Our friends at Richmond Cycling Corps always seem to be up to something big. Case in point: the above video (shot by Jack Anderson) showcasing the new headquarters they’ll be moving into. (Click here to donate to the cause.)

From their website:

We have made a commitment to empower young people living in poverty by fully placing ourselves and our resources at their service. We are now ready to enter the fabric of the community we serve so that we can be of maximum availability and usefulness.

Richmond Cycling Corps has purchased an historic building, at 2123 Fairmount Avenue, just seven blocks from Fairfield Court public housing in Richmond VA’s poverty dense East end. We are turning this building into a resource unlike anything our youth have yet had access to. It will serve as the base of operations for the nation’s premier youth cycling program, but more importantly, as a home away from home with access to mentors and virtually unlimited resources for their empowerment. The opportunities provided by this project will establish a beacon toward the future, a vision for a life beyond poverty. One youth at a time, we will lead them toward the mainstream, and toward the unlimited future that is theirs to work for once they get there. 

The only way out of public housing is to literally get out of public housing. The youth Richmond Cycling Corps is committed to serving are all growing up in this condition. By and large, they are the third or fourth generation in their family to do so. If nothing changes, nothing changes. 

The most important fact of this project is that we will be accessible to our youth. However, transportation and equipment storage logistics are noteworthy as well. We stand to gain significant savings in time and costs by more wisely locating our resources.

We feel, to our core, that the work we do with young people represents a commitment toward the future. The public housing environment is perhaps the most significant factor pertaining to the growth potential and future stability for the youth we work with. We know that the most vital step we can take toward our goal of breaking the cycle of poverty is to invest in the communities which foster it. 

Highlights:

• Private meeting rooms for one-on-one sessions between youth and RCC staff.
• A dedicated safe place. Comfortable surroundings. A distance removed from their neighborhood to give our youth breathing room and space to let their guard down.
• Quiet areas for study and after school programs. Computer and WiFi access for youth.
• Co-location: All equipment and vehicles located on site of programming.
• Craig Dodson (RCC Executive Director) will live on site, in upstairs apartment, to provide unwavering presence, support, and mentoring. 
• 24/7 support to youth who need dependable adult figures. 

Tomorrow the Virginia Capital Trail Foundation’s Cap2Cap ride will go off for the 11th straight year. For the previous 10 the event had two start/finish lines: one in Williamsburg and one in Richmond at Rocketts Landing.

This year VCTF Executive Director Beth Weisbrod told me, they decided to consolidate the event at a single location at the Charles City County Courthouse– “which was a bit of a risk,” she said. “But we hope it will up the party factor, to have one big party as opposed to two smaller ones.”

The Virginia Capital Trail where it crosses Parrish Hill Creek: Credit: VDOT

Weisbrod said they should hit their goal of 2,000 or so participants riding one of four distances: 100, 60, 25 and 15 miles. Not quite the 2015 record of 2,400 riders but not bad at all considering the trail itself has been open since October 2015.

Now that the Jamestown-to-Richmond trail is complete, Weisbrod said that the mission of the VCTF has morphed from one of overseeing promotion of the trail to “promotion, enhancement and continued development…and let’s throw some maintenance in there, cause we’re doing some of that, too.”

No longer just a cheerleader for the trail’s completion, the VCTF now works to provide amenities like  bike racks, bike fix-it stations, benches, and rain shelters, Weisbrod said. All of those — 35 “non-sign amenities” — are currently in the works for different sections of the 55-mile trail and should in by late summer.

The group also has installed 9 trail counters in different locations along the path, which will help with resource allocation once they have a long period of reliable data.

“These numbers are absolute gold. The more trends we can discern, the more valuable they’ll become,” she said.

If you live in Richmond and you haven’t checked out the Virginia Capital Trail yet, head down to the Richmond trailhead at Great Shiplock Park (at the intersection of Pear and Dock Streets) with a bike and head west. Jamestown is just about 55 miles away…

Saturday, April 30 marks the launch of RVA Bike Month in the Richmond region, and the Sports Backers’ Bike Walk RVA is in its third year of coordinating a full month of bike-related events, with the help of dozens of volunteers and advocates from all over the region.

RVA Bike Month will feature more than 60 events, including food-themed rides, youth rides, bike commuting seminars, amateur bike racing, and bike-themed films. Activities will also include group bike commutes and bigger festivals like Dominion Riverrock, which takes place Friday, May 20 – Sunday, May 22.

“The community volunteers, businesses, and organizations that contribute to the full month of events really make RVA Bike Month a special treat for the region,” said Brantley Tyndall, Community Engagement Coordinator for Bike Walk RVA. “The rapid growth of community interest in biking illuminates the fact that bikes and bike infrastructure continue to become a part of the region’s identity.”

