MassBike PARTY!

Time is running out to get your tickets for Bike Night 2013 – but we’ve extended the deadline to make sure you don’t miss it! Tickets are on sale only until Tuesday, June 4th, so hit “Buy” right now to reserve your seat at Boston’s only cycling gala and fashion show! Support MassBike’s statewide advocacy and education programs helping more people ride bikes more safely, and be part of the Massachusetts cycling community’s signature event: Free bike valet parking A personal professional photo of you in all your finery 2 free libations courtesy of Sam Adams, Bacardi, Grey Goose and Robert Mondavi Sumptuous hors d’oeuvres Divine 3-course dinner Our famous Cycling Fashion Show Dozens of raffle prizes Amazing silent auction items Ticket sales absolutely end Tuesday or as soon as we sell out. Get your ticket now!            Ride by for the Party!                      Monday, June 3 (rain date: June 10)      Time: 5 – 9 pm, drawing@ 7:30 pm      Place: 55 Chester Street in front of Redbones     $15 gets you food & drink, bicycle valet parking by MassBike, and a ticket for the drawings. Additional tickets are $2.00 each or three for $5.00 – and you’ll want extras because our sponsors are donating some awesome prizes including the Grand Prize – a cargo bike from Alternative Needs Transportation! Also maps, swag, t-shirts, gift certificates & more swag. Music by The Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band  Party proceeds go to NEMBA & MassBike.

The MassBike Team 171 Milk St. Suite 33 Boston, MA 02109 Phone: 617-542-2453 Fax: 617-542-6755 Email: [email protected]

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MassBike Mega Update

From MassBike:

