom Ritchey, left, gets ready to ride for Project Rwanda. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• A little rain didn't deter over 100 bicyclists from riding with mountain bike pioneer Tom Ritchey on January 27th. The ride was organized by Jacob Seigel-Boettner, formerly at Santa Barbara Middle School, now a UC Berkeley student. The ride raised funds for Project Rwanda to help provide Ritchey-designed longbikes to transport coffee and other goods to market in the poor, war-devastated country. You can read about his project at www.projectrwanda.org.

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Lindemann leaves Traffic Solutions, job available

• Bicycle Coalition advisor Erika Lindemann has worked for five years for SBCAG Traffic Solutions, but she is leaving this month to seek new opportunities. They are currently seeking somebody to replace her.
• Lindemann tells us that "the staff and management here are first rate and the working environment is professional yet relaxed. My replacement will be joining a creative, fun and hard-working team."
• The job title is Transportation Demand Management Project Coordinator. You can find job details and an application at www.sbcag.org, or contact program director Kent Epperson at 805-961-8917 or kepperson@sbcag.org.

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Carmichael coming to Santa Barbara



From left, Drew Hunter, Chris Carmichael (holding his son Conner), and Bob Zimels discuss—what else?—bicycling during a Safetyville session in Santa Barbara on February 18th. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• If you know anything about competitive cycling, you know that Chris Carmichael was Lance Armstrong's personal trainer. Subsequent to Armstrong's seven Tour de France wins, Carmichael has been expanding his business—the Carmichael Training Systems—to include cyclists, runners, triathletes, and other adventure sport enthusiasts.
• Carmichael said last month that he will open a West Coast center in Santa Barbara as soon as he secures a satisfactory lease on a building. This provides confirmation of the ascendancy of Santa Barbara county as an ideal place for athletic training, particularly for cyclists. His new location will complement existing centers in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Ashville, North Carolina.
• Two Carmichael training camps based in Buellton earlier this year were sold out, however a third on March 17-24 still has vacancies as this goes to press. Learn more about their training camps and other programs online at Carmichael's website www.trainright.com.
• An intriguing project mentioned on Carmichael's site is "Bikes for Kids," a Colorado Springs program managed by Paige Carmichael, Chris's wife, and supported by the Training Systems. Its slogan is "bringing joy one bike at a time." Perhaps we can tap into their expertise and experience in order to start a similar program locally?
• We certainly welcome Carmichael and the professional expertise that he and his staff will bring to our community. Stay tuned for details and a grand opening.

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Driver sentenced in Kendra Payne death

• On January 11, 2006, University of California Santa Barbara student and triathlete Kendra Payne was struck and killed by Marcos Almaguer who was driving a truck up Gibraltar Road above Santa Barbara. Almaguer was subsequently charged with vehicular manslaughter by the Santa Barbara County District Attorney.
• Thirteen months later, prosecuting attorney Patrick McKinley announced that an agreement had been reached and Almaguer was sentenced to a reduced charge of trespass by a motor vehicle.
• The sentence is 45 days in the county jail and three years probation, during which time he must obey all laws and he is subject to a warrantless search of his person, vehicle and residence. He must additionally make an $8,000 payment to the Kendra Payne Memorial Fund at UCSB, plus $100 per month for the three year term of probation to the same fund.
• McKinley makes clear that Almaguer was not drunk or on drugs at the time he ran over Payne, and the disposition was designed to allow him to avoid a drivers license suspension in order to keep him working in his job.
• Upon hearing of the result, Bicycle Coalition president Ralph Fertig commented, "while it's certainly disappointing to us all suffering with the loss of life of vibrant UCSB triathlete Kendra Payne, there is a sense of resolution and attribution of guilt, however small it might seem in relation to the tragic loss."

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CycleSmart bicyclist education news

• At the time of Quick Release publication, the Bicycle Skills for Women class being held on March 1st and 3rd is filling up with interested and energetic women who want to improve their bicycling skills. The Bicycle Coalition ran ads in the Santa Barbara Independent about the class, generating interest and possible participants. Over ten women are registered as we go to print.
• The CycleSmart program will be offering a "Gear up for Bike Week" Street Skills class geared towards bike commuters in early May, so stay tuned for details in our April Quick Release.

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Santa Ynez Valley is training magnet

• Over the past few years, more professional cycling teams have been discovering the great early-season training opportunities in the Santa Ynez Valley. This year a record-setting five teams have come here. The first was the new Swiss-American BMC team in January. They were followed by Discovery, Priority Health, Navigators and T-Mobile Teams.

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Sharrows sprout in Old Town Goleta



Set outside the parking tick marks on Hollister Avenue, new sharrows guide bicyclists outside the "door zone" of parked cars. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• The city of Goleta is the first in Santa Barbara county to install shared-lane arrows, or "sharrows," to designate roadways that are shared by motorists and bicyclists. You can find them on Hollister in Old Town Goleta.
• Sharrows were only recently approved by the California Traffic Control Devices Committee as an optional marking on roadways where there is not enough room for a minimum-width bikelane next to parked cars. Their approval followed a study for the city of San Francisco where motorists and cyclists were videotaped and interviewed about the markings. Since approval, 850 out of 1600 planned sharrows have been installed in that city.
• While the marking is officially experimental, it is expected to be included in the next revision of the national Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, with a restriction to roads with speed limits of 40 MPH or slower.
• Go bike in Goleta and see what you think of them. We'll likely be seeing more.

