News Items 

About News Items

05/18/2011 -

About News Items

The items in this section include information from Bike Texas, the League of American Bicyclists details on state cycling legislation and city ordinances, and other general information of interest to cyclists. Other information can be found in the BMAC Minutes section. Items for this section can be submitted to newsletter@sawheelmen.com.

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Eastside Bike Ride

05/21/2013 -

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MPO Bike Night

05/14/2013 -

MPO Bike Night Celebrates Bike Month

To help celebrate National Bike Month the Bicycle Mobility Advisory Committee (BMAC) holds its May meeting during the evening. This is an opportunity for cyclists who may not be able to make morning meetings to attend a BMAC meeting.  I am sure committee members agree when I say “thank you” to the cyclists who take time out of their busy riding schedule and come to the meetings. 

BMAC is comprised of partner agency staff and citizens dedicated to making the region safer for all cyclists.  It is wonderful when cyclists come to the meetings to support the committee’s work.  May 8^th’s Bike Night Meeting brought over thirty enthusiastic cyclists to VIA Metropolitan Transit’s Community Room.  Participants reviewed a draft of the 4^thedition Bike Map the MPO and City of San Antonio are collaborating on.  Public input is always a vital piece of the puzzle to produce a truly great map.  It is wonderful to see returning cyclists as well as cyclists who have just learned of the committee.

Agency staff members provided updates on future funding availability, the latest information on the Howard Peak Greenways, Mission Trails, VIA Metropolitan Transit and the City of San Antonio bicycle initiatives.  Additionally, a legislative update was provided on bills of interest to cyclists.  Of particular interest to parents is a program Bike Texas is initiating called Jenny’s Neighborhood.   It has something for kids and adults alike.  You may want to “play the game” with your children before the summer vacation.  You may find it atwww.BikeTexas.org/Game.

BMAC has three evening meetings a year.  If you missed our May meeting, consider joining us either July 10^th or October 9^th.  There will be more information in future issues of FastTrack, so please stay tuned.

Editor’s note: Lydia Kelly is retiring on May 31^st after 8 years as the Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Planner for the MPO. We appreciate her years of dedication in making our community a better place to live, work and play. Please feel free to thank her for her service at 230-6911 or kelly@sametroplan.org.

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May Is National Bike Month

04/30/2013 -

May is National Bike Month

May is National Bike Month. Celebrating National Bike Month is a great way to highlight how rapidly bicycling in our region is growing. With this increase in cycling comes the need for more education about cyclists and motorists sharing the road. What better way is there to focus on education than to identify an entire month specifically to talk about the benefits of including cycling into the transportation system?

For National Bike Month 2013, the MPO will again focus on highlighting exciting bicycling events in our region including the MPO's 17th Annual Walk & Roll Rally at Main Plaza on May 3^rd between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.   Dignitaries will speak on the benefits of active transportation.  If you work, play or live in the downtown area please join us for the Rally.  There will be exhibitors, free t-shirts (while supplies last), refreshments and door prizes.  Walk, roll, run, bus to the event and show your support.

Working together we can make the region a world-class bicycle-friendly community.  Please visitwww.walkandrollsa.com and browse the website.  While you are there take the pledge to start or increase your cycling during May.  You can also see all the bicycle friendly events already scheduled.  Check back often as events are being added regularly.

Here are some of the sponsored events highlighted when you visit www.walkandrollsa.com/events:

·         The Bike Waiter sponsored ride to the movies (Alamo Draft House)

·         Alamo Bike Shop weekly clinics

·         Book Signing:  “Had to Take Another Break, Bicycling Mis-Adventures”

·         Brackenridge Park Conservancy Resource and Conservation Bike Tour

·         Cool Cats leading the Ride of Silence

·         Frankenbike Swap Meet:  #36 (3^rd Anniversary)

·         San Anto Cultural Arts Bike Tour

·         San Antonio Botanical Gardens dollar discount off admission for cyclists the weekend of May 18^th and 19^th

·         San Antonio River Authority weekly rides to Mission Espada from the Guenther office

·         Wild Dawgs Bike Show

Please call Lydia Kelly at 210-230-6911 or e-mail at kelly@sametroplan.org to discuss how you can participate in our National Bike Month events.

