May 2016 activity report

Our Executive Director with representatives of the Reynoldsburg, Upper Arlington and Grove City police forces at the 2016 Central Ohio Ride of Silence.

Welcome to the monthly feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements for the month. Representation and outreach like this is what you fund with your membership dollars and major gifts, folks! Behold, May:

May 2

Yay Valet! meeting with Troy Euton, Director of Parks & Recreation, City of Gahanna

Regular meeting of MORPC's Community Advisory Council, on which our Executive Director serves

May 3

Accidental Wanderlust: Saddle Up for 30 Incredible Days of Biking

May 4

Ohio Active Transportation Plan meeting

May 5

Columbus Underground: Planning Underway for Downtown Bike Hub at Front and Long

Columbus Underground: Moving Away but Leaving a Legacy – Denis de Verteuil

May 6

MOPRC Annual State of the Region luncheon

May 7

Pinchflat Bike Poster Show + bike raffle opening day @ Paradise Garage

May 10

Year of Yay! route vetting ride

May 11

Meeting with City of Columbus officials to discuss bike hub

Introductory meeting with AAA Ohio to discuss bicycling services and marketing

Meeting with Mark Klein, Principal, MKSK, who designed Dayton's bike hub, to discuss Columbus' proposed bike hub

Regular board meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which our Executive Director serves

May 12

Regular meeting of the Columbus Green Team, at which Catherine Girves, our Executive Director was appointed Chair (!!)

May 13

Scoping meeting with the Ohio Department of Transportation and Ohio Department of Health for statewide mode shift campaign

Meeting to discuss plans for Tour de Brew

May 14

Year of Yay! ride with MURALS theme

May 15

Meeting to discuss bike hub security solutions with Glenn Mueller, City of Columbus Security Manager, Department of Finance & Management

May 16

Smart City Challenge Roundtable with USDOT Secretary Anthony Foxx & City of Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, among others

Meeting to discuss bike hub security solutions with Homeport's Director of Security

Yay Bikes! board meeting

May 17

Ride the Elevator

May 18

Annual membership meeting of Community Shares of Mid Ohio

Central Ohio Ride of Silence

WOSU Public Media: Columbus Cyclists Ride Silently for Road Safety

May 19

Bike the Cbus planning meeting

May 20

Bike to Work Day Dayton pancake breakfast celebration, plus meeting with Five Rivers MetroParks bike hub operators

Columbus' Bike to Work Day celebration

Yay Valet! at Columbus' Bike to Work Day celebration

May 24

Submitted application to Create Columbus Commission for a new Winter Night Rides series

May 25

Ohio Active Transportation Plan meeting

Regular meeting of the City of Columbus Bicycle Working Group, on which our Executive Director serves

May 26

Regular meeting of the Columbus Green Team Built Environment & Transportation Infrastructure working group

May 28

Heritage Cycles Grand Opening

May 31

Pinchflat bike raffle drawing @ Lineage Brewing

Our Executive Director speaking as a panelist on the "Get up to Speed on Ohio Transportation" panel hosted by Franklin County Young Dems and Upper Arlington Progressive Action alongside Elissa Snider of Transit Columbus and JM Rayburn of the City of Dublin  

April 2016 activity report

Catherine joins Steve Magas, the Ohio Bike Lawyer, and James Young of the Columbus Public Service Department to talk bikes on WOSU's Ann Fisher Show.

Welcome to the monthly feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements for the month. Representation and outreach like this is what you fund with your membership dollars and major gifts, folks! Behold, April:

April 1

Ride of Silence wine tasting fundraiser with John the Wine Guy

April 4

Regular meeting of MORPC’s Community Advisory Council, on which Catherine serves

Ride of Silence planning meeting

April 5–7

Safe Routes to School National Conference

Delivered the presentation: "Are we at a tipping point? Learn how data can keep us there.", with Seth LaJeunesse, National Center for SRTS

Led a professional development ride workshop with 20 attendees from around the country that combined urban bike tourism with instruction on how to deliver on-road education

Participated in "Ride with a cop" workshop with Hilliard police officer Ron Burkitt

April 7

This Week Community News: "City to begin downtown street resurfacing project"

All Sides with Ann Fisher: "Cycling in Ohio" 

April 8

Meeting with the new City of Columbus Director of Public Service, Jennifer Gallagher

April 9

Year of Yay! ride with "Earth Day" theme

Yay Bikes! fundraiser at Lineage Brewing—ride cancelled :(

April 11

Ride of Silence happy hour fundraiser at Hills Market Downtown

April 12

How We Roll ride with OSU City & Regional Planning graduate students

April 13

Meeting with Dero Bike Racks representative to discuss becoming a local distributor

Regular board meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves

April 14

Bike the Cbus planning meeting

Smart City meeting with US Department of Transportation

April 16

Pedal Instead at OSU Spring Game

April 18

Yay Bikes! board meeting

April 19

Meeting with Pam O'Grady, Director, Government Affairs, and Kimber Perfect, Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications, for the City of Columbus Office of Mayor Andrew Ginther

April 20

Meeting with Chillicothe Mayor Luke Feeny and Nick Tepe, Director, Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library

Regular public meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves

April 21

Connect Columbus community advisory meeting

Bike the Cbus planning meeting

Presentation to OPAL (Olentangy, Powell and Liberty Trails)

April 23

Pedal Instead at Columbus Earth Day

Week of April 25

Placing of Ride of Silence "ghost bikes" throughout Columbus

April 27

Columbus Metropolitan Club presentation: "Bicycle Power: On the Path to Bikes"

Regular meeting of the Central Ohio Greenways board, on which Catherine serves

Regular meeting of the City of Columbus' Bicycle Working Group, on which Catherine serves 

April 28

Regular meeting of the City of Columbus Green Team Built Environment & Infrastructure Committee, on which Catherine serves

Ride of Silence planning meeting

March 2016 activity report

Yay Bikes! rides with the Columbus Department of Public Service to provide feedback on proposed bicycle infrastructure in the Sullivant Ave / Georgesville Road area.