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February Bicycle Coalition meeting topics

• Our February 6th monthly Bicycle Coalition meeting was at noon at the Santa Barbara Bank & Trust conference room, attracting 15 people. We discussed these topics:
• Ralph Fertig reported that we will share a booth with Santa Barbara Car Free at the Solvang and Santa Barbara stages of the Amgen Tour of California. There will be kids events on Saturday morning before the Santa Barbara stage start.
• Nancy Mulholland has six boys in her Super Cyclers class at Monte Vista Elementary school.
• There will be another hearing on the Jake Boysel fatality on February 13th.
• Dru van Hengel introduced Sarah Grant, a new employee for the City's transportation division.
• Ed France described meetings about a new "bike kitchen" project. They are working with Casa de la Raza in Santa Barbara.
• Bike Week 2007 plans include a bike film festival in cooperation with HopeDance in San Luis Obispo. A new nighttime bike ride was suggested.
• The Ortega Hill bikepath opening has been rescheduled for February 21st because of construction delays caused by rain.
• The Santa Barbara Bikestation may have a "soft opening" in late March, Dru van Hengel reported, with a formal ribbon-cutting later, perhaps on Bike to Work Day.
• Ralph Fertig reported on the Front Country Trails Task Force workshop, mostly an updating for participants on trail status and past agreements.
• Hubbell continues to distribute front bike lights that we purchased for low-income workers, funded by a grant from the Goleta Valley Cycling Club.

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Echelon’s Mothballs



Mothballs cyclists round a corner in Goleta. Photo by Ralph Fertig.

• On February 24th, Echelon Santa Barbara bike club ran its annual Mothballs Criterium races in Goleta, awarding prizes worth $2400. Perfect weather contributed to a higher turnout of 400+ racers for the day, including Santa Maria's Bike Barn team's new cyclists who came to race. The Women's Cycling Challenge (WCC) race was a huge success—it's a new series of races designed to give beginning women racers their own event. The teams all have an experienced racer or trainer as mentor. There were some early crashes, but no others later. Thanks to all of the local business who supported Echelon, there were lots of prizes and awards to give out, so many cyclists went home extra happy.

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Magic in the struggle

• "I think Western culture has things backwards. We equate comfort with happiness, and now we're so comfortable we're miserable. There's no struggle in our life, no sense of adventure. I've found that I'm never more alive than when I'm pushing and I'm in pain and I'm struggling for high achievement. In that struggle, I think there's a magic."
  — Dean Karnazes, Outside, January 2007.

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Bike and rail brochure available

• Last year, Amtrak California published a useful booklet Bring Your Bike on Amtrak California to help bicyclists combine train service with bicycling. They are available at the Santa Barbara train depot, and our Bicycle Coalition obtained a box of them that we will be passing out at events this year, so come by, pick up a copy, and start planning a multi-modal trip.

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We thank our active members

• Please thank and support the following Bicycle Coalition business members:
• Bicycle Bob's, Santa Barbara
• Nett & Champion Insurance Services, Santa Barbara
• Open Air Bicycles, Santa Barbara
• Pedal Power Bicycles, Santa Maria
• Santa Barbara Electric Bicycle Company, Santa Barbara
• In addition, we welcome new members Chris & Cameron Cottrell, Sarah Grant, Keith Weissglass, John & Janeanne Rinaldi, and Merrion Maxwell. We further thank David & Teresa Bothman, Matt Richards, Robert Rainwater, Judy Keim, Mark & Shira Musicant, and Alexander & Nancy Trieger who renewed their memberships.

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Bike Summit in DC

• We're pleased that four local bicyclists will be attending the Bike Summit in Washington DC this March: Erika Lindemann, Bob Zimels, Chris Orr, and Ralph Fertig.

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Bike films coming and going

• Bike films have been scarce for years with charming exceptions like the Triplets of Belleville or Breaking Away. Something has changed for the better in the last year and a richness of offerings have been screened in the South Coast.
• First, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival had five bicycle-related films this year, more than ever before:
• Klunkerz. It documents the birth of mountain biking with footage of Gary Fisher, Joe Breeze, Tom Ritchey, Charlie Kelly, Mike Sinyard and other pioneers.
• Ayamye. This follows a container of bicycles shipped by the Bikes Not Bombs nonprofit to Ghana, Africa, showing how it changed villagers' lives.
• We Just Work Here. It's about framebuilders, artisans, and racers of Santa Cruz Bicycles.
• Trials Love Course 99. Shot by UCSB student Jess Riegel, it shows a unicycle course being constructed and negotiated.
• Mountain Unicycle Weekend. Local video-grapher Dorothy Littlejohn is the producer of this documentary about crazy people who unicycle up and down mountains.
• Next came selections from the Banff Mountain Film Festival, shown at UCSB:
• Asiemut. This documents a couple's six month, 8000-kilometer cycling expedition from Mongolia through China, Tibet, Nepal and into India.
• Roam. It's a mountain-bike film that follows top riders as they visit both traditional and new places to ride.
• Following that came a one-night showing:
• Traveling with Lance. This is about Lance Armstrong's final 2005 Tour de France, and filmmaker Steve Manis' rediscovering France in the process.
• Still coming is a two-evening Bike Film Festival presented during Bike Week, and sponsored by our Bicycle Coalition, HopeDance, and UCSB's BIKES student committee:
• Contested Streets. This consists of a history of transportation in New York City, followed by innovative traffic management in Copenhagen, Paris and London, and a revisiting of NYC's congestion.
• Pedal. This documents the 2005 Cycle Messenger World Championships in NYC.

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