Volunteers need for Fairfax bike rodeo

FABB is leading a bike rodeo on Sunday September 23 2-4 PM in the City of Fairfax. Volunteers are needed to help with registration and with conducting the rodeo. The event will be in Old Town Fairfax across the street from Oasis BikeWorks and is part of “Discover Fairfax,” which is being organized by the Downtown Business Association. If you are interested in volunteering for the rodeo, contact Douglas Stewart at douglasbstewart@gmail.com or 703-407-2790.

Wolftrap Elementary bike rodeo video

Jenifer Madden has posted a good video of the Wolftrap Elementary School bike rodeo that was held on Sunday. The video is on her blog and is entitled Bike Rodeo Rustles up Kid Safety.

Trails for Youth conducted the rodeo that was paid for by a grant from Prevention Connections. Mechanics from Spokes, Etc. and bikes@vienna were on hand to check out the kid's bikes. FABB was there to hand out bike literature and discuss biking in Fairfax. FABB's Jeff Anderson, the crazy biker dad, was key to putting it together. Tomorrow he'll be leading Wolfie's Bike Train on Bike to School Day.

Bike events this weekend

Paul's Ride for Life, The Bike Lane Cyclefest Expo, Spokes, Etc./Trek Bicycle Demo, and two bike rodeos are on tap for the weekend. FABB will have a table at Cyclefest so stop by and say hi. The weather forecast was gloomy but now looks much more promising although you'll need to dress warmly. Cyclefest, Paul's Ride, and Spokes/Trek Bicycle Demo will be held rain or shine. Why not check out one or more of these events (info from event web pages):

• Paul's Ride for Life—Saturday starting at 7am. Start at Reston Town Center Pavilion. All rides are out and back along the Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail. The route is paved asphalt. The ride includes 10, 20, and 1/2 Century +2 mile options.
• The Bike Lane Cyclefest Expo—Saturday starting at 10am. Join The Bike Lane for our 6th Annual Cyclefest Expo. A day to celebrate cycling at Reston Town Center Pavilion! Cyclefest Expo is open for everyone from 10 am- 3 pm. Trek, Felt, and Niner Demos will be available from 10-2:30 pm. Kids Bike Rodeo, sponsored by Trails for Youth, will be from 12:30- 3 pm. Group mountain bike ride to Lake Fairfax, sponsored by MORE- 11:00 am and 1:00 pm.
• Bicycle Safety Rodeo—Saturday from 1-4pm at Lake Newport Pool, Reston. Join the Reston Association, State Farm Insurance Co., and The Reston Bicycle Club for our Annual Bicycle Safety Rodeo. Children will complete 8 safety stations and earn their bicyclist’s license. Children must bring their own bicycles and helmets. No registration required. This event is canceled in the event of rain. Contact Ashleigh@reston.org or call 703-435-6577 for more information.
• Spokes, Etc./Trek Bicycle Demo—Sunday 10-3pm. Join Spokes Etc. and Trek Bicycles on Sunday, April 29th for a Bicycle Demo and Education event at Lake Accotink Park in Springfield, VA. Take advantage of this opportunity to take a brand new 2012 Trek bicycle for a real-world ride. Choose from mountain, road, triathlon and cyclocross bikes and ride them where they were meant to be ridden – on the trails, roads, and gravel paths.

Vienna Elementary School bike rodeo

Mayor Seeman and Bruce Wright
(photo: Anne Pastorkovich)

Around 90 kids participated in the Vienna ES bike rodeo on Monday. The school is located adjacent to the W&OD Trail and close to neighborhood streets and many kids bike to the school. It was great to see so many kids having fun riding bikes and learning handling skills. Pat Childers of Trails for Youth was in charge of the rodeo. The event was sponsored by Vienna Elementary School PTA, Safe Routes to School, the Friends of the WO&D and the Town of Vienna.

Our friends from Spokes, Etc. and bikes@vienna were there to check out and tune the bikes. FABB was there to hand out the last of the county Bicycle Route Maps. The revised map should be available soon. Town of Vienna Mayor Seeman (right) was there as was Councilwoman Laurie DiRocco. Mayor Seeman said she plans to attend the Maple Ave Shopping Center bike rack ribbon-cutting event on Saturday. It's great to see so much support for bicycling in Vienna.