Welcome to the monthly feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements for the month. Representation and outreach like this is what you fund with your membership dollars and major gifts, folks! Behold, March:

March 1

Meeting with Ashley Davis, Caitlin Harley and Bridgette Kidd at Ohio Department of Health to discuss active commutes for state employees 

March 2

City of Bexley's Broad Street Streetscaping Design Meeting

March 3

Bike the Cbus planning meeting

March 6

Columbus Underground: "Yay Bikes Hoping to Continue Successful Ride Buddy Program"

March 7–10

Presentation and attendance at the League of American Bicyclist's National Bike Summit; tours of the NPR and World Bank bike rooms; and meetings with Senator Portman and the offices of Senator Brown and Representatives Beatty, Jordan, Fudge and Tiberi

March 8

This Week News: "Road work to begin soon, may include medians"

March 10

Tabling at Battelle Bike Expo

March 11

Ride with City of Columbus Department of Public Service to discuss proposed designs of bikeways near Sullivant Ave and Georgesville Road

March 12

Year of Yay! ride with "Chickens" theme

March 13

Tabling at Ohio Bicycle Swap Meet

March 14

Ride of Silence planning meeting

March 15

Advisory Committee Meeting for the Worthington Hills extension of the Olentangy Trail

March 16

City of Bexley's Broad Street Streetscaping Design Meeting

March 17

Bike the Cbus planning meeting

March 18

Press conference celebrating 1 million COTA Cbus trips

March 21

Yay Bikes! board meeting

March 24

Pinchflat planning meeting

March 27

Vetting a route for the Safe Routes to School National Conference ride

Columbus Dispatch: "Warm weather brings out bike-path safety warning"

March 28

Franklin County Consortium for Good Government meeting

Columbus Dispatch: "CoGo bike-share program getting new sites, higher prices"

March 29

Training on how to use the OSU Bike Share System 

Bexley City Council meeting with discussion on sharrows

March 31

Bike the Cbus planning meeting

How We Roll OSU ride

February 2016 activity report

Bexley considers bikeways, with a presentation by Mayor Ben Kessler. Photo credit: Catherine Girves

Welcome to the monthly feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements for the month. Representation and outreach like this is what you fund with your membership dollars and major gifts, folks! Behold, February:

February 2

"Inspired to Ride" film screening at Drexel East

February 3

Attended the City of Bexley's Broad Street Streetscaping Design Meeting

Meeting with Emily Monnig of Paradise Garage regarding the Pinchflat Poster Show

Meeting with Caitlin Harley of the Ohio Department of Health to discuss mode shift strategies for the statewide active transportation plan

February 5

Meeting with Ryan Edwards of United Way of Central Ohio to discuss ways to improve transportation options for low-income residents 

February 7

Year of Yay! route vetting ride

February 8

Meeting with Bill Gordon of Columbus Outdoor Pursuits regarding Bike Hub and Ride of Silence

Regular meeting of the CoGo Bike Share Stakeholder Group

Ride of Silence planning meeting

February 11

Bike the Cbus planning meeting

Meeting of the City of Columbus' Green Team

Phone call regarding year-round riding with Winter Bike Congress speaker and Yay Bikes! member Juana Sandoval

February 13

Year of Yay! ride with "Some like it HOT" theme, featuring stops at L.L.Bean and REI

February 14

Columbus Dispatch: "Repaving to clog 2 Downtown Columbus arteries this spring"

February 15

Yay Bikes! board meeting

February 16

Meeting of the Ohio Active Transportation Plan Group, with Ride Buddy presentation by Catherine Girves

February 17

Bike corral demo with redesign team

Attended City of Bexley's Broad Street Streetscaping Design Meeting

General (public) meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves

February 18

Meeting with Tour de Brew regarding possible partnership

February 25

Meeting with Andrew Campbell of the Columbus Metropolitan Club regarding a panel on biking for transportation

Attended the Broad Street Public Improvements Workshop

February 29

Yay Bikes! board strategic planning meeting

January 2016 activity report

Bike hub research took us to Indianapolis for the day! 

Welcome to the monthly feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements for the month. Representation and outreach like this is what you fund with your membership dollars and major gifts, folks! Behold, January:

Jan 2

Monthly Year of Yay! route vetting ride

Jan 3

Meeting with architect Kay Bea Jones to discuss possible layouts for a downtown Columbus Bike Hub

Jan 5

Meeting with the City of Columbus Bike Hub team and architects to discuss possible facilities and space layout

Introductory meeting with Lorrie Laing @ Cambridge Systematics Inc to explore Ride Buddy funding opportunities

Jan 6

Meeting with Bexley leadership to explore options for Broad Street improvements

CityScene: A Bicycle Built for 2 (Million)

Jan 7

Meeting with Lisa Minklei @ Homeport about offering How We Roll rides at a new affordable housing facility

Meeting with YMCA leadership regarding a potential Bike Hub partnership

Jan 8

Travel to Indianapolis to visit INDY Bike Hub YMCA and meet with its leadership.

Meeting with INDYCOG Executive Director Kevin Whited

Columbus Underground: Tips for Winter Bike Riding

Jan 9

Year of Yay! ride, “Taking” theme

Jan 11

Ride of Silence planning meeting

Jan 12

SubCommittee meeting of the United Way of Central Ohio’s Home Impact Council to discuss Kiva Columbus proposal

Meeting @ MORPC to discuss the possibility for a regional bike share

Meeting of MORPC's Active Transportation Plan Stakeholder group

This Week Community News: Bike shop wins contest, YAY Bikes! benefits

Jan 18

Monthly Yay Bikes! board meeting

Jan 20

Meeting with Denis de Verteuil about this year’s Pinchflat poster show

Jan 21

Meeting with Slagle Design about the Pedal Instead redesign project

Jan 22

Meeting of the Ohio Active Transportation Plan group

Jan 24

Training for Year of Yay! volunteer ride leadership

Jan 25–27

Travel to Washington DC to visit Bikestation Washington DC

Jan 28

Regular meeting of the Central Ohio Greenways Board Program Committee

Regular meeting of the Central Ohio Greenways Board

Jan 29

Travel to Cincinnati to visit the Cincinnati Bike Center

December 2015 activity report

City of Columbus officials and Yay Bikes! volunteers at the official launch of Columbus' first protected bike lanes.