Continuing community-led support from prior RVA Bike Months, a group of businesses in the Bellevue neighborhood along MacArthur and Bellevue Avenues have launched a permanent Bike Friendly Business District in Bellevue. An initiative led by Bellevue residents, the businesses started with a pilot program for Bike Month in 2015 and have chosen to implement it full time starting with the 2016 RVA Bike Month.

This will be the Richmond Region’s second permanent Bike Friendly Business District, after the Lakeside Business Association launched their program in July 2015. Lakeside is also leading the kickoff event for the entire RVA Bike Month with its ‘Pedal & Gears Bike Fest’ on April 30. Participating businesses will offer discounts and other special deals for people who arrive by bike, and those businesses can be identified by decals displayed in their front windows.

A map of participating Bellevue businesses and nearby bike racks can be found by clicking here, and the image of the window cling is available as well.

For a full list of bike month events, check out the Bike Month poster above.

Bike Walk RVA (a program of Sports Backers) today released the 2016 Richmond Region Bicycle Infrastructure Report, an update to the 2013 Richmond Region Baseline Bicycle Infrastructure Report.

The new report details the many new types of bikeways on the ground in greater Richmond, as well as documents the number of miles and location of those bikeways. A major finding is that the region’s bikeway mileage has more than doubled in three years – many thanks to elected officials and other decision makers, dedicated planning and transportation staff, and the advocacy community.

The now complete Virginia Capital Trail crosses Gillies Creek in Richmond. The silos in the background have been demolished.

“Our region’s bikeway mileage has gone from 37 to 79 miles – and counting – in about three years,” said Max Hepp-Buchanan, Director of Bike Walk RVA for Sports Backers. “That’s great progress. However, not all bikeways are considered equal in terms of safety and comfort for the average resident. Bike lanes that don’t offer physical protection from high-speed traffic are not likely to get more people to ride. Separated multi-use trails, like the Virginia Capital Trail, will attract new riders by the thousands. We need more protected bikeways in the region.”

In addition to maps documenting the Richmond region’s progress and graphs that show exactly where bikeway growth is occurring, readers can expect some commentary from Bike Walk RVA on the region’s overall progress and next steps for the future.

“The biggest steps moving forward for the region are to adopt plans, identify funding sources for projects in those plans, design projects for the safety and comfort of all ages and abilities, and build connections to places people want to go,” said Hepp-Buchanan.

The 2016 Richmond Region Bicycle Infrastructure Report follows the published brochure, RVA Bikeways: A user guide for people on bikes and in cars, as well as the web-based RVA Bikeways Map. All three publications are available on the Sports Backers’ website, and the new report can be directly downloaded here: http://bitly.com/2016RVABikeReport

The Sports Backers have come out with a handy map in an effort to educate Chesterfield and Henrico County residents on where their Board of Supervisors candidates stand on walking and biking issues. To generate the map, Bike Walk RVA distributed a questionnaire to all candidates running for Board of Supervisors in those two counties and asked them five questions about the future of walking and biking in their communities.

(Bike Walk RVA, a program of Sports Backers, stressed that it is a non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and does NOT support, or oppose, candidates or political parties. Bike Walk RVA’s candidate questionnaire is strictly educational in nature.)

The five questions had to do with generally improving walking and biking in the counties, issues of health and equity, the future of policies and plans that lead to walking and biking infrastructure on the ground, and funding of those projects.

Bike Walk RVA received responses from 12 out of the 17 candidates running in Chesterfield and Henrico Counties, and compiled the responses in their interactive online map. The map can be viewed directly at this URL: http://bitly.com/BikeWalkRVACandidateQuestionnaire

“In Chesterfield and Henrico Counties, many of our plans, policies, and funding decisions are shaped by the Board of Supervisors, including the future of paved trails, bike lanes, sidewalks, safe neighborhood streets, and other infrastructure that would make walking and biking safe and convenient,” said Max Hepp-Buchanan, Director of Bike Walk RVA. “Our goal here is not to endorse candidates, but rather educate voters on where those candidates stand on walking and biking issues prior to the November 3 election.”

Will Chesterfield Co. be building more bike infrastructure like this?

Markus Schmidt reported in today’s Times-Dispatch that “the Chesterfield County Planning Commission signed off on a draft plan that calls for 360 miles of new bicycle pathways and trails throughout the county.”

The final hurdle for the ambitious plan is a vote by the County Board of Supervisors. But the interesting thing about yesterday’s approval is that despite the plan receiving broad support, there was a vocal group in opposition.