Busy week ahead in Fairfax

There are several events and meetings this week that cyclists should be aware of:

• Monday, April 16 - Vienna Elementary School Bike Rodeo, 128 Center St. South Vienna, VA 22180 from 1-3pm. FABB will be there along with a mechanic from bikes@vienna who will do minor repairs on kids bikes.
• Tuesday, April 17 - Fairfax Co Parkway Repaving meeting at Robinson Secondary School, 5035 Sideburn Road, Fairfax, VA 22032 at 7pm. Speak out for repaving of the parallel trail that is in bad condition and has never been repaved. Other meetings include April 24 at VDOT District Office, 4975 Alliance Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030 and May 2 at West Springfield High School, 6100 Rolling Rd, Springfield, VA 22152
• Wednesday, April 18 - Pohick Valley Stream trail meeting at White Oaks Elementary School, 6130 Shiplett Blvd, Burke at 7pm. The trail is an important connector between Burke VRE and Rolling Road VRE stations. This is a chance to speak out in support of the trail.
• Wednesday, April 18 - FABB Monthly Meeting at Patrick Henry Library, 101 Maple Ave E, Vienna, 7:30-9pm. Tom Biesiadny, Director of the Fairfax County Department of Transportation, is our invited guest speaker.
• Thursday, April 19 - Vienna Green Expo at the Vienna Community Center from 6:30-9pm. FABB will be there along with the Vienna Bicycle Advisory Committee, bikes@vienna, and Spokes, Etc.
• Falls Church Bike/Ped Plan meeting is also on the 19th, at the Community Center, 223 Little Falls Street starting at 7:30pm.  This is a chance to provide feedback on the draft plan.
• Saturday, April 21 - Bike Rack Ribbon-Cutting and Family Event in Vienna at the Maple Ave Shopping Center, 11-1pm. Sign up to win a Breezer bicycle.

See the redesigned FABB Events Page for details.

Graham Road Elementary School Bike Day

Kids receiving new helmets.

Several FABB members were present yesterday for the first Graham Road Elementary School Bike Day in Falls Church. This event was organized by a group of local parents including Phillip Troutman and Betsy Scoto-Lavino after they successfully won a $2000 mini-grant from Prevention Connections. They used the grant proceeds to purchase equipment including bike repair stands, tools, pumps, as well as 100 helmets to support an ongoing bike to school program.

On Sunday, over 40 students brought along their bikes and participated in various biking stations and activities at the school including:

• A bike safety check and adjustment where they learned about the ABC-Spin Check and how to pump air and clean and lube their chain.
• A helmet check and fitting with many receiving a new or replacement helmet.
• An skills obstacle course complete with cones, hoops and slow biking challenge
• A two-mile group ride through the neighborhood with instruction about safe on-street riding
• Children were very engaged and many whole families attended and enjoyed the fun. 

Lining up for the bike ride.

The kids had fun and learned bike safety and handling skills. Currently, 90 percent of all the students walk to the school daily, the highest rating for any school in Fairfax. The school is set to relocate to a new building in the new school year which will increase the rate of busing for students.

 Graham Road ES parents plan to organize to make a Safe Routes to School application for the school in the next round of grant funding to improve walking and biking access to the new school building. Congratulations to the parents of Graham Road ES on their successful work acquiring funds and providing education and safety equipment to the students of this neighborhood.

Posted by FABB member Fionnuala Quinn.

Bike rodeo this Saturday in Alexandria

According to Kingstowne Patch, "Cub Scout Pack 867 is sponsoring a Bike Rodeo for boys and girls on Saturday, August 13th at Bush Hill Elementary School. The school is located at 5927 Westchester Street, Alexandria VA 22310. This event will take place from 9:00 am to 10:30 am. The Fairfax County Sheriff Bike Patrol officers will be on site to help assist in teaching bike safety and setting up bike riding obstacles. Spokes Bike Shop of Alexandria representatives will also be on site to help deliver bike maintenance tips for the children. Light snacks and water will be served for those attending. Be sure to bring your bicycle and helmet for this fun morning."