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PoPo’s We-cycle Project

03/18/2013 -

PoPo's We-cycle is currently an all-volunteer project that began in December.  The initial goal of PPWC was to give 100 bikes to those in need, using only bicycles that were old, broken or unwanted and recycling them.  

Currently PPWC is recycling seven bikes a month with the possibility being much greater.  Our three major obstacles are collecting donations, funding and finding storage or workspace.  Current funding is all out of the founder’s pocket, including all new parts purchased, transportation expenses, storage and advertising.  

At this time, each bike requires about $7 to repair to a safe condition.  This does not include lights or helmets. Recipients are homeless veterans and children who would otherwise not be able to afford a bicycle.  While a bicycle may be a recreational toy for most, for others it is their lifeline getting them to work, school, church, or anywhere they need to go.  

We hope to have small bicycle mechanic rallies in different locations once a month and a large fiesta-style mechanic rally two to three times a year.  At these rallies we will extend our mechanic services to different neighborhoods and with donations of parts from sponsors, we will repair as many bicycles as possible during a four to six hour period.  All of the repairs will be simple and quick.  During these repairs, we will walk the bike owner through the repair so that they may repair their bike on their own in the future.  

Our current and most important needs are old, broken and unwanted bicycles and the funds to buy more tools and parts for repairs.  We are working towards becoming a 501(c)(3) or become a project under a current program.  Once we have this figured out, we will only need to find a reasonably priced building in a good location.  PPWC has the community in mind with all that it does.  

We are looking for the community to come together and make San Antonio better.  Putting two wheels under each San Antonian is our SA2020 resolution and with the thoughtful people of San Antonio there is no reason that this could not be possible.  

Eric Cerda 

Program Manager

PoPo's We-Cycle

www.poposwecycle.org

www.facebook.com/give100bikes

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The Reed Lee Benefit Fund

12/19/2012 -

On November 17^th a Wheelmen member, Reed Lee, was involved in a very serious cycling accident that left him paralyzed below the chest and with broken ribs and a punctured lung. He will probably be permanently paralyzed. Reed was riding on the shoulder of a rural highway when his front tire ran into and stuck in a parallel crack, catapulting him over the handlebars and onto the road.

Since then, he has been at University Hospital in San Antonio. Doctors are trying to stabilize him so he can begin physical and occupational therapy. The hospitalization and therapy is expected to take quite some time. Reed does have medical insurance and disability coverage but there are many expenses he will face which will not be covered. We have set up a bank account, the Reed Lee Benefit Fund, specifically to receive donations to help offset those expenses. Reed’s daughter, Elizabeth, is the only one who can withdraw funds (she has his Power of Attorney) and all donations will go to Reed.

Please be generous to help a fellow cyclist and Club member.  There are two ways to contribute to the Reed Lee Benefit Fund:

1. Got to any Frost Bank and make a deposit for the Reed Lee Benefit Fund.

2. You can make donations through Active.com at:  http://www.active.com/donate/reedlee

For each $5 donated through active.com you will receive a chance in a drawing for two SAW jerseys (two people will win a jersey). Closing date for the drawing will be announced later.

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Give that bicyclist more space; it just might be a police officer

12/19/2012 -

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Reed Lee’s Accident, November 17th 2012

12/09/2012 -

As of this writing it's been about three weeks now and it all still seems so surreal. For those who have not heard the story it goes like this: Friday evening, November 16^th one of my regular riding partners, Reed Lee and I exchanged a series of text message about the bike ride the next morning, usual guy stuff, just the facts: “You riding tomorrow? Yes but thinking about the 35 mile-ish route. Got things to do in the afternoon.” I got to thinking that the ride starts about 30 miles east of my house and Reed lives about ten miles west of me. “Want to carpool? No sense both of us driving out there.” “Sounds good. See you at the Home Deport parking lot at 7:50”.

