The ECCC is the ruling body of collegiate cycling from the Delaware to Maine, including some universities in Canada! The ECCC is by far the largest collegiate cycling conference in the nation, almost doubling the ridership of the second biggest conference. At the recent fall meeting to go over rule changes and race proposals for the spring, this map of the current ECCC teams was shown. This is a great visual aid, showing the layout of the conference and why so many races seem to be in the southeast of the conference. Going with the theme of internet mapping, I want to offer each team in the ECCC a free Mappler Mapping site like the one I have created for the Rutgers Team (www.mappler.com/bikeru). These websites can be used for anything from increased ridership to mapping you teams race schedule and race courses. If you are an official ECCC and are interested in the website, please contact me about getting your school’s Mappler site going.

For more on collegiate cycling visit www.collegiatecycling.org

his article from the New York Times talks about a growing trend across the nation, giving students bikes to ease the strain on parking. It raises the question if it is less expensive to literally give students bikes than have them park on campus, then why don’t cities and states put more money into cycling?

With Free Bikes, Challenging Car Culture on Campus

BIDDEFORD, Me. — When Kylie Galliani started at the University of New England in August, she was given a key to her dorm, a class schedule and something more unusual: a $480 bicycle.

if (acm.rc) acm.rc.write();

“I was like, ‘A free bike, no catch?’ ” Ms. Galliani, 17, a freshman from Fort Bragg, Calif., asked. “It’s really an ideal way to get around the campus.”

University administrators and students nationwide are increasingly feeling that way too.

The University of New England and Ripon College in Wisconsin are giving free bikes to freshmen who promise to leave their cars at home. Other colleges are setting up free bike sharing or rental programs, and some universities are partnering with bike shops to offer discounts on purchases.

The goal, college and university officials said, is to ease critical shortages of parking and to change the car culture that clogs campus roadways and erodes the community feel that comes with walking or biking around campus.

“We’re seeing an explosion in bike activity,” said Julian Dautremont-Smith, associate director of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, a nonprofit association of colleges and universities. “It seems like every week we hear about a new bike sharing or bike rental program.”

While many new bike programs are starting up, some are shutting down because of problems with theft and vandalism. The program at St. Mary’s College in Maryland was suspended because bikes were being vandalized.

“Ours was one that was totally based on voluntary taking care of the bike,” said Chip Jackson, a spokesman for St. Mary’s, “and I guess that was maybe a tad unwise. So the next generation of this idea will have a few more checks and balances.”

At Ripon, and the University of New England, officials say that giving students a bike of their own might encourage them to be more responsible. Ripon’s president, David C. Joyce, a competitive mountain biker, said the free bike idea came in a meeting about how to reduce cars on campus.

The college committed $50,000 to the program and plans to continue it with next year’s freshmen. Some 200 Trek mountain bikes, helmets and locks were bought, and about 180 freshmen signed up for the program. “We did it as a means of reducing the need for parking,” Dr. Joyce said, “but as we looked at it from the standpoint of fitness, health and sustainability, we realized we have the opportunity to create a change.”

The University of New England here in Biddeford had a similar problem — too many cars, not enough space and a desire to make the campus greener. So it copied the Ripon program, handing out 105 bikes in the first week of school. Because of the program, only 25 percent of freshmen brought cars with them this year, officials said, compared with 75 percent last year.

“We felt the campus could devolve to asphalt parking lots, and a lot of people didn’t want that to happen,” said Michael Daley, head of the university’s environmental council and a professor of economics.

The bikes are marked with each student’s name.

“I don’t have to fill it with gas, and it doesn’t hurt the environment,” said Kaitlyn Birwell, 18. “With a car, you need a parking permit, gas, and it breaks down. I’m a college student and don’t have the money for that.”

Michelle Provencal, 18, said she hopes her bike will help her avoid a dreaded side effect of being a college freshman. “Maybe instead of gaining the freshman 15 I’ll lose it,” Ms. Provencal said.

