For Immediate Release Martin Kreig
June 7, 2004 NBG@bikeroute.com
At Palo Alto CIty Hall at 12:30 on Thursday, June 10, Palo Alto Vice Mayor, Jim Burch, will greet cyclists coming in from San Jose with Palo Alto's third annual National Bicycle Greenway (NBG) Day proclamation. The group led by Arcata Mayor Bob Ornelas, who is touring the SF Bay Area as he gains support for the NBG, will also include "Awake Again" author and NBG founder, Martin Krieg, who will be riding a turn of the century HiWheel bicycle replica. Other cyclists will be on hand including local city engineer and TransAm veteran, Tom Kabat on one of the bikes he makes from discarded items such as bed posts, screen doors and broken ski poles.
A smaller city on the 2004 National Mayors' Ride tour, Palo Alto continues to be recognized with a visit because of its exceptional commitment to bicycling. Featuring one of the nation's only dedicated bike boulevards as well as under and over crossings and a broad smorgasbord of bike lanes and bike paths, Palo Alto's roads are widely used for transportation by cyclists of all ages. And this year
Peninsula Fountain and Grille is also showing its support for the local two wheel way of travel by serving free lunch to the riders.
The Mayor's Ride was initiated four years ago as a way to collect attention and support for the NBG by Martin Krieg, who used the bicycle and his two cross-country cycling trips to overcome the two-month-long coma, paralysis and clinical death caused by a car wreck. He has been working on the NBG which is envisioned as a safe system of interconnected trails and bike friendly roads all across the United States, since his last bike ride across America in 1986.
The 2004 Mayors' Ride will visit 24 west coast cities, and 41 in all as the teams converge on Chicago July 30 where they will meet riders coming in from east coast population centers including Boston, Pittsburgh and Washington, DC. From Palo Alto, the next relay team will head to San Francisco where they will meet the principal inventor of the mountain bike as well as a unicyclist bound for the Chicago festival. And before the ride heads east, the west coast will still be alive with energy. In the days ahead, over a dozen antique Hi Wheel bikes, will create quite a stir as they ride the American River from Davis to Folsom collecting four Mayoral endorsements along the way. Other relay legs throughout the country will find Mayors and former Mayors and council persons riding relay legs themselves. You can get up close and personal with Arcata Mayor Bob Ornelas and the rest of the Mayors' Ride at BikeRoute.com
For Immediate Release Martin Kreig
June 8, 2004 NBG@bikeroute.com
From Berkeley City Hall at 12 noon on Wed June 9, Berkeley Mayor, Tom Bates, will pedal a few blocks with popular Arcata Mayor, Bob Ornelas, who has biked down from his Northern California town to tour the SF Bay Area in support of the National Bicycle Greenway (NBG). Taking over for Bates and joining Ornelas on his ride to his next stop, Oakland NBG Day, will be Car Free Berkeley city councilman, Kriss Worthington and members of the Berkeley Bicycle Friendly Coalition as well as six turn of the century HiWheel bicycles. One of the historical bicycles will be ridden by coma, paralysis and clinical death survivor, "Awake Again" author and NBG founder, Martin Krieg. Once they reach the Oakland city limits, Vice Mayor, Nancy Nadel, will join in on her trike.
At Oakland City Hall, Mayor Jerry Brown is still trying to clear his schedule so he can meet the Mayor and the cyclists to award them with Oakland's third annual NBG Day proclamation. Like Berkeley, Oakland remains on the Mayors' Ride tour because of its commitment to bicycling. And this year
Pasta Cuisine is also showing its support for the two wheel way of travel by serving free lunch to the riders who have trekked from Berkeley.
The Mayor's Ride was initiated four years ago as a way to collect attention and support for the NBG by "Awake Again" author Martin Krieg, who used the bicycle and his two cross-country cycling trips to overcome the two-month-long coma, paralysis and clinical death caused by a car wreck. He has been working on the NBG which is envisioned as a safe system of interconnected trails and bike friendly roads all across the United States, since his last bike ride across America in 1986.
