I would personally like to thank:

- Marc, Brian, Michael, Warren and the whole BikeDFW group for making this event possible – and for providing the pastries and coffee.
- Chris from DART who let us set up at their Arapaho Center Station.
- Richardson Bike Mart for providing Dana made bike repairs for those who needed them.
- Taco Republic for providing delicious breakfast tacos.
- Dr. Pepper and Neuro for providing water and Neuro energy drinks.
- The Egg & I Restaurant for providing some really good orange juice.
- Whole Foods Richardson for providing water.
- And finally, Jenny Rilling with BikeDFW and Bike Friendly Richardson, who came up with the idea of the Energizer Station and made it happen.

Since it was such a great success, we’d love to do this every year – AND we’d love to see other bike friendly groups doing it around the Metroplex.

Some of you may or may not have heard about bike commuter, Michael McNair, being hit by a car on his commute to work last Tuesday.

The details about the accident are still limited, but here is what was posted on the DORBA Facebook Page:

CYCLIST HIT – For those of you that know MMACH5 / Michael Tripp McNair…was hit by a car today on his commute to work. He is in the Baylor ICU unit downtown with a broken neck and hips, lacerated spleen and many other injuries… Please pass the word and put him in your thoughts.

The latest update (as of Thursday) he made it through his hip surgery and all is still going smoothly. He is still sedated, but hopefully they’ll bring him out of it after another day or so. They are planning another MRI and will most likely do surgery on his ribs (Friday) and he’ll be in ICU until next week at least. They’ve said that due to all of his hip and pelvis fractures that his legs will be non-weight bearing for at least 3 months.

The driver did stop and, reportedly, was the one who called 911.

As you can see, Michael has a long, uphill battle for a full recovery – and our thoughts and prayers go to him and his family. If you are wondering how you can help, friends have set up a ChipIn page for donations. Every little bit helps – even just a couple of bucks. Click here to donate.

Leave the house a few minutes early on Friday, May 18th, and stop by our booth at Arapaho Center Station for free coffee and Taco Republic breakfast tacos, water from Whole Foods, commuting information, free bike tune-ups by an RBM mechanic, Neuro energy drinks,  AND, if you become a member of BikeDFW, we’ll hook you up with a sweet prize courtesy of Richardson Bike Mart. You can join BikeDFW at the event (cash or check), or join online and show us your PayPal receipt at the event. (Prizes available while supplies last.)

Name:
Warren Casteel

How long have you been riding?
I biked as a kid, doing paper routes, etc. It was my primary transportation. Then I biked in college for the first two (2) years out of necessity. Upon turning 40 I decided I needed some exercise. I have been seriously biking for the past 19 years, and dearly love it.

How often do you ride?
I commute — need to do this more. I rarely run to the store, except for the bike shop! I am a weekend warrior also, riding primarily with PBA or DATES, the tandem club.

What’s your favorite route?
My favorite routes are out in the coutry away from the bustle and traffic. Out to Blue Ridge and Celina are good options. Even more, I like riding in the Clarksville area and their 5 day ride in June. I can ride 30 miles with one (1) stop sign and a half dozen very polite cars!

In town I love the trails.

Why do you cycle?
Fun, exercise, social interaction, to establish bicycling as a significant alternative transportation mode, and work with governmental and private entities to make this a reality.

What is your perspective on riding – in general or in Richardson?
Richardson has always been bike freindly, but is now getting more serious about the bicycle as transportation.

Tell us about your bikes.
You don’t want the list! My wife and I own 15 bicycles. Favorite changes depending on where i am going and what I am doing!

We want to thank Warren, for sharing his perspective on Richardson cyling.

We’d also like to extend an invitation to any cyclist who lives and/or rides in Richardson to share their story as well. You can either answer the questions (above) or send in a story – along with some pics to bikefriendlyrichardson(at)gmail.com.

Join us this Saturday, May 5th, for a group ride to the Cottonwood Art Festival. Come see the work of over 240 artists and avoid the hassle of parking!

We will meet up at Taco Republic (760 S. Central Expressway )  at 4:00 PM so you can fuel up with one of their fabulous tacos, and ride out to Cottonwood Park at 4:30 PM. We’ll arrive at the Cottonwood Festival in time to see Brave Combo play.

Be sure to bring your helmet, lights, a lock, water bottle, and cash for the food stalls at the Art Festival!

May is National Bike Month! The League of American Bicyclists invites you to “celebrate the unique power of the bicycle and the many reasons we ride. Whether you bike to work or school; to save money or time; to preserve your health or the environment; to explore your community or get to your destination, get involved in Bike Month in your city or state — and help get more people in your community out riding too!”

If you haven’t already done it, dust off your bike, air up the tires and ride!

Bike Friendly Richardson is also celebrating National Bike Month. We’ll try to get in a group ride to the Cottonwood Art Festival this weekend. We’ll also be participating in the Richardson Wild Ride Against Cancer. Also, stay tuned for an upcoming event to be held on National Bike to Work Day on May 18.

Last weekend Dallas Cycle Style did the 2012 Cyclist Census poll – an around-town photo shoot of local cyclists – and now they’ve posted the finalist of the photos taken.  From those, you can vote on who you think most represents the face of Biking in Dallas. The poll stays open through noon, Saturday, April 28.

Photographers included Chris Curnutt, Chris Arrant, David Wilson,  Justin Clemons and Jen Hammack.

The winner will be announced this Saturday night at the Dallas Cycle Style Fashion and Awards Show.

If you want to be a better road cyclist and commuter, getting some good training is always recommended. Along with the BikeDFW Traffic Skills 101 class this weekend, you have an alternative option for becoming more skilled at riding – through the CyclingSavvy DFW group.

CyclingSavvy DFW is the Dallas/Fort Worth branch of the successful CyclingSavvy traffic cycling education program developed in Orlando, Florida. CyclingSavvy DFW‘s mission is to encourage safe, courteous, and practical bicycling in Dallas/Fort Worth through education and social events.

The CyclingSavvy class is a 3-part course designed to encourage, inspire, and empower. Train your bike and your mind to navigate safely and confidently anywhere in the DFW metroplex. Discover the tricks that make transportation by bike both fun and easy.

There are only two more classes for the spring of 2012:
This weekend, April 27-28 – Dallas
Next month, May 11-12 – Oak Cliff .
Click here to find out more information and registration.

Click here and here to see some videos.

Traffic Skills 101 Course
Sunday, April 29, 2012
8:45 AM – 2 PM
Location: Casteel & Associates, 10031 Monroe Drive, Suite 105, Dallas, TX 75229
Cost: $20 – includes a light snack and a printed copy of the Traffic Skills 101manual (a $10 value).
Instructor: Renee Jordan (Reneej@plano.gov)

Come have some fun learning safe, effective cycling from Instructors certified by the League of American Bicyclists who are active riders and commuters. The course includes an online portion you can take anytime (as long as it’s completed by April 27th) and a 4-5 hour on-bike session learning skills and practicing riding in traffic under the guidance of your instructors. The riding portion includes a lunch stop so bring along some money!

Signup Instructions: Email Renee at the above address. Payments may be made via PayPal after you have signed up, or on the day of the class. The written portion is taken online at: http://bikeed.org/ and must be completed at least 48 hours before class time.

For those of you who couldn’t make it out to the Ciclovia de Dallas yesterday, you can find a quick recap and some pics over at Suburban Assault.