When Mercer University in Macon, Ga., asked for donations of old bikes, it received 60, which are being fixed up and painted orange and black, the university colors. Forty are available for weeklong rentals, and Mercer has organized mass rides to downtown Macon, about three miles away, to promote the program.

“A lot of students haven’t ridden a bike since middle school or even younger, but when they get back on it their faces light up,” said Allan J. Rene de Cotret, director of the program. “So why not leave your car parked where you live or back home with your parents and ride your bike around campus?”

if (acm.rc) acm.rc.write();

Emory University has partnered with Fuji Bikes and Bicycle South, a local bike shop, to provide 50 bikes that can be rented at no charge at six spots on campus. Students can also buy Fuji bikes at a discount and receive a free helmet, lock and lights from Emory.

Students, faculty and staff can go to a rental station, show their Emory ID and check out bikes. The program plans to add 70 more bikes and four checkout points in the next year. In addition, about 150 bikes have been sold through thepartnership in the past year, said Jamie Smith, who runs the program, called Bike Emory.

“We like the idea of bolstering the cycling culture here,” Mr. Smith said, “and ultimately it supports alternative transportation.”

Bikes at some campuses were treated as toys rather than transportation. Others were difficult to maintain or were not used.

“The kids weren’t taking care of the bikes, leaving them wherever instead of parking them in the bike racks,” said John Wall, a spokesman for Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., which eliminated its two-year-old bike-sharing program this year. “The other problem was that the bikes weren’t the greatest to begin with. They were donated by Wal-Mart, and others were rehabbed. They had also been out in the weather. It just didn’t work out.”

The elements are a concern at other universities as well. More than 150 students at the University at Buffalo signed up for a city bike-sharing program that has drop-off points on campus, but it suspends service from November to April.

“It’s hard to maintain all the bikes during winter, and usage drops dramatically,” said Jim Simon, an associate environmental educator at Buffalo.

Here at the University of New England, officials wonder what will happen when snow starts falling, but they are looking toward bike-sharing programs in cities like Copenhagen and Montreal as proof that they can work in the cold.

St. Xavier University in Chicago this month is unveiling the first computer-driven bike sharing system on a college campus.

Students can wave their ID card over a docking port. The port is attached to a rubber tube, which can be used as a lock and opened by entering an access code. Students must enter the bike’s condition before it can be unlocked. The system is used in Europe, but with credit cards.

The first 15 minutes are free, and users pay 60 cents for each additional 15 minutes, or $2.40 per hour. All 925 resident students automatically become members through their ID cards. The system was intended to be environmentally friendly, with solar panels powering the ports.

A tracking system similar to G.P.S. will keep tabs on the bikes.

“You can’t throw it in Lake Michigan,” said Paul Matthews, the university’s vice president for facilities management, “because we’ll know if you throw it in Lake Michigan.”

if (acm.rc) acm.rc.write();

Well, it took a little while longer that expected, but I finally got my dad’s old Raleigh Grand Prix (circa 1974) up and running. I used the original break and levers, took the break pads from my roommate’s fixed gear b/c he is in Kenya for the summer, I promise to replace them Alex, and used nuts and bolts from home depot for the rest. So lets total up the cost of the “eclectic” bike:

Frame (aged to perfection): free

Wheels: Donated by generous Rutgers Alumi

Brake Cable: $10

Tires: $20 front, rear was free (found it in a used tire bin in a shop outside of Pittsburgh).

Chain: Free

Nuts and Bolts: $10 (technically they were free b/c I used a gift card)

Add all of that up and you get $40 . . . WE DID IT! We built up a bike for $40 (the original goal of this project), and while she may not be the prettiest on the bike rack, she’s smooth and handles well. So for everyone out there who says they can’t afford a bike, this just shows with some close friends and a little hard work, anyone can ride a bike. Also, I would like to thank Kim’s Bike Shop in New Brunswick, NJ for all of their awesome advice and mechanical work (best shop in New Brunswick, NJ).