The 2004 Mayors' Ride will visit 24 west coast cities, and 41 in all as the teams converge on Chicago July 30 where they will meet riders coming in from east coast population centers including Boston, Pittsburgh and Washington, DC. Before the ride heads east, the west coast will still be alive with energy. In the days ahead a fleet of antique Hi Wheel bikes, accompanied by the band, C.A.M. Engine, which will be preparing population centers along the way for the riders' arrivals with music, will turn a lot of heads as they ride the American River from Davis to Folsom collecting four Mayoral endorsements along the way. Other relay legs throughout the country will find a coast-to-coast unicyclist and Mayors and former Mayors and council persons riding relay legs themselves. You can get up close and personal with Arcata Mayor Bob Ornelas and the rest of the Mayors' Ride at BikeRoute.com
The "National Bicycle Greenway - 2004 Mayors' Ride" will be passing
through Davis next week on Monday, June 14th. In honor of their arrival
and the work they've been doing to promote cycling, there will be a
brief ceremony in Central Park (near the corner of 3rd and C) beginning
at around 9:00 AM. At this time, the Mayor of Davis, the Honorable Ruth
Asmundsen, will be present them with a proclamation passed by the full
city council. Additionally, it just so happens that delegates from
Sangju City Korea ("Korea's Bicycle City") including their Mayor, will
also be on hand at the event. I would like to invite and encourage as
many Davis Bike Club members and interested cyclist's to attend as
possible. More details are below.
The NBG Mayor's ride is a series of coast to coast relays, designed to
bring attention to cycling in general, with particular emphasis on their
efforts to promote an interconnected system of bicycle greenways from
coast to coast. As part of this effort, cyclists are riding relays from
the west coast and east coast, ultimately converging for a grand finale
in Chicago at the end of July. There will be a Davis to Folsom leg
undertaken after the ceremony in Central Park on the 14th, with, among
other riders, approximately 9 highwheelers making the trek across the
causeway (yours truly will ride the Davis to Sacramento leg on a
highwheeler as well). Additionally, the Korean contingent will also
ride part of this leg. Bear in mind, the Korean visitors are coming all
the way to Davis specifically to visit with local cyclists and to tour
our bike facilities, so in addition to showing your support for the
National Bicycle Greenway, this would be a great opportunity to show the
Koreans why Davis is "America's Bicycle City."
The Mayor's Ride was initiated four years ago by "Awake Again" author
Martin Krieg of San Francisco, who used bicycling -including two
cross-country cycling trips-to recover from a car wreck (not involving a
bicycle) that had put him in a two-month-long coma and caused paralysis
and clinical death. He has been working on the National Bicycle Greenway
project since his last bike ride across America in 1986.
The 2004 Mayors' Ride will visit 24 West Coast cities, and 41 cities in
all. In Chicago, teams will meet riders arriving from eight major cities
east of Chicago. Riders will travel from Davis and follow the American
River though Sacramento to Folsom, collecting four Mayoral endorsements
along the way.
More info can be found at BikeRoute.com, and click on the "National
Mayors' ride; or, or feel free to call me at (530)757-5669. I can also
be reached by e-mail at "tbustos@cityofdavis.org."
Regards,
Timothy Bustos
Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator
City of Davis
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: John Doidge
Sausalito, California Breezer
June 8, 2004 415-339-8917
National Bicycle Greenway Riders Welcomed by Sausalito
On Tuesday, June 8 at noon at Sausalito City Hall, Joe Breeze, one of the inventors of the mountain bike and founder of Sausalito-based Breezer Transportation Bicycles, will be a part of the 2004 Mayor's Ride, a 41-city celebration of the National Bicycle Greenway (NBG). Accompanied by Suzanne Banfield, a Breezer rider completing the Napa to Sausalito segment, Joe will meet others who will have ridden from Napa as part of the Mayor's Ride.
In the Mayor's Ride, mayors, former mayors and councilpersons throughout the country join other cyclists who ride relay legs along the Greenway. The event promotes bicycle transportation for touring, commuting, and everyday errands. At this year's event, sponsored in part by Breezer, Sausalito Mayor Paul Albritton will be on hand to greet the arriving cyclists and present the 2004 Sausalito National Bicycle Greenway Day proclamation.
"The National Bicycle Greenway 2004 Mayor's Ride reminds us that the bicycle offers us a daily, healthful transportation choice," said Breeze. "As we ride, we improve our own health and create stronger communities. It is most fitting that Sausalito and Mayor Albritton be recognized as leaders in the promotion of day-to-day cycling in Marin County. Sausalito's addition of Class II bike lanes on Bridgeway made this key link in the West Coast National Bicycle Greenway safer and more accessible."