At 4:00 am the next morning Reed wakes up. Nothing new for him, sleep has been inconsistent for years. Forty-five minutes later he surrenders to the inevitable and starts his day, getting organized for just another ride out in the flat lands east of San Antonio. He goes about the quiet, early morning hours blissfully unaware that his life is going to be forever changed in a most sudden and brutal manner less than six hours from now.

We meet at 7:50 in the parking lot and load his bike into the back of my pickup. That Audi sedan is nice but we are not going to shoehorn two bikes into it. On the way we talk about “stuff”. Reed casually mentions that he's been trying to lose weight all year but the last four pounds have been impossible and it's not going to get easier what with all the holiday parties and treats which normally bombard you this time of year. Life sometimes has a damn cruel sense of humor. In the coming weeks he is going to find it impossible to keep the weight ON.

We arrive at the start site for the club ride, a diner call Briekze's Station. It's on the main highway of a map-dot so small you'd be exceedingly generous in calling it a town. We arrive about 45 minutes before the start time and Reed gives me some good-natured grief about getting there so early. We decide to hit the restaurant while we wait and get some coffee. I'm pretty much deaf to the rational arguments of my will power so I cave in to having one of their awesome cinnamon rolls. Reed folds quickly thereafter. He resigns that the four pounds are just going to have to hang around till next year.

In the parking lot we meet up with Frank. We three have ridden together a lot and Frank is back for the holidays from wintering in Florida and wanted to get in some rides with us while he's here.

At the pre-ride briefing the club ride leader reminds us all about the nasty cracks in the shoulders of highway 1346 and how a rider was hurt pretty badly a few months ago when his front wheels got stuck in one and catapulted over his handlebars. Reed, Frank and I are very aware of those cracks, we were about 15 minutes behind that rider's group and came up on the scene shortly after the EMTs took him away. We're even commenting about it among ourselves. It's now approximately one hour and forty minutes from Reed's turn.

At about 10:35 we're on FM 1346 about three miles southeast of St Hedwig. The mid-point of the ride and our convenience store rest-stop is just ahead. Reed tells me later that he knew the cracks were coming. We've just past a few which, while certainly warrant avoiding, aren't too bad yet. He scans the road ahead and sees that we are ascending a small rise and he thinks that he needs to start pressing a little harder to compensate. He drops his head and notes the 20 mph reading on his computer. That is the last thing he will remember until an EMT is in his face asking him a battery of questions.

Since then he has endured an operation to implant steel rods in his body and to try to get him stabilized. Three broken vertebrae, a severed spinal column, eight broken ribs and a punctured lung tend to de-stabilize you in a big way. Finally on Thursday (Thanksgiving to boot) his pain meds have been reduced enough where he can be lucid and carry on a normal conversation. The doctors broke the news to him and it seems to be registering that he will most likely never walk again. Rehab is going to start tomorrow.

On Monday he stops breathing and they take him from rehab to the ICU. Heavy sedation is keeping him from being aware of the tubes stuck down his throat and needles in both arms, wrists strapped down to keep him from ripping everything out and a room full of machines helping to regulate and monitor every bodily function which nine days ago happened automatically without so much as a thought. One week later he receives yet another unwelcomed gift, a pacemaker.

Now he and we wait and wait for better news, perhaps tomorrow.

As I said at the top of this, it is all so surreal to those who know and are close to him. But as hard to process as it is to us I can't even begin to fathom what it's going to be like for him when he finally is about to dwell on what has happened and ponder what is life going to be like from now on.

With the deluge of news we get all the time we are aware more than ever of every disaster which happens in every part of the world instantaneously. Truly worthwhile causes which need financial help are seemingly endless and certainly many of us, if not most have been touched by someone close to us who has suffered catastrophic health setbacks, perhaps even yourself. Nonetheless please consider helping one of our own, Reed Lee during his time of great need.

