Albany Bicycle Coalition

by Lorenz M. Worden | April 8, 2011 · 1:00 pm

Spring Events Calendar

SPRING EVENT CALENDAR
April 8, 2011

On Going: March, April, May – Every Tuesday, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. –
Tune Up Your Bike Night and Repair Clinic at Albany Bike Rescue, 15 Trinity Place, Albany, NY 12202. Call 518-489-0393 or use contact form at https://albanybicyclecoalition.com/albanybikerescue/

April 1, 2011 Friday, 6 pm – 8 pm –
1st Friday Gallery Spin Bike Ride, Soldiers and Sailors Memorial, Washington Park, Albany. Urban ride around Albany, stopping at various galleries, especially those outside of the typical Lark St. cluster. For directions, see: http://bit.ly/9trvx9 https://albanybicyclecoalition.com/

April 8-10 and May 13-15 –
L.L.Bean’s Spring Sports Weekend, Visit any of retail stores for an event that outdoor enthusiasts of all ages will enjoy. L.L.Bean experts will host free clinics and demonstrations on paddling, hiking, camping, and other spring sports. Special discounts on springtime gear throughout the weekend.

April 13, Wednesday, 6 pm – 9 pm –
Traffic Skills 101 Refresher. This three-hour class is for graduates of TS 101 who plan to take the LCI Training in May. Both the Refresher and the LCI Training at Draper Hall, UA Downtown Campus. Contact Claire – 518-209-6477, cbnolou@yahoo.com or go to the League of American Bicyclists website.

April 14, Thursday, 11 am to 2 pm –
Spring Awakening event at the University of Albany. Be Green, Be Healthy, and Be Well. Contact Mary Ellen Mallia, Director of Environmental Sustainability UA 518-956-8120

April 22, Friday – 12 pm –
Earth Day Bike/Walk/Bus to Work Day, Lunch Hour Bicycle Parade Academy Park (in front of City Hall) Mayor’s Office of Energy and Sustainability http://www.albanysustainability.orgChris Franklin 518-522-2127 http://ualbanyplanners.org/christopherfranklin.as. Lunch Hour Bicycle Parade, contact Sandra Steubing at ssteub@yahoo.com.

April 28, Thursday –
NYBC Bike Summit –Bicycle advocates, coalition partners, and allies to gather in the State Capital to show that bicycling is important for human health, the environment, our economy, and our communities. We want investment to enable people of all ages and skill levels to ride safely on the road. Well of the Legislative Office Building, State St. Calling for passage of “Complete Streets Bill”. Contact Brian Kehoe, Program Manager to participate, brian@nybc.net, 518-436-0889, http://www.nybc.net/

April 29, Friday – 5:15 pm – 9:00 pm –
Friday Critical Mass (Community Bicycle Ride) – Soldiers and Sailors Memorial, Washington Park, Albany. Join an urban bike ride around the city of Albany in a group to help promote biking in our city. Riders of all skill levels are welcome. https://albanybicyclecoalition.com/

May 1, Sunday, 9:00 am – 7:00 pm –
Bike Expo 2011 – Corning Preserve, Albany NY Three Rides –10 mi (casual), 25 mi (casual), 50 mi (quick). John Vendetti, hardworkinjohn@aol.com, 225-4209, https://albanybicyclecoalition.com/

May 18, Wednesday, 6:00PM –
Ride of Silence – Start locations: 6:00 pm – Corning Preserve boat launch parking under I-787, and 6:30 pm – State Education Building, Washington Ave. Distance – 12 miles. Claire Nolan cbnolou@yahoo.com, http://www.rideofsilence.org/locations-domestic.php?s=NY#NY.

May 20-22, Friday-Sunday –
LCI Training – Pre-requisite Traffic Skills 101. Draper Hall, Downtown UA Campus. Claire Nolan cbnolou@yahoo.com or League of American Bicyclists website: https://members.bikeleague.org/members_online/members/findit.asp?action=search

Written by Lorenz Warden

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by Christopher | April 6, 2011 · 1:04 pm

Self-Sealing Tube For Quick Work Of Flats

So here’s an interesting piece of bike tech. Michelin cam out with a self sealing tube. I am told that this is nothing new in the bike world. What is new is that instead of pressure going outward instead it is pushing inward causing the hole to seal up quicker since the rubber pinches in on itself. Is this the next evolutionary leap in bike tube technology? What do you think?

New Michelin bike inner tube squeezes punctures closed

Written by Chris Belsole

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by Christopher | April 5, 2011 · 2:09 pm

Fuller Road Follow-up

I know I am breaking my rule of one post a day, but this info is so hot I just can’t hold on to it.

I just got done talking to a great guy named Bill Anslow who is the Project Manager for Albany County. He filled me in on the current construction going on on Fuller Rd.

Currently we are in Phase 2 of the construction project which spans the length between I-90 and Central Ave. This phase is going to last 15 weeks and should be done by the end of September. Going north there are going to be two lanes and going south there is going to be one lane with a turning lane in between them.

When I asked about the bike lanes he said that they were not putting them in. Rather they are opting for a situation much like on Western where the lanes are just a bit wider to accommodated both bikes and cars at the same time. He called it “Shared Travel.” Weather this option is better or not is for you to decide, and maybe for a future article, right now it is just good to be informed.

Thanks again to Bill Anslow for the information and for returning my call so swiftly.

Written by Chris Belsole

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by Christopher | April 5, 2011 · 1:45 pm

Fuller Road Construction Started

You can’t get anything past me. Okay so maybe you can, but as soon as traffic cones it the pavement I am on it.

Check out this video and then come back.

I know right! They are finally starting construction on the pothole filled, broken pavement riddled, flip your bike over monster that is Fuller Rd. Also did you notice in the video that the words “bike lane” came up. I can’t confirm any of this, and I put a call into the Department of Public Works and the news organization that ran the story for more info since I checked their website and it has not been updated in a while. In fact it says that construction was not to begin until November. So keep your fingers crossed that we come out on top with this one. If anything I am glad that they are going to fix the potholes.

Written by Chris Belsole

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by Christopher | April 4, 2011 · 12:00 pm

Madonna del Ghisallo

Okay, vacation over. Time to start churning out some content.

While my dream of taking a bike tour around Europe may be a ways into the future it never hurts to plan for it now. For this reason I have chosen my first stop on my grand cycling adventure, the Madonna del Ghisallo.

“According to the legend, the Medieval count Ghisallo was being attacked by bandits when he saw an image of Virgin Mary at a shrine. He ran to it and was saved from the robbers. The apparition became known as the Madonna del Ghisallo, and she became a patroness of local travellers. In later times, Madonna del Ghisallo (the hill) was made part of the Giro di Lombardia bicycle race.

A local priest, Father Ermelindo Vigano, proposed that Madonna del Ghisallo (the apparition) be declared the patroness of cyclists. This was confirmed by Pope Pius XII. Nowadays the shrine of Madonna del Ghisallo contains a small cycling museum with photos and artifacts from the sport. There also burns an eternal flame for cyclists who have died. One particularly notable artifact is the crumpled bicycle that Fabio Casartelli, a native of the region, rode on the day that he died in a crash in the Tour de France.”

–Wikipedia