Welcome to the monthly feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements for the month. Representation and outreach like this is what you fund with your membership dollars and major gifts, folks! Behold, December:

December 2

Regular meeting of the Safe Routes to School National Conference Program Committee

Exploratory meeting with a representative of Adventure Cycling about participation in National Bike Travel Weekend

December 3

Led a meeting and ride for the Knight Foundation and an exploratory committee from the Akron area to showcase why Columbus is a cool bike city

Official ride with Columbus City Councilman Shannon Hardin opening the bike lanes on Summit/3rd and Fourth Streets

Attended the 11th Annual Statewide Tribute to Rosa Parks, offered by COTA, The Ohio State University and Congresswoman Joyce Beatty

The Lantern: "Protected bike lanes open along Summit Avenue"

December 5

Spoke about the movie "Bikes vs Cars" and bicycle infrastructure at Paradise Garage's Holiday Hop Party

December 8

Inaugural meeting of ODOT's Statewide Active Transportation Team

Regular meeting of COTA's NextGen Advisory Group

Conversation with staff at Paradise Garage regarding new Columbus infrastructure

December 10

Quarterly meeting of Columbus' Chronic Disease Prevention Advisory Board

December 12

Year of Yay! with "Giving" theme featuring stops at the Lutheran Social Services West Side Food Pantry and WCMH NCB4 studios "Firefighters for Kids" toy drive

December 13

The Columbus Dispatch: "New bike lanes causing confusion north of Downtown"

December 14

Ride of Silence planning meeting

December 16

General (public) meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves

Board meeting of the Central Ohio Greenways Board

December 21

Regular monthly board meeting of Yay Bikes!

Kick-off meeting with the City of Columbus to explore the possibility of a Downtown Bike Hub

December 22

Meeting with the Fitness Loft to discuss considerations for operating a shower/locker space

Streetsblog USA: "Vote for the Best Urban Street Transformation of 2015"

December 25

Columbus Underground: "Best Nonprofits in Columbus"

November 2015 activity report

Welcome to the monthly feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements for the month. Representation and outreach like this is what you fund with your membership dollars and major gifts, folks! Behold, November:

November 2

Regular meeting of MORPC’s Community Advisory Council, on which Catherine serves

November 4

Inaugural meeting of the Safe Routes to School National Conference Program Committee, on which Catherine serves

November 5

Regular meeting of the Mayor's Green Team Transportation Committee, on which Catherine serves

Connect Columbus "Tactical Urbanism" event featuring temporary protected bike lanes

November 6

Columbus Dispatch: "Columbus experiments with protected bike lanes"

Ride with City of Columbus engineers and other officials to preview Summit and 4th Street's new protected bike lanes and provide feedback

November 7

Pedal Instead @ OSU v Minnesota

November 9

Meeting with MORPC's RideSolutions staff to discuss the future of our Ride Buddies program

November 10

Inaugural meeting with Olentangy Paddles to discuss potential partnerships

Scioto Greenways Grand Opening

November 11

Board meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves

November 12

Program Committee meeting of the Central Ohio Greenways Board

November 14

Year of Yay! with "Biology Class" theme featuring stops at the Wilma H. Schiermeier Olentangy River Wetland Research Park,Café Briosoand Grange Insurance Audubon Center

November 16

Regular monthly board meeting of Yay Bikes!

Lantern TV: "Ohio State off-campus area home to first protected bike lane"

November 17

Inaugural meeting of Central Ohio's active transportation leadership to assess overlapping interests and explore coalition building

November 18

Inaugural meeting with Caitlin Harley of the Ohio Department of Health to discuss mode shift and the state's healthy community plan

General (public) meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves

Board meeting of the Central Ohio Greenways Board

Annual Membership Meeting for Community Shares of Mid Ohio, featuring workshops "Social Media 101" and "Fundraising is an Art, Not a Science"

November 19

Tabling at the annual meeting of Downtown Capital Crossroads SID

November 21

Pedal Instead @ OSU v Michigan State

November 24

2015 National Philanthropy Day awards luncheon

Ride with City of Columbus engineers and other officials to preview Summit and 4th Street's new protected bike lanes and provide feedback

November 29

Olde Worthington Partnership "It's a Wonderful Window Contest" Open House with RIDEhome's Yay Bikes! entry

November 30

Regular meeting of MORPC’s Community Advisory Council, on which Catherine serves

October 2015 activity report

Welcome to the monthly feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements for the month. Representation and outreach like this is what you fund with your membership dollars and major gifts, folks! Behold, October:

October 2

Two presentations at MORPC's Summit on Sustainability: "Safer Streets & More Trails for a Healthier, More Active Region", Yay Bikes! Director Catherine Girves with Jordan Whisler of MORPC, Darren Hurley of the City of Worthington and Kjirsten Frank Hoppe of MVRPC; and "Driving by Yourself is Lame; We Give SOV a Bad Name",  Yay Bikes! Director Catherine Girves with Cleve Ricksecker of Capital Crossroads SID and Bilin Aksun Guvenc of OSU

October 7

Presentation at WTS Fall Luncheon: "All About Biking", Yay Bikes! Director Catherine Girves with Tony Collins of City of Columbus, Beth Snoke of OSU, Letty Schamp of City of Hillard, and Thea Walsh of MORPC

Route vetting ride for October's Year of Yay!

October 8

Regular meeting of Mayor Coleman's Green Team

October 10

Year of Yay! with "Get out the vote!" theme featuring stops at Upper Arlington Municipal Services Center,Franklin County Board of Electionsand the Bosco Center

Pedal Instead @ OSU v Maryland

October 12

Tiffany Dixon hired as Yay Bikes! Marketing & Communications Manager

Ride of Silence planning meeting

October 14

Board meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves

October 17

Pedal Instead @ OSU v Penn State

October 18

Pedal Instead @ Columbus Marathon

October 19

Regular monthly Board Meeting of Yay Bikes!

October 20

Co-sponsored a Candidates Forum with DRAC and Franklin County Consortium for Good Government featuring 6 candidates for Franklin County Municipal Court Judge and 9 candidates for Columbus City Council

October 21

Program Committee meeting of the Central Ohio Greenways Board, on which Catherine serves

Presentation for OSU City & Regional Planning graduate seminar

Strategic Planning Board Meeting of Yay Bikes!