What can you do? First and foremost if you know Reed please visit him. When he restarts physical therapy he will be at University Hospital for at least four weeks. Reed has a loving family, two grown daughters and a brother and their families but they live far enough away that it's not possible for them to see him every week. He has no family here in the SA area. I know December is a very difficult month to make time, what with the holidays, family coming to town or traveling yourself. But being in the hospital, in pain, scared and having a million doubts about how your are going to live life from now on AND being alone on top of it all is just about the worse thing I can imagine. So please visit him. You don't have to stay long but just having the contact of those who care about him can lift his spirits greatly. Don't know what to say? Bring a newspaper and read to him and discuss the events of the day, solve some world problems together.

The club is setting up a bank account for those who wish to donate money to help him with his out-of-pocket expenses. Just trying to factor the costs involved in renovating a house to make it wheelchair compatible exceeds my math skills. So please give if you can but give and visit if possible. God knows he needs both.

Bill Blackford

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Bicycle Safety

12/02/2012 -

One of our Club members, Reed Lee, suffered a serious injury from a fall on the November New Berlin Ride. While accidents are a part of cycling, we need to do everything possible to prevent accidents and to prepare for those we are unable to prevent.

Preparing for a ride includes paying attention to the pre-ride briefing. You probably know it by heart, but it is important to be reminded about safety each time we ride. Pay special attention to any information on road conditions along the routes. Always wear a helmet and make sure you are wearing it properly – for example, if your chin strap is loose the helmet might come off in a fall resulting in head injury. Make sure your bike is in good repair and don’t wear any type of ear buds so you can hear traffic and information from the other riders in your group.

You always need to carry information in case there is an emergency. You need identification (carry your driver’s license) and medical information (make copies of insurance cards and carry them on every ride). Carry emergency contact information so Club Members and Emergency Responders know who to notify if you have an accident. Emergency Responders will look for an ICE (in case of emergency) listing on your cell phone. A Road ID is good to have, but Emergency Responders might not notice it.

Be vigilant during your rides. Watch for problems with the road surface (pot holes, gravel, pavement cracks, uneven pavement, trash, etc.). Call out warnings to your fellow riders. Maintain proper interval with the bike ahead of you. Be particularly cautious if you are not used to riding with those in your group. Let other riders know what you are going to do (slowing, stopping, etc.). Watch for animals and always be vigilant for motor vehicles.

If someone has an accident, stop, get everyone off the road, and check their condition. Do not hesitate to call 911 if the person is knocked out, appears very groggy, or appears to have a serious injury. Err on the side of caution. For minor injuries, check to make sure the bike is rideable, and then ride back with them.

Let’s all work hard to improve riding safely.

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Greenway Trails System Grows to 41 miles

01/22/2013 -

Howard W. Peak Greenway Trails System Grows to 41 miles

The December 7^th grand opening of the Howard W. Peak Greenway Trails System, Leon Creek Greenway South, offers residents an additional 2.6 miles of trail and easy access to new outdoor fitness stations where they can connect with nature while staying active and fit.

The new stretch of the Leon Creek Greenway has trailheads located at Levi Strauss Park, 6100 Old Highway 90 West, and just outside Rodriguez County Park, 2060 Rodriguez Rd. at the intersection of Arvil Avenue and KeithaBoulevard.

The San Antonio City Council voted September 6, 2012, to name the greenway hike and bike trail system for former Mayor Howard W. Peak, chairman of the Linear Creekways Advisory Board, and a long standing advocate who has worked tirelessly on behalf of the greenway program since its inception.

A total of 41 miles of developed greenway trails are now open to the public.  Because San Antonio voters approved an extension of additional sales tax funding, about 30 miles of new trail will be developed to expand the existing trail system and create trail systems in new locations around San Antonio. The Linear Park Creekway Development Program for Salado Creek, Leon Creek, Medina River and the San Antonio River is funded through sales taxes approved by voters in 2000, 2005 and 2010.

