Naples Velo Bicycle Club is a not-for-profit organization promoting cycling at all skill levels and dedicated to improving cycling safety and awareness in southwest Florida.
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Newsletter
March 2019
We hope you enjoy our sixth Newsletter!
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President's Message
by Mark Dillon
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Several weeks ago we sent out an email regarding stop signs (and it applies to signals as well) and how Naples Velo has received complaints in the past and how internet groups such as
Nextdoor.com
have posted a lot of complaints about our behavior regarding stops. And I personally witnessed the anger regarding our behavior a few years ago when I, Joe Bonness and Cathy Faerber were working with Pelican Bay to agree to have bike lanes installed on Pelican Bay Boulevard and Gulf Park. The end result worked out actually better than we had hoped for with the adoption of “sharrows”, but during the many community meetings leading up to the vote we sat and listened to a lot of very angry complaints from the residents. The most common one was our disregard for stop signs, followed by group rides taking up the road and on and on.
None of this is new to us as a group. It is to our benefit as cyclists to not to anger motorists and pedestrians with our behavior. I mean think about it for a minute. We as cyclists have a lot of expectations of motorists; we want them to give us 3 feet of room when they pass, we expect them to not turn in front of us, we expect them to not honk, we want them to respect our rights. In return for that we need to respect them; it’s just common sense and common courtesy. Every time a motorist or a pedestrian gets angry about a behavior of ours they immediately categorize all cyclists the same way.
As a group we have all experienced some form of road rage from motorists and if you haven’t yet you likely will. It’s unfortunate but one of the ways we can help change that is by behaving better ourselves, and this includes respecting stop signs and signals and respecting motorists (and pedestrians) rights.
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Member Services
by Bill Percival
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Join the Naples Velo Strava Club
If you are not already aware of it, Naples Velo has a club page for club members in Strava. It's a convenient way to stay in touch with Club and member activity from week to week.
If you have not already joined the site on Strava, it's easy.
To find the page:
- From the main menu bar in Strava select "Explore."
- In the resulting drop-down list, select "Clubs."
- Search for Naples Velo as shown below.
- Click on the Club's logo.
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Access to the Club's page is exclusive to the Club's members. After you have completed the above steps, the Club will receive an approval request. All requests are reviewed within a day or two. Once your application is approved, you'll receive a confirmation in your Strava feed.
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Instagram Photo Contest
We are re-introducing the Naples Velo Photo Contest this month. The goal is to have club members share pictures from rides and other social activities with others to enjoy.
Please email pictures that you would like to share to:
Every three months, the club will recognize and publish on the club's website the top three pictures based on the number of "likes" received.
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Time Trials
Individual Time Trial Results
Congratulation to Peter Brown for on achieving the fastest time on the individual time trial segment.
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Group Time Trial Results
February was a repeat of the January results. Colleen Clubley and Justin Bolde both set the fastest times on the NV 20/20 Time Trial Segment. Great times - not to mention consistency - to you both.
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Tech Tips
by Greg Pelican
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There have been far too many local cycling tragedies. One thing we can immediately do to make ourselves more visible to motorists is always ride with a good set of lights. It has gotten to the point where I feel if I don't have lights on my bike (day or night) I don't feel safe, almost like riding without a helmet.
Recently I was on a morning ride and as it got warmer fog set in. I was happy to have flashing lights. When I got back home I made a comparison video that shows the difference between riding with or without lights. Keep in mind the furthest I'm away is about 100 yards, and a car going 60 mph covers this distance in less than 3.5 seconds.
Be Seen be Safe!
Please
email if you have questions or need recommendations for lights.
Greg
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Supporting Youth Cycling
by Don Ruppercht
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Naples BMX Track is conducting a fund raiser through March 31, 2019 to raise $25000. The track – which has held thousands of races and is 15 years old – is sorely in need of repairs.
The track uses an older style of starting gate that is less safe and reliable than the new roll gates used at almost every other track in the state. The new starting hill and gate will require some additional track modifications that will be covered by the proceeds of the campaign.
The goal is to have the campaign completed by the end of Q1 2019 to allow proper time to permit and coordinate the work that needs to be done before the 2019-2020 cycling season begins. This renovation will allow Naples BMX Track to petition for a State Series Race to be held in Naples in early 2020. These events bring in thousands of visitors to our community and help pump revenue into our local economy.
ALL $2,500.00 DONORS MAY CHOOSE TO HAVE THEIR COMPANY LOGO EMBLAZENED ACROSS THE FRONT OF THE STARTING GATE FOR 3 YEARS TO ENSURE EVERYONE KNOWS WHO HAS SUPPORTED CYCLING AND THE KIDS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
The track is also working to integrate a permanent walk of fame into the new starting hill to thank every donor who is at the $1,000 level. These may be in the form of stepping stones or engraved bricks as a reminder of how the community came together to help create an amazing facility that encourages kids and families to fall in love with cycling.