October 23

Ride of Silence fundraiser @ Highball Halloween

October 24

Ride of Silence fundraiser @ Highball Halloween

October 26

Ride Buddy ride with new Yay Bikes! employee

October 27

Presentation at Ohio Transportation Engineers Conference (OTEC): "Case Study: 4th and Summit Streets", Yay Bikes! Director Catherine Girves with Eric Lowery & Brian Hagerty of Stantec and Daniel Morehead & Richard Ortman of City of Columbus

WTS Meet & Greet event

October 28

OTEC, Day 2

Pedal Instead redesign meeting

September 2015 activity report

Welcome to the monthly feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements for the month. Representation and outreach like this is what you fund with your membership dollars and major gifts, folks! Behold, September:

September 2

Bread Breaking grand opening event at Whole Foods Easton, at which we were announced as the Q4 wooden nickel donation recipients

Launch event for OSU's Bike Share program

September 4

Registration and packet pick-up Bike the Cbus and Bike the Cbus+

Columbus Dispatch: "Columbus hopeful for state funds to rebuild 3rd Avenue railroad bridge" 

September 5

WBNS 10-TV: "Best Bets: Things To Do Around Central Ohio This Weekend"

Bike the Cbus and Bike the Cbus+

Pedal Instead @ Bike the Cbus and Bike the Cbus+

September 7

Pedal Instead @ Upper Arlington Labor Day Arts Festival

September 9

Bikeway Design Planning: State of the Practice, sponsored by ODOT

Board meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves

Route vetting ride for September Year of Yay!

September 12

Year of Yay!with "Architectouring" theme featuring stops at Columbus Architectural Salvage,MAPFREStadium and Ohio Firefighters Union Hall

Pedal Instead @ OSU v Hawaii

September 15

Introductory meeting with local leadership of Black Girls Do Bike

Ride Buddy ride with Owens & Minor employee

September 16

General (public) meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves

September 17

Regular meeting of the COTANextGen Project Advisory Group, on which Catherine serves

September 18

Regular meeting of the CoGo Planning Team

Business First: "People to Know: Catherine Girves"

September 19

Pedal Instead @ OSU v Northern Illinois

September 21

Ride Buddy with Ohio Attorney General Office employee

Regular monthly Board Meeting of Yay Bikes!

September 26

Pedal Instead @ OSU v Western Michigan

September 28

Introductory meeting with the State of New Jersey DOT's Bike–Ped Coordinator

Regular meeting of MORPC’s Community Advisory Council, on which Catherine serves

September 29

Safe Routes to School Ohio Network: "Workplace Commute" webinar

September 30

Regular meeting of Columbus’s Bicycle Working Group, on which Catherine serves

August 2015 activity report

Welcome to the monthly feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements for the month. Representation and outreach like this is what you fund with your membership dollars and major gifts, folks! Behold, August:

August 1

Ohio State Fair helmet fit for 400 children

August 3

Wrap meeting for the 2015Ride of Silence planning committee

August 4

Leading the 5th x NW National Night Out neighborhoodride

August 5

Route vetting ride for Bike the Cbus

August 6

Participation in 'The Courage toLead'@ Columbus Foundation, a professional development opportunityfor select local nonprofit executives

August 8

Year of Yay! "Food Incubators" ride featuring stops at Food Fort, OH! Chips and The Commissary

August 9

Ride Buddy ride with Grange employee

August 10

Board meeting of the Franklin County Consortium for Good Government, on which Catherine serves

August 12

Pedal Instead redesign planning meeting

Board meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves

August 17

Regular monthly board meeting of Yay Bikes!

August 19

General (public) meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves

August 22

Grove City's "Bike With Mayor Ike" Ride

Pedal Instead @ Grove City EcoFest

August 26

This Week Community News: "City launches green EcoFest"

Regular meeting of the Central Ohio Greenways Board, on which Catherine serves

Final regular meeting of the Blueprint Columbus Community Advisory Panel

August 29

Final route vetting & VIP volunteer ride for Bike the Cbus

August 30

Board meeting for Franklin County Consortium for Good Government, on which Catherine serves

August 31

Regular meeting of MORPC’s Community Advisory Council, on which Catherine serves

How advocacy gets done, Yay Bikes!-style

During the past 6 weeks we have led more than 40 transportation planning and design professionals -- via the Connect Columbus project and MORPC-funded professional development rides with Columbus Public Service, MORPC and ODOT employees -- on educational rides throughout the city, in groups of 1 to 5 people You read that right. MORE THAN 40 TRANSPORTATION PROFESSIONALS.

And over and over, we've heard how the experience of riding with us has helped participants reconsider their approach to infrastructure design, as well as how they've been inspired to make these rides standard operating procedure for all transportation professionals, both locally and throughout the state. Here's just a taste of the feedback we received:

"[My favorite part of the ride was]...being able to see the integration between the designs on paper, the cyclist themselves, and the driver interaction and how it all comes together. There are definitely eye opening things when riding out on the streets first hand and I would recommend all designers/operations people experience it to have that background knowledge."

Wow.  See THIS is how infrastructure advocacy is done, folks. One intimate ride at a time, with the teams who determine what is designed and what is funded. Getting professionals out on bikes, making connections between designs on paper and the lived experience of bicycling -- well, it just makes all the difference. So this is what we do at Yay Bikes!. It's why we're unique.

It's also why we ask for your support. Because teaching people well takes something more than a brochure or a video or a list of tips. It takes a thoughtful, meaningful interaction that fosters learning and growth. Which is, admittedly, quite the investment of organizational resource -- but one that we can already see will prove long on returns for Ohio's bicycling community.

Follow the links to read more about our Connect Columbus and ODOT rides.

YB! leads professional development ride with ODOT safety team

ODOT ride

On July 21, 2015, Yay Bikes! ride leaders Catherine Girves and Meredith Joy, along with trusty sweeps Steve Puhl Jr and Julie Walcoff, led a group of 8 Ohio Department of Transportation professionals on a tour of bicycle facilities on Columbus' South and East sides. This group represented the Safety Team, aka the folks determining which safety projects -- including bicycle infrastructure projects -- throughout the state will receive funding. Most of them had ridden trails but not roads, and a couple hadn't ridden a bike since childhood, so this ride proved the first urban riding experience for our group.