For more information, please visit the Parks and Recreation website.

Credit: San Antonio Dot-Gov newsletter, January 8, 2013

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Britton’s Bike Shop no Longer Offers the Wheelmen Discount

06/16/2012 -

Britton’s bike shop has stopped offering the 10% discount to Wheelmen Members. For a list of bike shops that offer the 10% discount go to the Wheelmen web site under “Join SAW”.

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Warning – Car Break-ins

08/18/2012 -

On August 18^th, someone attempted to break into two vehicles in the Judson HS parking lot while we were out on the WHC ride. There have also been weekday break-ins at Bullis Park. Riders are cautioned to not leave anything of value in sight in their vehicles while riding. Lock items in the trunk, or even better, leave them at home.

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SA Has Second Busiest B-Cycle Program in the US

04/09/2012 -

The Alamo City has plenty to celebrate as San Antonio B-Cycle marks its first anniversary. With more than 106,000 miles ridden by more than 6,700 day users, San Antonio is now ranked as the second busiest B-Cycle program in the nation, behind Denver, in overall bike share usage.

"As the first city in Texas to initiate a modern bike-share program, San Antonio is leading the way in showing how quickly cycling can be accepted as a legitimate, everyday transportation option. Bike-sharing perfectly complements our SA2020 goals of being a healthy, economically competitive city where people are proud to work, live, and play," said San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro.

San Antonio B-cycle is sustained through annual and day passes and sponsorships both private and public. The program has received private donations of $235,000 and approximately $58,000 for station sponsorship from forward thinking groups like Pearl Brewery and Bike World. San Antonio Bike Share is actively seeking other corporate and private sponsorships.

Health and environmental benefits are what keep Bike Share members loyal to the program. Aside from a detailed breakdown of miles ridden that each member receives in a personalized summary; members can also see how many calories they have burned, how many gallons of gas and dollars were saved and, for the most environmentally minded, the carbon offset they contributed to by Bike Sharing instead of driving.

About San Antonio B-Cycle: San Antonio B-Cycle is a bike share system that has been funded in part through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act with grants from the Department of Energy and the Centers for Disease Control. The City of San Antonio Office of Environmental Policy established the program. San Antonio Bike Share 501(c)3 operates and maintains the San Antonio B-Cycle system. San Antonio B-Cycle is sustained through annual and day pass membership along with public and private sponsorships. Membership information can be found online at sanantonio.bcycle.com.

Credit: San Antonio News Release, March 20, 2012

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Federal Funding Safe... For Now

04/12/2012 -

If you attended the National Bike Summit this year, you memorized one key question: "Will you support a clean extension of the federal transportation bill?" Of course, that ask was for members of Congress and, just a few days after the Summit, the House did indeed pass a three-month extension that preserves current funding levels for biking and walking programs. What does that mean for you and your community? Read analysis and insight from Bikes Belong and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership.

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Texas High School Racing League Events

03/05/2012 -

Jeff Mezzone, the son of Bob Mezzone (both are SAW members), competed in a high school level bicycle race last weekend and had a great time. The Texas High School Racing League offers an opportunity for high school students to participate in competitive cycling events. Many of the events are linked to a college event the closest of which is in Austin on March 24^th. There is a great deal of variation in skill and experience level among the participants; and there are three classes for the competition to accommodate the varying skill levels. The Director just wants kids to have a fun, safe time. A USA Cycling license is required to compete in the races and can be purchased on-line at www.usacycling.org. At the first event, one of the college riders gave a 30-minute class before the races. The event was a very positive experience for the high school riders as everyone there was helpful and supportative and they were able to hang out with the college crowd and watch the college races.

Visit www.texashighschoolcycling.org for additional information if your high school rider is interested in bicycle racing.  You can also contact Bob Mezzone at 210-875-6543. Bob said that car pooling to the Austin race is possible.

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