On Friday, June 10 at 10 a.m., Breeze, others from Breezer and additional riders will gather at Dunphy Park in Sausalito for the ride across the Golden Gate Bridge to San Francisco City Hall. At noon in San Francisco they will meet Arcata Mayor Bob Ornelas, who will have ridden from Arcata to Berkeley and four other Bay Area cities.
The National Bicycle Greenway is envisioned as a nationwide network of interconnected bike-friendly roads and bicycle pathways that will connect major cities throughout the US. An important goal for the project is to develop a standard for cycle-safe throughways, to enhance the travel experience of the transportation cyclist.
The Mayor's Ride was initiated four years ago by "Awake Again" author Martin Krieg of San Francisco, who used bicycling-including two cross-country cycling trips-to recover from a car wreck (not involving a bicycle) that had put him in a two-month-long coma and caused paralysis and clinical death. He has been working on the National Bicycle Greenway project since his last bike ride across America in 1986.
The 2004 Mayors' Ride will visit 24 West Coast cities, and 41 cities in all. In Chicago, teams will meet riders arriving from eight major cities east of Chicago. Before the San Francisco riders head east, a fleet of antique high-wheel bikes will accompany the band C.A.M. Engine, which will play music in towns along the route, preparing for the riders' arrival. Riders will travel from Davis and follow the American River though Sacramento to Folsom, collecting four Mayoral endorsements along the way.
More info can be found at BikeRoute.com.
For Immediate Release Martin Kreig
June 7, 2004 831-252-8830
At Santa Cruz City Hall at noon on Tuesday, June 8, after she rows in from Monterey's second annual National Bicycle Greenway (NBG) Day, as a part of the 2004 National Mayors' Ride, Elaine Martinez, from the Sacramento Department of Transportation, will be received by Santa Cruz Mayor Scott Kennedy. Elaine who will have ridden a revolutionary bike that moves forward with a rowing motion around the Bay and not across it, will meet Santa Cruz cyclists Doug Huskey, Tim McCloskey and Gary Milburn who will take the third annual Santa Cruz NBG Day proclamation the group will receive over the coast range to San Jose NBG Day scheduled for June 10.
Following the ceremony, to celebrate Santa Cruz NBG Day, local singer/songwriter Claire Machado and her band C.A.M. Engine, will be playing from 3:30 to 6:00, a few blocks away, at 120 Union.
The Mayor's Ride was initiated four years ago as a way to collect attention and support for the NBG by "Awake Again" author Martin Krieg, who used the bicycle and his two cross-country cycling trips to overcome the two-month-long coma, paralysis and clinical death caused by a car wreck. He has been working on the NBG, which is envisioned as a safe system of interconnected trails and bike friendly roads all across the United States, since his last bike ride across America in 1986.
The 2004 Mayors' Ride will visit 24 west coast cities, and 41 in all as the teams converge on Chicago July 30 where they will meet riders coming in from east coast population centers including Boston, Pittsburgh and Washington, DC. From the Monterey Bay Area, a Mayor will lead the ride to five more Mayors in the San Francisco Bay Area. And before the ride heads east, the west coast will still be alive with energy. In the days ahead a fleet of antique Hi Wheel bikes, accompanied by Claire's band, will turn a lot of heads as they ride the American River from Davis to Folsom collecting four Mayoral endorsements along the way. Other relay legs throughout the country will find a coast-to-coast unicyclist and Mayors and former Mayors and council persons riding relay legs themselves. You can get up close and personal with Rowbike rider Elaine and the rest of the Mayors' Ride at BikeRoute.com
For Immediate Release Martin Kreig
June 6, 2004 NBG@bikeroute.com
At Monterey City Hall at noon on Monday, June 7, after he awards her with Monterey's second annual National Bicycle Greenway (NBG) Day proclamation, as a part of the 2004 National Mayors' Ride, Mayor Dan Albert will send Elaine Martinez, from the Sacramento Department of Transportation, off on a rowing mission to Santa Cruz. Not across the Bay. But around it! Elaine will be riding a revolutionary bike that moves forward with a rowing motion as she helps to showcase the best example of a bicycle Greenway in the nation, Monterey's widely acclaimed bike path network.