Split into 2 groups of 4, the cyclists rode a challenging 10-mile (or 12-mile, if they were in the accidental wrong-way group!) route beginning at the Grange Audubon Center and hitting the following streets: Front, Main, Grant, Town, Parsons, Livingston, Ohio and Champion, Oak, Washington, Gay, Broad, 3rd, Fulton, High and Whittier. Along the way, they got to experience sharrows, bike lanes to nowhere, bike lanes in door zones, unmarked narrow lanes, freeway on- and off-ramps, multi-lane one-ways and more. As well as the overwhelming heat of the day and, of course, the typical sights, smells & sounds that make bicycling so damn lovely. Everyone was heroic! Everyone was also very very hungry when we sat down to share our delicious post-ride meal at El Arepazo.

Here's some of our early feedback from the ride:

What was your favorite part of the ride?

Trying the different bicycle treatments like the sharrows, the bike lanes and bike boulevard to see how each performed.

...being able to see the integration between the designs on paper, the cyclist themselves, and the driver interaction and how it all comes together. There are definitely eye opening things when riding out on the streets first hand and would recommend all designers/operations people to experience it first hand to have that background knowledge.

Stopping periodically to discuss various aspects of the ride. It helped solidify or reinforce important design and riding concepts in my mind.

What did you learn?

I learned there is a huge difference between a good designed bike lane or facility and one that is just thrown in last minute to a project to make it a complete street ... The narrow bike lanes, especially next to parked cars, was a huge eye opener. Also, understanding why the rider must own the lane for their safety was an eye opener on the City streets. Most of my bike riding experience has come on the bike trails or residential streets.

Was there anything different than what you expected?

 I felt way more comfortable riding through downtown and the various other streets than I thought that I would.

It was a lot less scary than I thought it would be.

I didn't expect to feel so comfortable riding downtown streets. I think it helped that we rode as a group with a calm, experienced ride leader.

We at Yay Bikes! are honored to have hosted such a thoughtful group of professionals on this ride, and look forward to more such rides with professionals throughout the state. Thanks to ODOT (and let's not forget MORPC!) for investing in these training opportunities.

Out & About with Yay Bikes! — July 2015

Welcome to the monthly feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements for the month. Representation and outreach like this is what you fund with your membership dollars and major gifts, folks! Behold, July:

July 1

How We Roll Pelotonia ride with reporter Steve Wartenberg

Pedal Instead redesign planning meeting

July 2

Regular meeting of Mayor Coleman’s Green Team, on which Catherine serves

Meeting re: National Night Out with 5th x Northwest Commission Chair Becky Obester

July 4

Doo Dah Parade with "Mellow Max" theme

July 8

Presentation on bicycle commuting for the Rotary Club of Dublin Worthington

Guest at Transit Columbus' Board Meeting

Regular board meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves

July 10

Pelotonia blog post: "Two Ways to Become a Road Scholar"

Pedal Instead at the Mayor's Twilight Ride

July 11

Year of Yay!with "Cooling It" theme featuring stops at Byrd Polar Research Center, Graeter's Ice Cream and Zauber Brewing Company

July 12

Pedal Instead @ "Bike to the Ballpark", sponsored by Kenda Tires

July 14

How We Roll Pelotonia ride

July 15

WTS Columbus Ice Cream Social networking event

General (public) meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves

Pedal Instead redesign planning meeting

July 16

Ride Buddy ride with Whitehall City Schools employee

July 17

Connect Columbus ride of NE Columbus with transportation professionals and members of the general public

July 20

Regular monthly board meeting of Yay Bikes!

Meeting with the City of Columbus' Bicycle & Safe Routes to School Coordinators

July 21

Professional development ride with members of the Ohio Department of Transportation's safety funding team

July 22

Regular meeting of the Blueprint Columbus Community Advisory Panel

July 23

Regular meeting of the COTANextGen Project Advisory Group, on which Catherine serves

July 28

Attendance at MORPC’s Regional Education Forum

How We Roll Pelotonia ride

July 29

Inaugural meeting of the Central Ohio Greenways Board, on which Catherine serves

Introductory meeting with Bike Miami Valley

Regular meeting of Columbus’s Bicycle Working Group, on which Catherine serves

Bike the Cbus planning meeting

Pedal Instead redesign planning meeting

July 30

Professional development ride with MORPC employees

Team Buckeye Biker Bash tabling event

Connect Columbus process includes bicycle tour of NE Columbus

One of four groups prior to the ride.

Twenty-six people gathered to explore and learn to ride the roads of the Northland neighborhoods by bike on Friday, July 17, 2015, as part of the third Connect Columbus public input process. Some were transportation planners and engineers. Some were members of the general public. Some were experienced bicyclists learning to navigate roads they have not felt safe navigating on their own. Some were well trained Yay Bikes! leaders and sweeps, there to facilitate a moment of experiential learning. It was a blast!

We started at the Franklin County Board of Elections at 1700 Morse Road where our eight ride leaders and sweeps divided everyone into small groups. Each team of Yay Bikes! How We Roll ride leaders started by sharing rules of the road for bicyclists and teaching participants the importance of being visible and predictable when riding roads. Team leaders explained that in How We Roll rides participants travel single file in small groups riding the roads silently. Our goal is to help create an experience where small group instruction happens, and participants encounter something similar to riding roads alone.

Each How We Roll ride teaches participants to ride roads safely, but also includes an additional component that is of interest to the group. Our secondary focus on this ride was bicycle infrastructure, what works, what doesn't work, and why. We traveled over well placed bicycle infrastructure, confusing bicycle infrastructure, and well intended but dangerous infrastructure. We traveled roads that had no bike infrastructure that were perfectly pleasant ones that were a bit more scary. We traveled well paved roads with clear markings and roads that desperately needed resurfacing – experiencing first hand that a good road surface is an absolutely key component of a bike friendly community.

