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“There is life out of the car.”
Sao Paulo, Brazil. Mar 2009.

Posted via web from EcoStreets on Posterous

Jake Spidle of the Las Vegas Bike Co-Op tells us how to pick the right bike for riding around Vegas.

Finally, I am able to upload the Flash game Liz and I made last semester. Play it and let us know what you think.

It was chilly at 6:30 in the morning when some 400 cyclists took off for century rides around the valley. I couldn't get a camera on one of the bikers, so I can only imagine what they saw and what it was like.

Instead, I hung out with Jake Spidle and his girlfriend Kassey of the Las Vegas Bicycle Cooperative. They are trying to start up their co-op repairing and reselling donated bikes. They're still looking for bikes and donations. So if you have a bike you don't use anymore, send it their way.

The festival did open my eyes to the problems facing Vegas commuters.

The biggest problem facing cyclists isn't the roads or lack of bike lanes, but aggressive drivers. Smart Car drivers and motorcyclists experience the same kind of discrimination. Anything seen as "different" than a car is treated with animosity. Almost deadly animosity.

There is huge lack of education among drivers and even cyclists. Those who bike out of necessity ride unsafely: against traffic, no helmet, on the sidewalks, etc. Drivers coming in contact with bikers don't know how to act. Either they give too wide a berth or cut cyclists off.

NDOT is focusing its efforts on educating school children and parents on biking, but little is being done to get the adults on board. Two major groups of cyclists are university students and casino workers. But not much is going towards these groups of people.

Yes, it's important to educate children. But there are people out there now who need support for their efforts in being green.

How could NDOT reach you or your friends who cycle?

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We’ve featured Keri from Commute Orlando before. By way of Carbon Trace, here’s a nifty Flash animation on how to make four types of left turns on your velo.

How to make left turns

So when I ride I do the “Pedestrian Turn.” After watching the video, up comes this message:

Well, I guess I’m an idiot. But you know what? it scares the ISH out of me to merge onto traffic. The least because most roads to UNR are packed with cars. And I get freaked out looking over my shoulder. That’s a moot point now though because my wheels were stolen, so there’s that.

What method do you use to turn left? And how do keep from shitting your pants/ crashing?

Viva Bike Vegas starts October 10. See Viva Bike Vegas’s page to participate in one of their clinics in Henderson or Summerlin. Here are the next two biking clinics: 
Clinic 
Tuesday September 1, 2009, 7 p.m. REI Boca Park store in Summerlin 
This week guest presenter Jackie Arcana will talk about nutrition, hydration and training strategies. Whether you’re riding the 35-mile, the 62-mile metric century, or the 118-mile century, Jackie will be able to answer your questions on how to keep yourself properly hydrated or how to keep your energy where it needs to be to finish the ride. Jackie is a certified USA Triathlon Level 2 coach, USA Cycling coach and ACE certified personal trainer.

Rides 
There are two rides this Saturday starting from REI in Boca Park and REI in Henderson at The District.  Please note that these rides are approximately 25-miles.  We will try to leave the parking lots as close to 6:30 a.m. as possible.  Please show up early to make last minute adjustments to your bicycles, do a safety check and, if it’s your first time riding with the group, to sign your waiver. Below are links to maps for Saturday’s rides:

REI Henderson ready to go at 6:30 a.m. 
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/nv/henderson/614125174920016677 
The Henderson ride will once again explore new scenery as we wind our way through the southern valley. This week’s destination: Equestrian Park!

REI Summerlin ready to go at 6:30 a.m. 
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/nv/las-vegas/439125175193597740 
This week’s Summerlin ride, by popular demand, will repeat much of last week’s ride to the Red Rock scenic overlook and back. I encourage everyone to come out and ride this route with its spectacular view.

Bogotá, Colombia, is a city of almost 8 million inhabitants. Very limited urban planning and a historic lack of infrastructure development resulted in public transit woes. Getting around in Bogotá can be tough, but the city has done a great job in recent years in improving public transportation and making the city more navigable.

Here are some ways that people get around in Bogotá.

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A few months from now when the weather won’t cause your brain to crash like Windows Vista is the RTC’s annual Viva Bike Vegas. Raising money for the Nevada Cancer Institute and the After-School All-Stars, Viva Bike Vegas features “challenging” courses for bikers with rolling street closures and police escorts. In a sentence – the only way one can possibly bike in Vegas without becoming roadkill.

It’s on October 10th starting at the Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, all the way in Blue Diamond.

I think I might go…if I were get my bike wheels back and if my butt is up to it by then!