From the Monterey trails, once she reaches Moss Landing where the pathways end, her journey north will help shed light on a part of the NBG network that Congressman Sam Farr long has tried to make safely navigable for cyclists biking around the Bay. And as she rows the only Monterey County part of Highway One that allows bicycles on her show stopping machine, Elaine will be giving urgency to the need to make this corridor a pleasurable experience for the respectable number of bike riders who use it daily during the summer months. And once she cross the Pajaro River, she will also be giving a face to Santa Cruz County's need to make the coastal rail path it long has planned a reality
The Mayor's Ride was initiated four years ago as a way to collect attention and support for the NBG by "Awake Again" author Martin Krieg, who used the bicycle and his two cross-country cycling trips to overcome the two-month-long coma, paralysis and clinical death caused by a car wreck. He has been working on the NBG which is envisioned as a safe system of interconnected trails and bike friendly roads all across the United States, since his last bike ride across America in 1986.
The 2004 Mayors' Ride will visit 24 west coast cities, and 41 in all as the teams converge on Chicago July 30 where they will meet riders coming in from east coast population centers including Boston, Pittsburgh and Washington, DC. From the Monterey Bay Area, a Mayor will lead the ride to five more Mayors in the San Francisco Bay Area. And before the ride heads east, the west coast will still be alive with energy. In the days ahead a fleet of antique Hi Wheel bikes, accompanied by the band, C.A.M. Engine, which will be preparing population centers along the way for the riders' arrivals with music, will turn a lot of heads as they ride the American River from Davis to Folsom collecting four Mayoral endorsements along the way. Other relay legs throughout the country will find a coast-to-coast unicyclist and Mayors and former Mayors and council persons riding relay legs themselves. You can get up close and personal with Rowbike rider Elaine and the rest of the Mayors' Ride at BikeRoute.com
Here we see what takes place in the mind of a man who is so widely loved in his town, that they keep electing him Mayor. Maybe the reason Bob Ornelas is so popular in Arcata is because, as a cyclist, he regularly mixes in with people from all walks of life in his community as he travels about. Here is the bio he has on line with us here at the NBG (http://nbg.bikeroute.com/Events/Mayors_Ride/bios/bob_ornelas.php) and here is why, starting today, he is pedaling from Arcata NBG Day to Napa and the SF Bay Area Mayors' Ride cities at http://www.BikeRoute.com/NationalMayorsRide2004 :
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Why am I riding a NBG leg - from Arcata to SF?
The short and sassy answer is ' Why not?'... and the long answer is: Bike riding in America is more than just a sport and it has gotten the short end of the stick from most planning and funding agencies, both locally, and on the statewide level. From my own perspective on HCAOG, Humboldt County's regional transportation planning and funding board, I have watched tens of millions of dollars go to planning and erecting car-related projects, while most pedestrian and bike plans get very little implementation money. In addition, we are required to update plans long before much gets done; thus too much money goes to planning projects. Long-needed efforts to make cycling and walking safe and practical get put on the back burner as they aren't glamorous, big and exciting.
The major reason I am riding my bike to the SF Bay Area, meeting other mayors along the way, is that I want to call attention to the problem of lack of support for safe bike and pedestrian travel. I plan to get a commitment from at least a few mayors of Northern California cities to support bike and pedestrian related projects - whether they are intra- or inter-city. As California mayors, we are representatives on county-wide transportation boards and have access to millions of dollars of state and federal money that usually passes through the financial hands of Caltrans. Caltrans' mandate is to provide for a 'balanced' transportation system throughout the state. We mayors have a mandate to provide for public safety: if you want to ride a bike to work or walk somewhere, it shouldn't be death-defying and it shouldn't require a several mile walk to get to the other side of a freeway to work or shop.
Many of these issues are relevant regardless of socioeconomic status. The benefits of low-cost, low maintenance, non-polluting transportation development is an idea that has for too long been ignored or put-off. As mayors, council members and transit representatives, we have more power than ever when it comes to transportation and financing decisions. We can demand that plans be funded and implemented, and begin to immediately see the numerous benefits of non-motorized transportation.
Another, and certainly not the final reason I am riding from Arcata to Napa, and beyond to the Bay Area, is that it has been years since I went on a multi-day ride and got to slow down and really enjoy the natural beauties of the Highway 101 corridor and some of the smaller roads leading southward. For all those years I have watched hundreds of bike riders pass through the Arcata area and longed to join them. Thanks to the network of Humboldt County tourism director, Don Leonard, Martin Krieg and the National Bicycle Greenways supporters, and some of my friends I will be able to carry a minimum of clothes and gear and enjoy a shower and bed at the end of each long, hot day of ridng! Heck, it'll be like a vacation!
Bob Ornelas
Mayor
Arcata, CA