Ride to launch Liberty City bike club

The new Tacolcy Bike & Safety Club will celebrate its formation with a 15-mile community ride on Jan. 9. You're invited to join the fun starting 10 a.m. at 6161 NW 9th Ave., Miami. This will also be a Bike Miami Ride, with several organizations supporting it.

The new club, pulled together by the Tacolcy Park's Roger Horne, will teach kids how to assemble, repair and safely ride bicycles. It's a prototype of the BikeSafe program that backers at the University of Miami medical school hope to roll out to other parks in several parts of the county.

For other programs at the Belafonte Tacolcy Center, click here. And to find the place, here's a map:

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Good reading for new cyclists

The popular British book Cyclecraft has been adapted to North American practices and is now available here. Fellow blogger Andrew Harrell gives it a friendly review at Commute Orlando. Sounds like just the thing for any new cyclist you neglected on your holiday gift list.

Greetings from a bike maker

Cute page and MP3 from Specialized

Busy day for Green Mobility

That jingle-jingle along the M-Path on Saturday must have been the Green Mobility Network, buying gifts for young clients of Miami Rescue Mission and delivering them -- by bicycle, of course. The riders tied on little sleigh bells that kept up a cheery tinkling note along the way.

Coffee, juice and bagels at Mack Cycle fueled the riders. Sure seemed like everyone had a good time doing good. I'm betting this becomes an annual event.

Film fest an enjoyable outing

Tony Blazejack snapped the Green Mobility Network's bike parking setup Saturday night during the Bicycle Film Festival at the Colony Theatre in Miami Beach. Nice to see people out and around town on their bikes, eh?

Lance Armstrong on health care

Bicycle hero Lance Armstrong, one of America's most famous cancer survivors, writes a heartfelt plea for support of reform in our healthcare system. Armstrong says that only his sponsor's intervention prevented his health insurer from cutting him off in 1996 when his testicular cancer was diagnosed. One reason reform is needed is that most of us don't have someone at our back to intervene as Armstrong's sponsor did. I recommend Armstrong's piece at Change.org and encourage you to follow up with comments to your members of Congress. You can sign Armstrong's petition here.

Ride, parties for Bicycle Film Festival

The fun tonight starts at 7 p.m. at Keirin Cycles, 235A 9th St., Miami Beach. Then at 9 the party moves, with a group ride to the Goldsprints Party at the American Legion, 6445 NE 7th Ave., Miami. Details including clips of tomorrow's movies are at BFF Miami. When you go to the movies, at the Colony Theatre in Miami Beach, you'll find bike valet organized by Green Mobility Network just across Lennox Avenue west of the movie house. If you're approaching the Colony from Alton Road, use either 16th or 17th Street to get to Lennox. Lincoln Road west of the theater is an absolute mess because of construction.


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School Board endorses BikeSafe program

The Miami-Dade School Board today endorsed the new BikeSafe program at the University of Miami's medical school. The program is modeled after UM's 7-year-old WalkSafe, which works to reduce injuries to children on the streets near schools. BikeSafe is working with the county parks department to develop an after-school program of bicycle education for middle school children. Its coordinator is Jamie Caulkins, left, who works for WalkSafe director Dr. Gillian Hotz.

WalkSafe started in 2002 with a handful of schools in Miami-Dade neighborhoods that had high pedestrian-injury numbers. It gradually expanded until its material is now offered statewide. Pedestrian injuries of children are sharply down in the Miami-Dade neighborhoods where WalkSafe has been at work.

Today's resolution was offered by School Board Vice Chair Perla Tabares Hantman. It made no mention of the school system's own bicycle education program, abandoned years ago.

For more about the whole concept behind today's action, I recommend you check out Safe Routes to School, a national program pioneered in the Northeast and taken nationwide when the League of American Bicyclists enlisted support for it in Congress.

Bikes find a home in NYC offices

A New York City ordinance taking effect this week will let bicycle commuters carry their bikes upstairs via freight elevator. It's a wonderful way to make bike commuting easier and more fun, since riders won't have to risk theft by storing their bikes at ground level. Something like this would be a grand addition to the Miami and Miami-Dade County bike-parking regulations.

