Save The Date. Black Friday Ride 2. November 26, 2010
Avoid the crowds. Burn off the turkey. Ride your bike.
New route. Details to come.
The Black Friday Ride – Recap
It was decided that a casual ride around town was in order for the proper launch Bike Friendly Richardson.
Although the official launch of BFR isn’t until December 1, we thought we should capitalize on the closest holiday. Since Thanksgiving is a time for family, we settled for the next best thing, Black Friday. We could have a fun ride, launch BFR and avoid the crowds at the mall.
This particular Black Friday was an amazing day for a ride. The weather started off cool, but ended up being perfect. As planned, about 25-30 riders showed up at the fountain at Santa’s Village in front of the Richardson Civic Center. It was an eclectic group of riders ranging from Richardson locals, a few folks from Bike Friendly Oak Cliff, a few more from Dallas and other parts of the Metroplex and one surprise rider from the Richardson City Hall. Dave Carter, Asst. Director of Development Services, Transportation and Traffic, took this opportunity to meet casual riders and get their perspective of riding around town.
Once everybody showed up, we started rolling at a pretty steady pace. The route that we ended up going was actually the reverse of the original plan. It was brought to my attention that the new direction was actually easier for any newer riders. The only problem with the reverse loop is that it brought us to the rest stop a bit earlier in the ride. I figured since this was a casual ride anyway, that an early break would be fine. A little less that 4 miles into the ride, we ended up at the Starbucks at Coit and Campbell.
The group hung out for a bit, fueled up on caffeine while they enjoyed the day. Some additional folks joined the group, while a few others had to break off because of other plans. When we were finished with our drinks, we started the remainder of the ride.
The group rolled towards south Richardson, then eventually back east towards out starting point. The pace remained steady as members of the group kept me appraised to the state of the folks who were bringing up the rear. The great thing about the group it that everybody pitched in to keep the group together and safe.
Traffic was light, and with the exception of a little climb towards the end, the route was pretty level. In the end I wanted the group to see how easy it is to get across Richardson – especially when you take the back roads.
When we got to back to Santa’s Village, folks hung out for pics and to visit just a bit longer. The general opinion was that it was a good 9.2 mile ride. For me, it was a great ride – not the route, but rather the company. I thank all the great riders who made it out to the inaugural ride of Bike Friendly Richardson.
Below are some pics from the ride.
by Joe Gregory
by Joe Gregory
by Joe Gregory
by Joe Gregory
by James Meadows
by Chrissy Cortez-Mathis
by Chrissy Cortez-Mathis
Black Friday Ride – Route
Here is the Route Map: Black Friday Ride
Here are the directions of the route:
START:
– Exit the Richardson Library parking lot (west side)
– LEFT on Civic Center Drive
– RIGHT on Bell Grove Drive
– RIGHT on Custer Road
– LEFT on Twilight Trail
– RIGHT on Floyd Road
– Go past the light at Arapaho Road
– LEFT on Melrose Drive
– Go past the light at West Shore Drive
– RIGHT on Cheyenne Drive
– At the stop sign at Stafford Drive, continue to the RIGHT on Cheyenne Drive
– Cheyenne Drive turns LEFT onto Huntington Driv
– RIGHT on Mimosa Drive
– Before you reach Campbell Road, go LEFT into the shopping center’s parking lot.
– Starbuck’s and Richardson Bike Mart are on the far side of the lot
BREAK
– Exit the shopping center parking lot (where we entered – east side)
– RIGHT on Mimosa Drive
– Go past the light at Melrose Drive
– Go past the light at Arapaho Road
– RIGHT on Holly Drive
– LEFT on Dogwood Drive
– At the light at Belt Line Road, you’ll need to make a LEFT then IMMEDIATE RIGHT onto Dublin Drive.
– LEFT on Dumont Drive
– LEFT on Floyd Rd
– Go past the light at Belt Line Road
– RIGHT on Greenleaf Drive
– LEFT on Custer Road
– RIGHT on Belle Grove Drive
– LEFT on Civic Center Drive
– Enter the Richardson Library parking lot (west side)
FINISH
Black Friday Ride
Take a spin and avoid the Black Friday crowds.