While traveling we heard bird song and children playing. While stopped at a red light, we saw and talked to giggling young adults in a car with a baby kitten in a basket. We smelled pizza cooking and the body lotion of a pedestrian passing us. We felt air temperature fall on Maize Road as the trees breathed and the creek flowed, and felt it raise on Morse Road where nine lanes of asphalt baked in the afternoon sun.

At each of our six stops (one at the beginning, four on the road, and one at the end), well trained Yay Bikes! leaders and sweeps encouraged participants to describe what they noticed and how they felt. Our leaders shared resources and helped folks figure out how to have the best experience possible on any type of road. Our sweeps corrected people engaging in dangerous behaviors and watched as riders competence increased.

In 8.5 miles, we traveled through neighborhood streets, neighborhood arterials, and major arterials. We passed three Interstate 71 exit ramps and one entrance ramp. We needed to merge with car traffic several times on Karl, on Maize, and on Morse to get to our destination. We traveled a section of road that was nine travel lanes wide and included cars, trucks, motorcycles, COTA buses and people on bikes. On Morse Road, we left the bike lane and crossed four travel lanes to make a left to reach our final destination. We were bad asses!

Bad asses, just like every other person who lives in that neighborhood that doesn't own a car and has to figure out how to get to employment, school, the library, the grocer, the laundry mat, the recreation center, all the places people go in their daily lives.

We want thank the City of Columbus and the consults at Nelson Nygaurd who prioritized and resourced this experience, and CoGo for providing bikes to participants who did not have one. Yay Everyone!

Catherine Girves appointed to the new Central Ohio Greenways board

Cyclists ride a greenways trail. Photo source: planning-next.com 

As of June 11, 2015, Catherine Girves has officially been appointed as a member of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC)'s Central Ohio Greenways (COG) Board. Her term will run through December 2016.

The COG Board will be a standing board on the Sustainability Advisory Committee that guides the economic and environmental sustainability activities of MORPC and its working groups. The board will provide input and direction on matters of regional importance as they pertain to trails in Central Ohio, addressing such topics as trail development, marketing, funding, education and programming. Its vision is to increase trails and trail usage for recreation and transportation.

Yay Catherine!

Out & About with Yay Bikes! — June 2015

Welcome to the monthly feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements for the month. Representation and outreach like this is what you fund with your membership dollars and major gifts, folks! Behold, June:

June 1

Urban Cincy article: "Ohio Maintains Position as Nation's 16th Best State for Bicyclists" 

Leading 3 How We Roll educational rides with OSU First Year Peer Leaders

Information session @ MORPC

Regular meeting of MORPC’s Community Advisory Council, on which Catherine serves

June 2

Ride Buddy a.m. commute with an Ohio Consumer Council employee

Ride Buddy p.m. commute with a MORPC employee

June 3

Ride Buddy a.m. commute with a Nationwide Children's Hospital employee

Ride Buddy p.m. commute with an NBBJ employee

June 4

Ride Buddy lunchtime ride with 3 Grange Insurance employees

Meeting with MORPC's Ride Solutions team

June 5

Leading 3 How We Roll educational rides with OSU First Year Peer Leaders

Yay Bikes! employee Steve Puhl Jr and super volunteer Shyra Allen earned League Cycling Instructor certification

June 6

Ride Buddy practice commute with a Nationwide Insurance employee

Ride Buddy practice commute with 2 Grange Insurance employees

June 8

Information Session @ Bricker & Eckler

June 9

Regular meeting of the CoGo Advisory Group

June 9

Ride Buddy p.m. ride with a  Columbus Public Health employee

June 10

Ride Buddy lunchtime ride with 4 Ohio Board of Regents employees

Ride Buddy professional development ride with 4 City of Columbus Public Service employees

June 11

Regular meeting of Mayor Coleman's Green Team, on which Catherine serves

Ride Buddy professional development ride with a City of Columbus Public Service employee

Ride Buddy p.m. commute with a CoGo Bike Share employee

June 12

Ride Buddy a.m. commute with private attorney

Ride Buddy downtown tour with an ODOT and a MurphyEpson employee

Leading 2 How We Roll educational rides with OSU First Year Peer Leaders

June 13

Year of Yay! "Oddities" theme with stops at the Early Television Museum and Bill Moose Memorial

June 14

Ride Buddy practice commute with 2 Grange Insurance employees

June 15

Ride Buddy a.m./p.m. commutes with an Ohio History Connection employee

June 16

Ride Buddy a.m. commute with a City of Columbus Public Service employee

Pelotonia How We Roll ride with a Safelite Autoglass employee

June 17

Information session @ NBBJ

Board meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves

June 18

Information session @ Stantec

Ride Buddy lunchtime ride with 4 Ohio Board of Regents employees

June 19

Information session @ Ohio History Connection

Pedal Instead @ Columbus PRIDE

June 20

Pedal Instead @ Columbus PRIDE

Pedal Instead @ Buckeye Country Superfest

June 21

Pedal Instead @ Buckeye Country Superfest

Pedal Instead @ Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival

Ride Buddy practice commute with a Grange Insurance employee

June 22

Business First article: "MORPC, Yay Bikes! launch Ride Buddy program to get more people to bike to work"

Ride Buddy a.m./p.m. commute with a COTA employee

Ride Buddy lunchtime ride with 2 Ohio Board of Regents employees

Yay Bikes! Board meeting

June 23

Attending MORPC's Regional Education Forum

Information session @ The Columbus Foundation

Ride Buddy downtown ride with an Ohio History Connection and an OSU Wexner Medical Center employee

Ride Buddy professional development ride with 3 City of Columbus Public Service employees

