Congratulations to all you bicycling enthusiasts in Davis, California. Your city has been chosen as the new home of the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame.
Board members of the Hall of Fame, located in Somerville, New Jersey, had been looking to relocate for the past year, ever since the museum's home was sold for development.
More than a dozen cities made a bid for the Hall of Fame, and the contest came down to between Davis and Greensboro, North Carolina, in recent weeks.
Adopted bicycle
Davis was picked because it has adopted the bicycle like no other city, said search committee chairman Bill Brunner. He told the Sacramento Bee:
“The distinguishing difference between Greensboro and Davis was that Davis was so bicycling friendly.All those bike lanes and the sheer number of people who use the bicycle as a method of transportation or recreation or sport.”
Davis was the first platinum-level bicycle-friendly community chosen by the League of American Bicyclists several years ago. It has spent $14 million in the past 10 years on bicycle projects alone; 95% of arterials have bike lanes.
As the home of UC-Davis, the city's bicycle policies over the years have prevented it from becoming just another traffic-choked California city.
Museum
Davis is also home of the California Bicycle Museum, with exhibits, educational and research facilities on bicycling.
The president of the California Bicycle Museum, Dan Kehew, would like to combine the hall and museum into one facility with hands-on cycling exhibits. Plans are to move the Hall of Fame to temporary quarters by the fall.
Many Hall of Fame board members got their first taste of Davis last year when the group held its induction ceremony there.
The Hall displays bicycles, jerseys, photos, trophies and other memorabilia of more than 100 years of US cycling history. It also celebrates the sport of cycling by inducting Hall of Famers every year and coordinating annual bike races.
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