A bicycle industry group that encourages people to get out and ride awarded grants to five projects this winter.
Recipients of the $40,000 Bikes Belong grants include three trail projects, a ciclovia in Minneapolis and a pump track in Philadelphia.
The grants raised through donations by bike industry employees reflect the wide diversity of bicycling projects that are underway across the US.
Pump it up
For instance, as your basic roadie, I was unfamiliar with pump tracks until a couple of years ago. Essentially, they're a loop on rolling terrain and banked turns that can be ridden without pedaling.
You can see on the video [at the Woodward Mountain Bike Park in Fresno] how a cyclist, on a mountain bike or BMX, pumps his body at the right moment on the rollers to use gravity and thrust to pick up speed. Even though you're not pedalling, this is a good workout and a way to improve bike handling skills.
The Bikes Belong grant goes to the Philly Pumptrack project. It's the first-ever such track in Philadelphia and is a group effort of the city's parks and recreation department and bicycling and neighborhood groups. It's expected to be opened later this year.
Trails, ciclovia
Another community project that received a Bikes Belong grant is the Adams Road Path, part of the network of trails in Granger, Indiana. Friends of Granger Paths has been raising funds for the past five years to create trails linking Granger with neighbors Mishawaka and South Bend.
The Duluth Traverse Trail System in Minnesota is the beneficiary of a $10,000 grant to help complete a 100-mile singletrack trail network through the 20-mile length of the city. The Cyclists of Gitchee Gumee Shores were the impetus behind the project that has the backing of the City of Duluth.
A project on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana received a grant to start a hub trail system that connects neighborhoods around Arlee with the town center and school. The community development district, local school districts, and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are launching the Jocko Valley Trails System to battle childhood obesity and provide safe routes to school.
The final Bikes Belong grant doesn't go to a “bricks and mortar” project at all. A $5,000 grant is going to Ciclovia Minneapolis, which will make parts of the city car-free for on Sundays this spring and summer. In other cities, ciclovias are a chance for neighbors to use the streets for bicycling, walking and partying. The Minneapolis program is planning to use different streets each weekend.
Bikes Belong has issued 225 grants since 1999, totalling $1.8 million in cash and helping leverage $655 million in matches funds from state, federal and private funding. The money is raised by bike company employees who give a donation on bikes and equipment they've purchased using pro-deal discounts.
Contact grants manager Zoe Kircos at Zoe@bikesbelong.org if you know of a worthy project.
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