June 24

Information session @ Grange Insurance

Information session @ Capital Crossroads SID

Ride Buddy a.m. commute with a Bricker & Eckler employee

Bike the Cbus planning meeting

June 25

Ride Buddy east side ride with 3 Columbus State Community College employees

June 26

Pedal Instead @ ComFest

Ride Buddy a.m. commute with an Ulmer & Berne employee

Ride Buddy a.m. commute with 3 Bricker & Eckler employees

Ride Buddy lunchtime ride with 3 Ohio Board of Regents employees

June 27

Pedal Instead @ ComFest

Pedal Instead @ OhioHealth's Neuroscience Center Open House

June 28

Pedal Instead @ ComFest

June 29

Ride Buddy a.m. commute with a Mount Carmel College of Nursing employee

Ride Buddy p.m. commute and bike shopping with a MORPC employee

June 30

Presenting about Ride Buddies at the Central Ohio Greenways Forum

Information session @ Nationwide Insurance

Ride Buddy lunchtime ride with a Franklin County employee

Ride Buddy p.m. commute with a Franklin County employee

Out & About with Yay Bikes! — May 2015

bexley ride

Welcome to the feature in which we round up all our events, earned media, program delivery, meetings and speaking engagements from the previous month. Behold, May:

May 1 — Leading a How We Roll educational ride with Bexley's Mayor Kessler, Councilwoman Owen, Chief Rinehart & Service Director Dorman

May 2 — Presenting @ Bexley's Safety Education & Expo

May 2 — Pinchflat Bike Poster Show

May 4 — Fundraiser @ Lineage Brewing

May 6 — Delivering the safety speech @ North of Broad & Near East Side Neighborhood Pride community bike ride

May 6 — Meeting with Greg Lestini @ Bricker & Eckler LLP

May 7 — Regular meeting of Mayor Coleman's Green Team, Transportation Committee, on which Catherine serves

May 7 — Planning meeting for Central Ohio's 2015 Ride of Silence 

May 9 — Year of Yay!ride

May 12 — Columbus Dispatch article: "Annual Ride of Silence"

May 12 — Addressing the regular meeting of the Franklin County Board of Commissioners

May 12 —Sharing “How We Roll” @ Pelotonia’s Captains’ night

May 12 — 5th annual Ride the Elevator 

May 12 — Chamber of Commerce guest blog post: "The 'Big 3' Benefits of Riding a Bike to Work"

May 13 — Yay Bikes! button photo 'cameo'! Member Keith Lugs' photo, with YB! surreptitiously featured, was recognized among 23 others in the international bicycle photography competition: "24 Snapshots of Bikes"

May 13 —Board meeting of the Downtown Residents Association of Columbus, on which Catherine serves

May 13 — Board meeting of Community Shares of Mid Ohio

May 14 — Promoting Bike to Work Day on the CD102.5 Morning Show

May 14 — Planning meeting for Central Ohio's 2015 Ride of Silence

May 15 — Leading 2 routes to Columbus Commons on Bike to Work Day, winning the annual participation award and riding with Mayor Coleman and Stinger from the Columbus Bluejackets

May 15 — Information Sessions (2) @ Nationwide Insurance

May 15 — Panelist for the Ohio Young Professionals Weekend & Leadership Summit presentation "2015: The Future of Transportation" w/Wiliam Murdoch MORPC, Curtis Stitt COTA, Julie Walcoff ODOT, Chuck Dyer ODOT, Patty Austin City of Columbus, Chet Ridenour Car2Go, John Justice Café Brioso

May 16 — Columbus Dispatch article: "Coleman, Stinger join hundreds who bike to work today"

May 17 — Pedal Instead @ Columbus Underground's Urban Living Tour

May 20 — Attending MORPC's Bike Safety Lunch & Learn

May 20 — Regular meeting of MORPC's Active Transportation Plan Work Group, on which Catherine serves

May 20 — Participating in COTA NextGen's Project Advisory Group

May 20 — 9th annual Ride of Silence

May 20 — nbc4i report: "'Ride of Silence' Draws Awareness to Cycling Safety"

May 21 — Information Session @ Ulmer & Berne LLP

May 21 — Information Session for OSU's First Year Peer Leaders

May 21 — Columbus Dispatch article: "'Ride of Silence' fills streets with bicyclists"

May 26 — Ride Buddy morning commute with an OSU employee

May 27 —Regular meeting of Columbus’s Bicycle Working Group, on which Catherine serves

May 27 — Presenting at the Columbus Young Professionals Club's Musical Chairs for Charity event

May 28 — Ride Buddy morning commute with a Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center employee

May 28 — Information Session @ NBBJ

May 29 — Ride Buddy lunchtime ride with an Ohio Department of Education employee

May 29 — Ride Buddy evening commute and downtown tour with an NBBJ employee

May 30 — Planning meeting for Bike the Cbus

May 31 — Ride to begin vetting Bike the Cbus routes

2015 Ride of Silence Recap

high street ride of silence

We have so many people to thank for making this year's Ride of Silence experience such a meaningful one:

Event Planning Chair—Kathleen Koechlin

Planning Team members—John Bannon, Eliza Farrel, Rob Hendricks, Pat Landusky, David Curran, Jeff Gove, Rahel Babb, Abby Rhodebeck

Sponsors—Ohio Department of Transportation, Westerville Bicycle Club,

Speakers—Mark Gibson (reading the Ride of Silence poem), Columbus Chief of Police Kim Jacobs (her comments are here), State Representative Mike Stinziano (his comments are here), Yay Bikes! Executive Director Catherine Girves (her comments are here).

Escorts—The Columbus Police Department

Media—The Dispatch and nbc4i

Food truck—Tatoheads

Photographer—Bryan Barr

Bagpiper—Scott Caputo

And—Leslie Strader, Office of the Mayor; Julie Walcoff and Michelle May, Ohio Department of Tranpostation

And+—All the riders who braved the chill, followed the rules and made a silent statement of solidarity with those whose lives have been impacted by unsafe driving.

Below is the official report we will be submitting for the international Ride of Silence website, written by our Event Planning Chair Kathleen Koechlin.

It was a chilly, gray day in Columbus, Ohio, but that did not stop the 333 or so cyclists from gathering at City Hall to make the eight mile ride in honor of those killed and injured while riding on our streets. This was the first year that Yay Bikes!, a local bicycle organization whose mission is to increase trips by bicycle and reduce bicycle crashes in the Central Ohio area and beyond, organized this event. The core planning committee was deliberately comprised of persons directly impacted; four have been seriously injured and one has a brother who was killed while cycling on a public road. It was very important to the planning committee that onlookers understand the purpose of the ride; in past years, this was not always the case, leading to some hostility when cyclists did not respond when spoken to. To this end, ghost bikes were placed around town several weeks before the event with signs linking people to the Yay Bikes! Ride of Silence webpage for information about the ride. Posters were printed and hung in windows along the route as well as in bike shops and local businesses around town to raise awareness and encourage participation.