Please join us for an impromptu, casual ride to signify the kick-off of Bike Friendly Richardson.
We will be taking a spin through some quiet west Richardson neighborhoods. The pace will be casual and the route will be on low traffic roads.
We’ll start and finish at Santa’s Village (at the fountain in front of The Richardson Civic Center). The loop will be about 10 miles with a small Starbuck’s break in the middle.
Route Map:
View Black Friday Ride in a larger map
IF you Facebook, here is an Event Page that you can RSVP to.
!!!ATTENTION DART RED LINE RIDERS!! – DMN has posted that DART will be running their SATURDAY schedule on Black Friday. Please double check dart.org for times. Go here for more info.
BFR Ride And Seek Photo Scavenger Hunt Raffle WINNERS
Before you scroll to the bottom of this post to see if you won, we would like to thank each and every one of the participants for joining our first Ride and Seek Photo Scavenger Hunt. Because of you, we think this has been one of our most successful events, yet. We hope to continue having these types of events in the future.
We’d also like to thank our sponsors for putting up some great prizes for our event: Richardson Bike Mart, Alamo Drafthouse and DART.
Throughout the month of October, there were over 35 participants, including 12 who completed the entire set. There were over 410 amazing shots taken and who knows how many miles ridden. What amazed us the most, were all of people who did the challenge just so that they can explore Richardson.
As discussed in the rules for the scavenger hunt, each image submission counted as a entry and earned a raffle ticket. If you completed the assigned set of 14, you would earn double points. Each additional image (and there were some great ones), earned a bonus ticket. The more submissions you made, increased your odds of winning.
The range of tickets earned went from 1, all the way up to 53 per person, and the odds of winning were 1 in 600 (approximately). Each ticket drawn was randomly paired with a prize. Scroll down to see the results.
RAFFLE WINNERS:
• RBM Bike Rental Package (Value Up To $180): Ronald Robertson
• RBM Bike Rental Package (Value Up To $180): Erin Muller
• RBM Bike Tune Up (Value Up To $80): Stephanie Hilbun
• RBM Bike Tune Up (Value Up To $80): Justin Ward
• Alamo Drafthouse Gift Set (Value Over $50): Scott Braden
• Book: Cristy Martinez
• DVD: Irma Koepke
• Recycled Vinyl Pannier: Nancy Kay Prater
Each winner will be contacted to make arrangements for receiving their prizes. All other participants will receive a water bottle and visor from DART.
Stay tuned to BFR for details on this year’s Black Friday Ride.
Happy Thanksgiving from Bike Friendly Richardson
The Bike Friendly Richardson crew would like to wish you a happy and safe Thanksgiving. Keep warm, stay safe and enjoy the ride.
We’ll see some of you at the 5th Annual Black Friday Ride, tomorrow.
Recap and Pics From The Richardson Christmas Parade
This is exactly the direction we want Bike Friendly Richardson to head. We want Richardson cyclists to have organic and spontaneous group rides that are organized by anybody interested in setting one up.
A few weeks ago, a couple of folks on the BFR Facebook page were wondering if there will be a BFR participation in the annual City of Richardson Christmas parade. With our busy schedules and efforts put into setting up our annual Black Friday Ride, we just didn’t have the bandwidth to sign up for the parade.
Fortunately, those folks, Crystalyn and Josh, took it upon themselves to jump in and get it set up. We’re glad they did.
The day of the parade, we had a great variety of bikes, including one with a kid trailer, one with a couple of dogs leashed on, an urban cruiser, a couple of family truckster cargo bikes (loaded with kiddos) and even a penny farthing bike – all decked out with holiday lights and decorations. Even the riders were dressed with festive gear. All together, we had 12 bikes and 16 participants.
The ride itself was mostly stop-and-go or very slow paced, which made it easy to enjoy each other’s company, as well as the spectacle of the parade. The ‘super mom’ (I actually heard that term used by a spectator) family trucksters and the penny farthing bike got a lot of crowd’s attention.
