Ride of Silence

3.30.2015

 

50 Days Til the Big Event!


Are you ready?  Are you registered?



The motto for the National Bike Summit
this year.  Read a report further below
about the NBS by our new Secretary of
the Board, Lacey Nickell.
Not Registered?  Only takes a Few Minutes: 
Our very simple online form is very easy.  You don't have to have all of your details to register; just provide what you have now to get your event in our database.  Email updates to Tim Potter, Webmaster, when you have them firmed up.



Current Listings:
We are well ahead of 2014 listings, at 50 days before the Ride, and hopefully we will exceed 2013's record number of locations this year.

Here are 2015 listings at this point vs 2014:

Total Listings:    States:   Countries:   Continents:
2014:      78            26             8                4
2015:      116          33             9                5


New/ Updated Organizer Resources

Official 2015 Poster is here!
We're happy to announce the official 2015 poster (or flyer) for the Ride of Silence!  Our organizer for the Sacramento, California event, Sonya Lovine and friend Angela of Billings Art, submitted their poster for our contest (announced last fall) and we've selected it and provide it here for you to download and modify to help promote your events.   Some basic instructions:  Download the file and open with the latest version of Adobe Reader or Acrobat.  For the text in the text boxes/fields (we've made those pretty obvious if you read the text) - the PDF allows for rich text. This means the easiest way for you to change the font, size, lower or uppercase, etc., is to go into Microsoft Word, type your text...then format it how you want (center it, change font, change size, etc.)...copy that text...and then paste it into the PDF form field.  So, you can use whatever size font you want to use depending on how much text you are trying to squeeze in.  More questions?  Email the webmaster.

Get the word out about your Event via Web Calendars:
Did you know there are a ton of web calendars that you can post your local ride Ride info at both national, state and local?   Our Vice President, Mark Hagar, has assembled this massive list of calendars you can reference.  Note all the listings for Grand Rapids, MI, USA! Your community may have an equal amount. Most are free, you simply enter your ride information. Some require you to “join” and log-in in with a user name & password.

Cycling Clubs and Organizations:
Here's another great resource to help you connect with your local clubs and organizations in your state or country.  Take a look at it here.  Drop Mark a note if you have a new one to add to the list or a correction.

10th Anniversary/Annual Ride Logo:
For Rides now in their 10th year, be sure to use the 10th annual logo in all media release, posters, fliers, brochures, etc. It can be found near the top of the Resources page on the website.

Reach out to large Health Clubs:
Consider contacting the larger health clubs in your area, and inquire if they would be willing to hold a “Spin for Silence” during one of their regularly scheduled spin classes on May 20th. Remember we are also raising awareness of cyclist’s rights to the road, that we're out there every day. An excellent place to do this is in spin classes, were a lot of these 'spinners' may not necessarily be “roadies”, and know what it's like to have to co-exist with motorists on a daily basis.  

The 2015 version of the RoS PowerPoint Presentation is available
...which the health clubs could run during the spin class on their audio-visual equipment. Please email RoS VP Mark Hagar if you have questions on how to approach your local health clubs. 

Download the full PowerPoint Presentation at: http://tinyurl.com/pzzocnu
View the media file on youtube.com at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KujHMLZbro0


2015 Ride of Silence Brochure:
This 8.5” X 11” tri-fold brochure is now available for download here. Please place your Local Ride info in the area provided only.  If it's your 10th year you can replace the standard logo with the 10th year version (see 10th Anniv logo note above). You may delete one USA city under the list of locations that rode in 2014 (except Dallas) and note your location and # of riders.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------



National Bike Summit 2015 Report
by Lacey Nickell, Secretary of the RoS Board

This year I went to the 2015 National Bike Summiton on behalf of the Ride of Silence which is hosted by the League of American Bicyclist in Washington DC.  This was my very first Summit and one I will never forget.  I went there with an open mind and excitement.  I was able to meet, connect, listen and learn so much.  This year’s theme was Bikes+.  Focusing on new ideas for exponential growth and building strong partnerships to get there. We're zeroing in on how the bike movement can add value to other issues and find powerful champions in health, community development, the business sector and beyond. As stated by the League of American Bicyclist.

One of the big issues being talked about this week was Vision Zero.  We are changing the language being used.  Instead of using the word accidents we will now say collisions and crashes.  This is holding people accountable for injuries on the road.  Vision
Zero campaign is a 10 year plan to have ZERO deaths by motorist.  Using data from these collisions give insight to where problem areas are in every city.  I was able to meet with several Ride of Silence organizers from around the country.  It was great to connect with so many new faces and organizations along with talking about what is happening with the Ride of Silence.  Among the many people I was able to meet was the League of American Bicyclist Women Bike Manager, Liz Cornish Jones.  I was very excited to find out she was a fellow Okie, just as me.  We met up for coffee and had a really great conversation about the future of Ride of Silence and are hopeful for more involvement with the League of American Bicyclist. 

Over the course of the Summit I attended many sessions.  With every session I attended I heard some new ideas, new thoughts, and learned new ways to grow our organization.  It was such a humbling few days to be around so many people all with like-minded ideas, cycling advocacy and seeing change.  I am excited to see how much change we will see in the future.  I was excited to build such a strong relationship and friendships from some amazing Floridians.  On Thursday, March 12, we made our way to lobby along with representatives from other states. Ride of Silence has played a huge part in my life and the endless amount of support I receive every day is truly remarkable.  None of this would be possible if it wasn’t for all our supporters and what you do in your communities.

Was very grateful to be able to stay
with Ride of Silence supporter Ann
Swain who has graciously hosted
RoS Founder Chris Phelan and
Tim Potter in the past as well.
These are a few of the sessions I attended:
Building Powerful Networks to Advance Your Career
Learn about strategies for building up powerful networks to support one another in advancing your careers. This session we will hear from women working to construct networks that focus on powerbrokering, mentoring, and recognition.

We’re All Advocates: Stories of Change from Inside the Peloton
Hear from women at all levels of professional racing about their experience with gender equity issues in racing. They will share their advocacy work in the racing world, and how it carries over into their communities.

Advocacy Leadership Institute
How do you empower passionate volunteers to effectively organize in their communities and advocate for better bike plans, effective policies and safer infrastructure? In 2011, the Cascade Bicycle Club created its Advocacy Leadership Institute (ALI), a program that has given graduates the tools to start new bicycling organizations, be featured in national news outlets, serve on bike advisory boards and even manage Puget Sound Cycle Share.
Presenter: Brock Howell, Cascade Bicycle Club | Download

Bringing Bike Advocacy to the People
This session brings together big thinkers who are bringing bicycling advocacy to the people where they are and incorporating it into our everyday lives: in public libraries, bike shops, and our daily errands.

What is Vision Zero and How Do We Get There?
Cities and towns across the United States face common challenges and shared trends — growing populations that are increasingly diverse, governments that need to do more with less and a growing public interest in and support for bicycle-friendly and walkable neighborhoods. In 2014, The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition launched  a Vision Zero Campaign, calling for a reduction of all traffic deaths to zero in 10 years. In this session, Leah Shahum, will lead a discussion on Vision Zero as an ambitious concept that isn’t just about policy, but also a dramatic shift in our mindset about mobility, design and our public spaces. Read the full interview with Shahum.
 







posted by Chris Phelan  # 10:43 PM