From July 5th to July 24th the best bikers in the world will be eating croissants, climbing hills, and trying to avoid crashes in what some call the most grueling challenge in all of sport, the Tour de France. How, might you ask, are you and I, Mr. Joe-q-commuters, connected to the Tour? By information. Just like the pro’s need maps and information to navigate the course in a safe and efficient manner, we need maps to tell us how to navigate our city streets. Below are links to Tour and Community sites dedicated to the same task, educating cyclist.

Biking the Tour De France

http://www.letour.fr/2008/TDF/COURSE/us/le_parcours.html

Biking in New Jersey

http://www.mappler.com/rubus_to_bike

A pretty sweet video of the 2008 Tour De France Course

This article and this tragic event shows why automobiles must respect all bikers, whether in a race or commuting to work. For the driver, a bike may be an annoyance, but for the bike, the car is the possiblity of life-threatening, or life-ending, injury.

One killed in bike race mayhem

The collision near the Mexican-US border, captured on film by a Monterrey city official. One cyclist died and 10 were injured when the car ploughed into riders taking part in a road race. PICTURE: AP Photo: AP

• Monterrey, Mexico
• June 4, 2008

A CAR has ploughed into a bike race along a highway near the US-Mexico border, killing one and injuring 10 others.

The 28-year-old driver was apparently drunk and fell asleep when he crashed into the racing cyclists, police investigator Jose Alfredo Rodriguez said.

A photograph taken by a city official showed cyclists and equipment being hurled high into the air by the collision.

Juan Campos was charged with killing Alejandro Alvarez, 37, of Monterrey, Mr Rodriguez said.

Authorities said the crash happened 15 minutes into the 34-kilometre race on Sunday along a highway between Playa Bagdad and Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas.

Campos said he was a US citizen living in Brownsville. The US consulate could not immediately confirm that.

“We are looking into the incident in terms of whether American citizens were involved,” consulate spokesman Todd Huizinga said.

AP

I am currenly recovering from the awesome weekend of collegiate cycling, The Boston Beanpot. The weekend consisted of a B-e-a-utiful team time trial course and road race on Saturday, followed by what is considered one of if not the best criterium course in the Northeast. It was no surprise that the weekend races were amazing, but what was surprising was the strength of the cycling community in Boston. Boston has been regarded as a hazardous and unhospitable territory for cyclist for quite some time, but this is not what I found. While the colonial road system and crazy traffic does provide some obstacles for cyclist, the bikers handle the cars in a way that I can only describe as professional. As a track and fixie rider, I like to keep a count of all the fixie riders I see in a given town and in Boston I lost count the first night I got there. So I give much resepect to all of the clam cowder eating riders, you make Boston a true bike town.

Hello All,

I have currently undertaken the dubious project of restoring my dads 1970’s Raleigh Grand Prix. Currently there are no wheels, tires, handlebars, or brakes. My mission, to fix up the bike for under $40. I will update you periodically on my progress.

To cap off the week, I am going to diverge slightly from the commuting aspect of Mappler and focus more on the healthy lifestyle of the Bike N’ Walk Community. The Rutgers Cycling Team, based out of New Brunswick, NJ, is a cycling team that promotes all levels and disciplines of cycling. We train year-round and bike all over the greater New Brunswick Area. This website Bike RU displays some of the routes and hilarious videos of the team. This one, made by Cat “A” cyclist and blogging extraordinare Will C.

Rutgers is continuing its tradition of starting off the ECCC Road season right, but hosting the first race of the season, March 1st and 2nd, in New Brunswick/Piscataway, New Jersey. The two days of racing include an individual time trial through Johnson Park on Saturday morning, followed by a criterium around the Rutgers Football Stadium the same day, and to cap it off and circuit race around Livingston Campus on Sunday. Whether you are an intense racer, cycling fan, or just curious come on out and have a great time. Also, there will be a live band and Kareokee during the criterium on Saturday. For more info about the race visit www.mappler.com/rutgersbikerace and for info on the ECCC, check out www.eccc-info.com.