Wrote Schmidt: John Pettengill with the Chesterfield Patriot Caucus, a group of local conservative activists, called the plan a “progressive entitlement” that only a minority of county residents will use. 

And: Howard Nester Jr., president of the Chesterfield Farm Bureau, asked the commission to postpone a decision on the proposal. “Some of us look at this plan and see parts that are good but think that it’s incomplete,” Nester said. “This is a 50-year plan, there is no inflation in the cost of building or maintaining this. I don’t understand why we are in a hurry to do this process; we need to get this right.”

Those of us who are active cyclists, both recreationally and for commuting, could tell Nester why Chesterfield should “be in a hurry” to produce more amenities. Because there aren’t many of them currently, and the benefits of making a region more bicycle and pedestrian friendly are legion. Luckily, as Schmidt reported, many at the meeting explained that to Nester and Pettengill.

The county is home to Pocahontas SP, which features dozens of miles of trail open to bikes.

Jo Gehlbach with the Richmond Association of Realtors said that property values increase when they are adjacent to bike trails and paths, and Ashley Mann of Midlothian said that “building out these trails will improve the quality for all of us.”

Project Manager Heather Barrar said it all when she said that “the interest (in bike trails) is more than we have ever seen in the county.”

The Board of Supervisors has set its public hearing on the bike plan for Nov. 18, and a few board members have set up community meetings in their districts. If you live in Chesterfield County and you support a more bike/pedestrian-friendly approach to transportation in the county, now’s the time to make your voice heard.

The UCI World Cycling Championships in Richmond made fans out of these St. Catherine’s students. Credit: WTVR

I am not a race fan. At least I wasn’t. The truth is, I had no idea what to expect from UCI 2015. Traffic, of course. And crowds. But I never dreamed I’d get a chance to travel back in time.

It’s mid-semester at VCU, which, for me, means one-on-one conferences with sleep-deprived first-year students. How’re classes? I ask. How’s your stress level? And how do you manage that stress? This last question usually brings blank stares, which I answer with a list of healthy ways to unburden ourselves – however briefly – from life’s inevitable strain: physical exercise, being in nature, listening to music, time with friends.

Late one afternoon, weary and over-talked, I sat down with an international student – a mechanical engineer – who told me he coped with stress by working more. That’s great, I said. Very responsible. But you also have to rest. Walk by the river. Paint a picture. Play a board game. Lock your dorm room door and dance, I suggested, now thoroughly off-script. When we do the things we loved as children, we feel like kids again ourselves.

Thinking of his child-self – a decade back and half-a-world away – he nodded, slowly. Then he smiled.

All the news I heard leading up to The Worlds – the presentations on tourism spending, the blown-up maps of street closings and emergency routes – focused wholly on the adult sphere. So, until the races actually started, I didn’t understand that Richmond was hosting an international city-wide Field Day.

Libby Hill had plenty of cowbell during the men’s elite road race last month. Photo: Casey B. Gibson

Remember the feeling of being at school but not IN school? The blissful chaos. The games. The din. The Worlds brought that all back (at least in the East End; I didn’t even try to cross town). For three days all the rules changed. We walked down the middle of Main Street. We rang cow bells, and screamed at the top of our lungs. Children chased used water bottles as if they were treasure. And everyone was friends.

To me, the most elusive, enviable magic of childhood is that friendship requires nothing more than a mutual desire to have fun. Prejudice, in all its many forms, requires ideas on which to pre-judge, and children lack the burden of that experience. They don’t approach would-be playmates with a survey: How do you feel about expanded Obamacare? Gun control? Mandated gas mileage? Little kids — God bless them — actually don’t see color. They don’t care what neighborhood you call home or what language you speak. Children can walk up to each other on the playground and vet new companions with one question: Do you want to play?

Fans captured a memory of the start of the men’s road race at the University of Richmond. Photo: Casey B. Gibson

Watching The Worlds made all of us children. For days, crowded together in the sometimes rain, we forgot our differences, set down our worries, and played like kids. There’s lots of data on what that gained us. I don’t mean the figures on visitors and generated income. I mean studies on the healing benefits of physical activity, and being outdoors, and time with old and brand-new friends. But the kid in me doesn’t need more proof than I got.

That felt great, Richmond. Thank you. Let’s take advantage of every occasion to come together, in the out-of-doors, and forget our stress. Because the answer to the question is obvious: Hell yes, we want to play!