Participation in the parade was our way to build on our bike community, make more folks aware of Bike Friendly Richardson and to just have fun. To our surprise, we found out that we won an award from the city. The Bike Friendly Richardson parade crew won 1st place in the ‘Civic Clubs/Organizations Mixed Unit Category’. Not bad for our first time out.
The parade was a big success for the city as well. They said there were 115 parade entries, and 2400 participants. Also, 1200 toys were donated, as well as $2,200 for Network of Community Ministries – a great way to kick off the holidays.
Since this ride was such a great success, we’ll definitely add it to our annual group ride list. We hope you can make it out to the next one.
Here are some pics from the parade. Click here to see the entire set.
City Receives Award from GDPC for Urban Design
Cyclists Gathering At The Shops at Eastside
If you get the City’s newsletter you probably already knew this:
This week, the Greater Dallas Planning Council presented an award for urban design in the built environment to the City of Richardson for the City’s commitment to good urban design.
Urban design relates to the form, arrangement, design and functionality of buildings, neighborhoods and public spaces, including parks, yards, sidewalks, and even transportation facilities. The goal of good urban design is to create attractive environments for people and their activities. The panel of judges felt that the City had demonstrated a particularly good effort for a first-ring suburb, where redevelopment and construction on infill sites is more common than new development on vacant property.
Richardson received the award for the combined impact created by several projects—the Brick Row and Eastside mixed use developments, each of which contain important streetscape and open space requirements; the Neighborhood Vitality Program, which was conceived to strengthen and support neighborhoods and encourage reinvestment into residential property; and the construction of Routh Creek Parkway, which was built not as a sterile transportation corridor, but as an attractive public area that links motorists, pedestrians and recreational users with the Spring Creek Nature Area nearby.
This is the type of stuff that makes me proud to live in Richardson. This city gets it and continues to strive at making it a better place for it’s residents.
Multi-Purpose Trail Along Routh Creek Parkway
Events
CURRENT EVENT:
Bike Friendly Richardson Presents: Black Friday Ride #7
PREVIOUS EVENTS:
BikeDFW and BFR Bike To Work Day Energizer Station – 2015
Bike Friendly Richardson Presents: Black Friday Ride #6
Bicycle Ride And Seek – Photo Scavenger Hunt 2014
BikeDFW and BFR Bike To Work Day Energizer Station – 2014
Bike Friendly Richardson Presents: Black Friday Ride #5
Bicycle Ride And Seek – Photo Scavenger Hunt – October 2013
Bike To Work Day – Bike Commuter Energizer Stations – MAY 17, 2013
Black Friday Ride #4 – November 23, 2012
Red, White and Bike 2 – Ride To See The Fireworks At Breckinridge Park – July 4, 2012
Richardson Bike To Work Day: Commuter Energizer Station – May 18, 2012
Black Friday Ride Number 3 – November 25, 2011
Red, White and Bike – Ride To See The Fireworks At Breckinridge Park – July 4, 2011
Black Friday Ride Number 2 – November 26, 2010
Cruise To The Cottonwood (art festival) – May 2010
Black Friday Ride – November 2009
Hello Everybody
Today is the OFFICIAL launch of Bike Friendly Richardson. With an already successful ‘soft’ launch, we already have almost 90 members on Facebook, not to mention a pretty great turnout for our inaugural ride on Black Friday. We’re already thinking about our next ride, with many more events to come.
In case you haven’t been following the blog until now, we have modeled ourselves after Bike Friendly Oak Cliff, a great bicycle advocacy group that started in Dallas. Feeling a need for non-sport representation in the north Dallas neighborhoods, we decided to continue their efforts in Richardson – with hopes that the momentum of bicycle awareness continues throughout the Metroplex. Although modeled after BFOC, we hope to grow into our own community and become a platform for safe and fun riding with a local perspective.
Please visit our site often to keep track of any progress made in our town. You can also join our Facebook group, follow us on Twitter or subscribe to the site by RSS or email (see right). We hope to become a valuable resource for anybody wanting to ride their bicycles around Richardson.
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