Deadlines. Always the deadlines. With this being the last day of 2009, here are a few things you might want to know about photo contests, Cascade Bicycle Club memberships, and New Year's Day bike rides.
Photo contests
Midnight is the deadline to vote for your favorite photos at the Alliance for Biking & Walking (formerly Thunderhead Alliance) People Powered Movement Photo Contest. More than 2,000 photos were submitted in 7 categories. The grand winner gets an all-expense-paid bike tour of Tuscany, so I'm sure the photographers appreciate all votes cast for their pics.
While you're thinking images, there's still time to enter your most prized picture from your bicycle tour in the first Adventure Cycling Association Bicycle Travel Photo Contest. The winning photo appears in Adventure Cyclist magazine. You can check out the entries at flickr.com; they're amazing.
Thursday also is the last day to sign up at the 2009 rate for a new or renewed membership at Cascade Bicycle Club, based in Seattle.
After midnight, individual memberships rise $10 each to $35 for 2010. Members get discounts at affiliated bike shops, the Cascade newsletter, and discounts at Cascade events.
Most importantly, members also qualify for “early bird” registration, which opens 9 a.m. Monday, January 4, 2010. This is important for those who want to ride the RSVP or Ride Around Washington, as those events filled up in just a few days last year. Non-members can't register until 9 a.m. Feb. 1.
Jan. 1 rides
Members in good standing at Cascade also can partake in the 48-mile Bowl Boycott bike ride that starts about 10 a.m. Friday morning. Check here for details.
If you're in South Carolina or Michigan, you could make plans to start the year with a bicycle ride.
On Friday, the Rock Hill (SC) Bicycle Club sponsors the Chilly Chili Ride. Cyclists meet at 10 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church off Main Street in Rock Hill then go on a 20-mile bike ride. The ride is followed by a chili feast.
Then on Saturday, Macomb Bike & Fitness sponsors the Polar Bicycle Ride in Downtown Detroit beginning at 11 a.m. at Scott Fountain on Belle Isle. The 90-minute ride will pass through Corktown and Midtown neighborhoods at an average of 10 to 12 mph.
Check your local bike clubs for more New Year's bike rides.
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