Schedule of Events for Velo Fest Cycling Festival April 13 and 14, 2012

Friday April 13th: Community Bike Parade and Neighborhood Festival

5:30 PM Parade- 5:30pm at the North side of the St. Augustine Parking Garage on W. Castillo Drive. Course follows the Bayfront and  ends at Flagler west lawn. Please see route map here.

6:00pm to 8:00pm Festival and Registration Pick Up/Sign up-  Flagler College West Lawn on Sevilla Street. More info here.

Saturday April 14th: Old City Crit 7 am to 11 am, Historic District

Race Schedule

Wrigley Ride and Festival:

1:00pm Wrigley Ride last minute registrations! More info here.

2:00pm Wrigley Ride- Ride starts at 2pm at the St. Augustine Amphitheater, riders have until 6pm to complete the ride which will end back at the amphitheater

2:00pm-8:00pm Velo Fest Cycling Festival

Music starts at 2pm, bands start at top of the hour including Flagship Romance, Son of a Bad Man, Amy Dalley with Jack Sizemore, and The Red River Band. Check out line up on the St Augustine Amphitheatre website or click here. Beer by SweetWater, and tons of vendors! We urge you to ride your bike to the event!

There are so many obvious things a bicycle should have, like for instance lights, breaks and of course handle bars. According to the Florida Bicycle Association,  Every bicycle must be equipped with a brake or brakes that allow the rider to stop within 25 feet from a speed of 10 mph on dry, level, clean pave­ment. You would not want to drive a car without  brakes, so why would you want to ride your bike without breaks? A bicycle is defined as a  vehicle for purposes of the Uniform Traffic Control Law. A bicycle with an electric helper motor that cannot propel it faster than 20 mph on level ground is included in this definition. Make sure to check your bikes to be sure everything is working correctly.

I have learned so many laws about cycling from Velo Fest Community Initiative . I have learned laws that I never even knew existed before. Here are a few I learned and some more obvious but still very important example. Continue reading →

Many of us love to cycle, let’s be honest the benefits we can get from cycling everyday make it well worth it. The more we exercise the better we feel and with cycling we can even reduce the carbon footprint and make our world a better place for all that live here. Many people do not cycle as much as they would like to because they are too afraid of the road. I am one of many who at times get nervous on the road when trying to maneuver my bicycle to get me from point A to point B. There are some pretty important laws that we as cyclist must following correctly at all times, if we follow these laws it will help motor vehicles to be aware of cyclist on the roads. So pay attention and make sure to practice these techniques; you will be following the law, and above all we can contribute to a better more educated community of cyclist and drivers for years to come. Continue reading →

Bicycle lighting

Have you ever come close to hitting a cyclist at night because they did not have any reflectors or lights attached to their bike? Many of us have been in this position as drivers, and it is very scary when you almost hit someone who is wearing dark clothing and does not have the proper lighting on their bike. Did you know they are breaking the law? Yes, they are breaking the law! Continue reading →

Cyclists on roadways fare best when they act & are treated as drivers of vehicles.

According to The Florida Bicycle Association, Riding as a driver makes a cyclist visible and predictable. Nationally, only about 30 percent of bicycle injuries treated in emergency rooms involve collisions with motor vehicles and in 70 percent of police-reported bicycle-motor vehicle crashes, the cyclists involved had violated traffic rules. This is why it is so important that if you choose to cycle you know how to operate on the road. Continue reading →

The following post is from the eyes of our intern, who has never seen a crit live! Enjoy

America has a rich history of criterium racing, I have never seen a criterium in action but I do get the pleasure of planning one with Heather Neville for Velo Fest: Movement of the People. Prior to starting this internship I knew little about bicycle laws and racing, I have had the opportunity to learn so much about cycling as a sport and a leisure activity and why it is important we are educated on the laws of the road just as drivers must be. As most of you know a criterium is a fast paced race contested amidst a thriving urban atmosphere, usually roads must be closed off for safety of the riders as well as spectators. Some call criterium racing the heart of American cycling since the 1920’s when cycling was king. Continue reading →