I spent a good part of yesterday morning on an old school bus, chugging down Route 5 next to the brand spanking new Virginia Capital Trail. I was part of a media contingent brought together by Beth Weisbrod, head of the Virginia Capital Trail Foundation, to see the finished product and ask questions of those along the way who have a vested interest in its success.

We started at Great Shiplock Park in Richmond, stopped at Rocketts Landing, then went out to Ronnie’s Barbecue in Varina and on to Henrico County’s new trailhead just past I-295 at Four Mile Creek Park. Weisbrod and VCTF board chair Charlie Donato led the way, giving us the history of the trail and telling us about the series of parties that will take place this coming Saturday up and down the trail’s length to commemorate its completion. We met Rocketts residents who are already seeing the quality of life benefits and a Stone Brewing spokesperson who told us how excited Stone is to have the trail so close to its East Coast operations. We met Ronnie and Darrell Logan, of Ronnie’s BBQ, who have seen an uptick in traffic since moving to their location right on the trail in Varina in May (“It’s a place to exhale,” said Ronnie). And we met Henrico Co. officials who spoke about the linkages the trail provides between communities and the future plans they have for the path.

It’s was an interesting morning, but what I really wanted was to get on the trail with my own two wheels. So later yesterday afternoon, despite the impending rain, I hopped on the mountain bike with a friend, Dave Salley, and we pointed our wheels in the direction of the trail. It started raining around Brown’s Island and by the time we reached the trail’s beginning at the Floodwall across from Bottom’s Up Pizza, we were soaked.

But it was also nice. We had this gorgeous ribbon of freshly paved asphalt all to ourselves. We rode to Ronnie’s before turning around, a round trip of about 12 miles. (Then we rode up Libby Hill, 23rd St. and Governor’s St. because…you know.) There’s just something about looking down a path like that and thinking, “If I felt like it, I could ride all the way to Jamestown.”

After 10 years and $74 million, the Virginia Capital Trail is finally here, Richmond, and let me say, it is awesome. I know the weather looks horrendous, but there’s an official ribbon cutting at Great Shiplock Park on Friday (the governor will keynote) and a big old party the following day. Click here for those details. If riding in the rain isn’t your thing, I get it. But whenever this rain breaks, get out there and check out the trail. Like those bike races that just left town, it’ll make you excited to see what we can accomplish when we really want to.

The James River got a bit of attention on the UCI bicycle race course this past week. “Arts & Cultural District Drains to the James,” the 4’x4’ raindrop posters proclaim. To let people know why it matters what goes into the river, each poster has a photograph of someone (or some ducks) enjoying the river.

One image shows Jack Martin running whitewater rapids on his stand up paddleboard boasting the slogan, “7 miles of rapids run through RVA.” Riverside Outfitters rafts through downtown asking people to “Follow the raindrops to the river.” Amanda Gibson looks like she’s loving life high in the sky at Jump Rock declaring, “Clean Water, Clean Roads, Clean River.” Lauren Morris dances on the bank for “RVA Love, Arts Love, River Love.”

Thanks to the Arts & Cultural District Micro Grant Program, along with CultureWorks, I received funding to place 14 PSA posters in storefront windows in the ACD. The James River Association and Bike Walk RVA lent a hand in the project, as did Storefront for Community Design. Michelle of Mtouchettemedia.com designed and helped place the posters, and Richmond Signscape printed them on static cling material so no harm would come to any of the windows.

The idea to have a map of downtown showing that the river borders the area was long in the making. Originally conceived as a response moving to Richmond eight years ago only to discover no one knew if they were “up river or down river” when asked for directions, the timing was right to put the posters up during Richmond2015 with so many visitors expected to the city.

Not many cities have a swimmable, kayakable, paddleboardable, playable river running through the heart of downtown. The project involved getting that word out, letting people know Richmonders get IN the river so we need it to be clean. Hopefully, seeing the connection of us playing will trigger a better response as to why land actions matter to water quality.

The posters will be up during the races and through the fall First Friday season. Richmond on Broad (University of Richmond) café wants to keep theirs up indefinitely. “I see no reason to take it down. It speaks to what we want to do and our involvement with the city,” said Chef Manager Matt Lee. The variety of businesses sporting a raindrop also speaks to the vast community that cares about the James.

Keep an eye out for the big blue posters while wondering around downtown and thank the store owners for caring about the mighty, majestic, and mysterious James River. You can find the posters at: Bunkie Trinite Trophies, Hilton Garden Inn, Mama J’s Kitchen, Moore’s Auto Body & Paint Shop, Pediatric Dentistry, Richmond Public Library, The National, Candela Books & Gallery, Hummel Associates, Steen Wear bicycle apparel popup storefront, and a for-rent storefront at 208 E Broad.