People began gathering at 5:30 pm and the program started at 6:30 pm. Volunteers greeted cyclists, had them sign waivers, provided them instruction, and tied on armbands – red if they had been injured and black for everyone else.

The friend of two cyclists struck by a minivan on April 23, 2015 near Zanesville, Ohio (who was also hit by a car in the past) opened the program by reading the Ride of Silence poem and giving a brief biography of Brenda Hoffman who died in the collision and an update on Brad Hollingsworth who survived but was seriously injured. Brad’s wife, mother, and mother-in-law were there and rode with us. The Chief of Police, Kim Jacobs, spoke briefly, followed by State Representative Michael Stinziano. The final speaker was Catherine Girves, Executive Director of Yay Bikes!, who made a call to action for peaceful streets. Cards with information on specific local and statewide initiatives around safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists were distributed, and people were encouraged to get involved. After reviewing how to ride public roads safely, Catherine ended her time at the podium by reading the names and dates of death of all bicyclists killed on public roadways in Ohio in 2014.

Cyclists rode off in silence, riding two abreast, to a bagpiper playing in the background. We were led by Columbus police officers on motorcycles, followed by a cargo bike with banners announcing the ride. While some police were paid to lead and protect us, several police on bicycles joined the ride on their own accord and helped at intersections, including the Chief of Police, herself. As we rode, some people on bicycles who were not part of the ride joined in as well. The cargo bike set the pace at approximately eight miles per hour to simulate a funeral procession, and the police treated the ride as such, blocking intersections as we rode an eight mile loop on two busy urban roads. Signs were mounted to the bicycle racks of 15 cyclists who were dispersed throughout the large group of riders, again to alert onlookers as to what they were witnessing since we all rode in silence. The final cyclist pulled a ghost bike which was so impactful that one onlooker was brought to tears.

A food truck was provided at the end of the ride to encourage people to stay and reflect on their experience. The event was well covered by media, both through a blog post from a fellow bicyclist at the local newspaper, the Columbus Dispatch, and at the event by all three local television stations. A press release was also issued.

This ride could never have been so successful without the support of the Westerville Bicycle Club, the Ohio Department of Transportation, and individual donations. We thank them all from the bottom of our hearts!

Columbus Police Chief Kimberly Jacobs — 2015 Ride of Silence

chief jacobs ride of silence

The following is the full text from Chief Jacob's comments at the Ride of Silence. We thank Chief Jacobs for her presence at the event and for her work to ensure the safety of everyone in our community.

My name is Kim Jacobs and I'm the Chief of Police for the City of Columbus. I'm here to speak and ride with you tonight on behalf of Mayor Coleman.

Recently many of us took to the streets to celebrate National Bike to Work Day. That was a fun and exciting day, seeing so many cyclists together making a statement. Today, the statement we make is a somber one as we remember and honor those who have tragically been killed or injured while riding a bike.

Many of you probably read about a great city employee, Bill Lewis. Bill and his intern Stephanie Fibelkorn were walking to a meeting, and had nearly made it to the bus stop just a block from where we stand now, when they were hit and killed as a result of a reckless driver. No, Bill wasn’t on his bike at the time, but he was using a public street, like we all do when we ride, with full rights to be there. Bill spent many years of his professional life advocating, planning and designing roadways to accommodate all users. We will continue this important work always in his memory. We miss him and fondly remember him and the others who have been killed while cycling.

Yay Bikes! Executive Director Catherine Girves — 2015 Ride of Silence

catherine ride of silence

The following is the full text from Catherine Girves's comments at the Ride of Silence.

2/21/2014 Frederick Carey

3/18/2014 Zachary Kerns

3/22/2014 Joe Giampapa

5/8/2014 Cleo Turpin

5/30/2014 Glenn Barna

5/30/2014 Lafayette Orr

7/18/2014 Dorothy Miller

8/8/2014 Harvey Bell

Mike Schengelsberger

Steve Barbour

Brenda Hoffman

The list goes on . . . and on . . . and tragically on.

My name is Catherine Girves, and I am the Executive Director of Yay Bikes! Tonight we join thousands of others worldwide in a silent slow-paced ride to honor and remember people who have been injured or killed while riding their bikes on public roadways.

But we are not just here to remember, we are here to act so that another name is never added to the list of those we've already lost.

You were given a card when you arrived that will help you take action to create peaceful streets in our communities.

If you live or work here in Central Ohio, I ask you, I beg you, to participate in the planning process currently taking place to decide what our streets will look like for the next 30 years. The next set of public meetings for the Connect Columbus plan are from June 1st through the 4th. If you can't make a meeting make comments on the web site, attend a future meeting, make sure your voice is heard. Make sure we are planning for safe streets for people who ride bikes.

At the Statewide level, I ask you to remind your legislators that roads need to be safe for those who ride bikes. Call or write your State legislator and ask them to co-sponsor HB 154 a law that would require people driving cars to give people riding bikes at least 3 feet when passing.

And at the Federal level – our wonderful Secretary of the US Department of Transportation, Secretary Foxx, has issued a challenge to every Mayor in the United States. The Mayors Challenge for Safer People and Safer Streets raises the bar for creating safe conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians. Mayor Coleman has accepted this challenge and the Department of Public Service is working in every area of the challenge. If you are not from Columbus, return to your home community and ask your Mayor to follow in kind.

Further, I make a personal ask of each of you. Ride roads in ways that are visible and predictable. Take the space you need to ensure your visibility to people driving cars. Signal your intentions to change lanes. Stop at lights and stop signs. Ride no more than two abreast. And ask every other person you ride with to do the same. In your everyday behaviors create safer streets for all.

I will not have another one of us lost. Join Yay Bikes! in demanding action in good street design, legislation to protect vulnerable road users, and enforcement of laws that protect people who ride bikes. Support us in educating people how to ride roads lawfully.

In a few moments we will head out to ride, two abreast on public roads. Maintain your position once we start. Silently honor those we have lost.