Naples Velo is managing the campaign through its affiliated company Naples Velo Cycling Alliance, Inc. (NVCA), a 501(c) (3) not for profit corporation.
Anyone interested in helping to support the Naples BMX Track and its cycling program for youth may make a tax-deductible contribution to NVCA. 100% of your contribution will go directly to the Naples BMX Track Renovation Campaign Fund.
Your support of the local BMX track is sincerely appreciated.
To make a donation click on the below link:
For additional questions and information contact Matt McCain at 239-209-8891
lafnrhino@yahoo.com
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Safety First by Don Rupprecht
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“Cyclists Lives Matter”
Recently, while riding on the roads of Collier County during the tourist season, I have received numerous suggestions from motorists to “get on the sidewalk” with the appropriate adjectives added. We know from a recent survey of local motorists that 15% of the motorists in Collier County are strongly opposed to bicycles being on the roads. But are you aware that more cyclists are killed on the sidewalk than on the streets? That is one reason Naples Velo always encourages bicyclists to ride in the street in the same direction as traffic, have lights on your bike front and rear and use them day and night and always wear a helmet even if you are riding on the sidewalk.
Several years ago, a local TV celebrity was riding on the sidewalk without a helmet. He hit a bump in the pavement, lost control of his bike, fell and was killed instantly. It has been determined that falling off a bicycle and hitting your head on the ground is equivalent to hitting a solid object at 45 miles per hour. Within the past mouth, a cyclist was killed while riding a bike on the sidewalk by an out of control motorist traveling on Bonita Beach Rd. Riding on the sidewalk is not safer than riding in the street. But wherever you ride you must always be alert to the many dangers around you ranging from a bump in the pavement to a reckless or distracted motorist. Several months ago, a well-known cycling advocate was riding home from work at night on the road in Lee County with lights on his bike and was struck from behind by a motorist and killed.
We all love riding a bike. However, we live in a community that was not designed with consideration being given to cycling. There are indications that local government leaders may be recognizing that Collier County is filled with all types of cyclists, at least 60,000 of them riding for pleasure, exercise or basic transportation. The Collier County Board of Commissioners recently adopted the complete Streets concept and the City of Naples was named a Bicycle Friendly City by the League of American Bicyclists. But that is just a beginning. We all need to voice our concerns to local government staff and elected officials that “cyclists lives matter” and action needs to be taken to improve the infrastructure for the safety of cyclists.
Don Rupprecht
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Sponsor's Spotlight: Mark Wilson of London Bay Homes
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Each month we will feature one of our great sponsors... and this month is Mark Wilson of London Bay Homes (see Londonbay.com) . Check out our new
Sponsor Pages Link
by clicking on our sponsor's logo at www.naplesvelo.com!
England natives, Mark and Gemma Wilson founded London Bay Homes in 1990.
The company’s vision has always been to build luxury residences that possess unparalleled quality, design and finishes. It’s a singular commitment to ensuring each new residence is a perfect reflection of clients’ distinctive tastes and individual personalities. At London Bay, we call our brand’s promise “Private Label Living,” as it delivers the true luxury of a tailored fit for every client, ensuring their new home will be as unique as they are.
Today, London Bay offers the full spectrum of building, development and design services, including an in-house team of interior designers, architects and renovation specialists. A leading homebuilder and developer in the Southwest Florida home market for nearly three decades, London Bay Homes has been named America’s Best Builder by Builder magazine and has earned more than 300 industry awards.
For more information please see Londonbay.com.
Naples Velo Board of Trustees appreciates the support of our club from Mark Wilson of London Bay Homes.
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BIKE CRASHES CAUSED BY ROAD DEBRIS
There are two photos at the top of this blog. Each photo is of an object that lodged in the spokes of the front wheel of a bicycle, stopping the wheel’s movement. Each cyclist pinwheeled over his handlebars and struck the ground, with catastrophic results. The crashes occurred more than three years apart. Neither bicycle was struck by a motor vehicle, another bicycle, or anything else.
Ted Zelman represented both families and obtained significant settlements on their behalf. It required proving that each object came from a motor vehicle. In each case, recovery was obtained from the bicyclist’s own auto insurance policy, under its uninsured motorist coverage.
There are two lessons here. The first is the importance of uninsured motorist insurance.
I have written about this before.
Uninsured motorist insurance covers you and your loved ones from damages caused by financially irresponsible bad drivers.
The second lesson is the importance of preserving evidence – the object, the bicycle, the helmet, the identity of witnesses. Obviously a catastrophically injured cyclist cannot do this for him or herself. As cyclists we owe responsibilities to those with whom we ride. When you are riding with someone injured in a crash, preserve the evidence. Take photos, especially of the scene, vehicles and injured person, and get names and contact information of witnesses.
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Check out our new
BIKE LAW BLOG covering issues related to Florida BIKE LAWS.
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