"If you really want to do this, you find the space," said [Larry A. Silverstein, president of Silverstein Properties]. "There's always space where you can put a bicycle."

Read more in the New York Times (registration may be required).

Bike fashion in Miami

The pony-hide saddlebags on this bike caught my eye during a gallery walkabout last night in Wynwood. You can ride it home from Fendi in Bal Harbour for $10K -- not that you would have needed to ask, right? The leather-fendered bike is rigged for left-handers, with the front brake controlled from the right handlebar. That bracket behind the headlamp is meant for a GPS device -- not that anybody riding this would venture far off Pine Tree Drive.

Think tank contemplates the bicycle

You know bicycling has arrived when the august Brookings Institution convenes a roomful of wise men and women to talk about it. The event in Washington on Dec. 8 will launch Cities for Cycling, a project of the National Association of City Transportation Officials that's meant to break down rules and habits of thought that make streets unfriendly to bicycling.

Sweet deal for joining Green Mobility

If you join Green Mobility Network at the Mack Cycle & Fitness mountain bike events in South Miami this Friday or Saturday, you'll get a seat bag, tire tools and floor pump to make your road riding fast and fun. Look for Green Mobility's table Friday at Sunset Place, before and during Jeff Lenosky's and Kurtis Sorge's 5 p.m. demonstration and the 7 p.m. screening of one of the New World Disorder films. Or, on Saturday, you can sign up at the store, 5595 Sunset Drive.

Tall bikes jousting at Art Basel

Brooklyn bicycle artist Ryan Doyle is in Miami this week for Art Basel, and his tall-bike jousting is worth a look. He's interviewed at BikeBlogNYC. Or see his stuff at 150 NW 24th St., Miami.

Bike center something for Miami to aim for

One of the dreams of many local bicyclists, especially we who work in downtown Miami, is for a facility where we can clean up after a hard ride, store our bikes securely, and maybe get them worked on while we're at our jobs. I've written here about the one in Chicago's Millenium Park, and the video here is about one that just opened in Tempe, Ariz. Watch it and scheme, guys and gals.

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Shakeup among Miami Police brass

The Miami Herald is reporting a big shakeup today at Miami Police headquarters, with a great friend of bicycling on the list of brass supposedly moved out of their command positions. I refer to Cmdr. Raimundo Socorro, who as head of the Downtown District was immensely helpful to the city staffers and volunteers who put together several Bike Miami Days events downtown over the past 13 months. As nearly as I can quickly determine, Socorro was transferred to the recruiting division at his prior civil service rank.

This is not something to be alarmed about. New Chief Miguel Exposito, no less than any of his predecessors, will want a team of close subordinates in whom he has the highest trust. In no way does this harm the name of the relocated officers. For Socorro in particular we wish only the best. He's a fine man and a pleasure to work with. Meanwhile, congratulations and good luck to the newly promoted.

Bike stunt show, movies, workshop

Mountain-bike stunt stars Jeff Lenosky, left, and Kurtis Sorge will be in South Miami this Friday and Saturday for a bicycle demonstration and some movies. On Friday there'll be a stunt show at 5 p.m. at Sunset Place, and one of the New World Disorder movies at 7 p.m. (Call 305-661-8363 to reserve movie tickets.) More fun follows on Saturday at Mack Cycle & Fitness, 5995 Sunset Drive, South Miami. The place will be hopping by 1 p.m.

Also this weekend, there will be a mountain bike skills clinic at Amelia Earhart Park in Hialeah, where Round 3 of the Coconut Cup series will be run on Sunday. Gates open 8 a.m.

Legislative leaders aboard for Tri-Rail session

The Florida Legislature will meet in special session this Thursday to consider long-range funding for Tri-Rail as well as a Tampa-Orlando fast train. Both railroad lines are important to bicycle commuters and everyone else who wants to escape car-dependence. Lots of details at TampaBay.com.