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Get Your Bike Night Ticket By May 31!       Did you know you can support better biking around the state, and have a great time doing it? Don’t miss the swankiest bike party of the year –  ticket sales for “Bike Night: From The Bikeway To The Runway” close on Friday, May 31! All proceeds support our advocacy and education programs. Tickets will not be available at the door.   WHAT: An incredible evening of food, drink, and entertainment, bike gear, bike clothing, and bike people (Due to the generous support of the Westin Hotel and other sponsors, this is a $150 value for only $85, or $80 for members!)   WHERE: The elegant Westin Boston Waterfront in the Seaport District   WHEN: Friday, June 7, 2013, 6:30-9:00pm But that’s not all:   BONUS #1: Live models walking the runway wearing the latest in bike fashion from Craft, Primal, Hincapie, Sweet Spot Skirts, Club Ride Apparel, Ibex and many more   BONUS #2: Incredible raffle and silent auction prizes from Pedro’s, Duvine Adventures, Rudy Project, Top of the Hub, the Red Sox and dozens more!   BONUS #3: Stay overnight at the Westin at a deep discount, take a leisurely ride sponsored by Green Line Velo, and visit the Boston Cycling and Health Expo, all at the Westin!   BONUS #4: All proceeds support MassBike’s advocacy and education programs, like the  Massachusetts Bike/Walk Summit, the  Bikeable Communities Program, and  child safety education Time is running out - get your ticket right now!    MassBike Launches the 2013 National Bike Challenge in MA   MassBike is happy to present the   National Bike Challenge in Massachusetts. We are joining the other 50 states and the District of Columbia in this national contest to see which state can bike the most. The National Bike Challenge is sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists in partnership with Kimberly-Clark. This is a fantastic opportunity for you to keep the momentum of the MassCommute Bicycle Challenge through the end of September.   Register today!   The challenge is a very exciting opportunity for the Bay State! We have seen an explosion of interest in bicycling across the state, and this is our opportunity to show the rest of the country what a bunch of bike-nuts we really are. Don’t be ashamed of that 100-mile bike ride you did the other day just for fun – log it!   There are also a number of prizes available to win for those who consistently track rides lasting more than one mile each day. The more you bike, the better your chance of winning (and the better the prizes) will be!   For a step-by-step process for registering for the National Bike Challenge, click here. That page shows you how to register for Endomondo (the website the drives the Challenge) and how to create teams within your workplace or school. You can also register as an individual. If you have any questions, contact [email protected]. Tell Us Why You Support MassBike For the last 36 years, MassBike has been working hard topromote a bicycle-friendly environment  and help make bicycling better in Massachusetts. We represent over 3,000 cyclists across the state who see bicycling as a solution for the traffic, health and environmental challenges we face in our community. We couldn’t do it alone. MassBike depends on supporters like you to continue our work making bicycling a healthy and more sustainable means of transportation and recreation.   We’d love to hear why you support MassBike to feature it on our website and at events. Please take a moment to tell us: Your name (first name and last initial) Occupation (optional) Your home town How long you have been supporting MassBike, or how many hours you have volunteered Why you supported MassBike Email this to [email protected], extra points for attaching asmiling head shot. Thanks much in advance – as usual, we couldn’t do it without you! Bay State Bike Week Pictures, Flyers & More!     We have wrapped up another successful Bay State Bike Week. With 175 events across the state and an estimated 13,000 participants, this was a hugely successful year. We had events from the Cape to the Berkshires ranging from bike breakfasts to races and rodeos to film screenings.   What we need are pictures, flyers, and any other media you can send our way to post on our social media and the next newsletter! Please send any thing to[email protected]. Also let us know any photo credits or captions to add.   Read more here…. MassBike is Hiring!     We are excited to announce two great job opportunities: a part-time Bike Safety Instructor for the Boston area and a Project Coordinator based in Springfield, Massachusetts. If you or anyone you know would be interested in either of these positions, please send in an application. We are expecting to close the hiring process within a few weeks, so you’ll need to act quickly.   Bike Safety Instructor Our Instructors deliver the bike safety education for our Education Program. We currently have four instructors located around the state, but are looking for an additional instructor for the Boston Metro area. The key to this position is having a flexible schedule, as many of the classes we teach are during the day, though occasionally on nights or weekends. Ideal candidates will have teaching experience and are intimately familiar with bicyclist issues. Time commitment will only rarely exceed 20 hours per month. To see the job description, click here.   Project Coordinator We are searching for a top-notch candidate to help the City of Springfield build its bicycle and pedestrian network. The Project Coordinator is a full-time position based in Springfield that will work closely with staff from the City and from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. An ideal candidate would have a Master’s Degree or two to four years of experience doing related work. Spanish language skills and familiarity with or residency in Springfield a HUGE plus. To see the job description, click here.   Read more here… Up Coming Volunteer Opportunities   We know that volunteers make up a huge part of our success, so we want to make volunteering with us even better. Anyone who volunteers ten hours of their time will automatically earn a MassBike membership! Learn more about Membership Benefits.   To RSVP, email [email protected]   Monday, June 3: 4:30pm – 7pm & 7pm – 10pm - Bike Valet parking for Redbones annual bike party - At Redbones Barbecue, 55 Chester st, Somerville, MA 02144   Please join us at Redbones for bike valet parking, and of course great food and generous raffle prizes. This is a great event which raises money for MassBike & NEMBA.   Friday, June 7: 5:30pm-7:30pm - Bike Night Fashion Show - At the Westin Boston Waterfront, 425 Summer St, Boston, MA 02210   Coming to the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel on Friday, June 7th is MassBike’s Bike Night!  This suave soiree benefits MassBike and funds our numerous cycling advocacy and education programs.  We are looking for a handful of volunteers for the night to help with our bike valet service and guest check-in.  Bike valet volunteers will be needed from 5:30 to 9:30pm and our guest check-in volunteers will be needed from 5:30 to 7:30pm.  As a bonus, all volunteers will have access to purchase tickets for all our raffle prizes and bid on our silent auction items.  Since we greatly value our volunteer support, we will also be throwing a party at The Four’s Restaurant and Sports Bar at a time and date TBD for all those who come to help at Bike Night!  Bike Night is not to be missed so sign up to help today!   Tuesday, June 11: 5:30pm-8pm - MassBike Volunteer Night - At MassBike office, 171 Milk St, Suite 33, Boston, MA 02109 Come join us for free pizza and cold beer (generously provided by Harpoon) at our upcoming volunteer night. We meet every second Tuesday of the month. Volunteer nights are a great opportunity to help your state-wide bicycle advocacy group while having a good time and meeting great people. Volunteers help MassBike send out our monthly membership renewal reminders, prepare membership packets, and help out with other activities as they come up. Be sure to RSVP! To RSVP, email [email protected]

MassBike Calendar Wednesday, May 29 6:00pm, Public Hearing: Allston, City of Boston Traffic Signals – 15 Locations Project Thursday, May 30 7:00pm, Public Hearing: Beverly, Reconstruction of Rte. 1A (Cabot-Rantoul Streets) Friday, May 31 7:30am, Walk/Ride Day Monday, June 3 4:30pm, Bike Valet Parking: Somerville – Redbones Annual Bike Party 5:00pm, Redbones 17th Annual Bike Party & Benefit 7:00pm, Bike Valet Parking: Somerville – Redbones Annual Bike Party Tuesday, June 11 5:30pm, Volunteer Night Saturday, June 22 9:30am, Biking in the City for High Schoolers: Cambridge Members are an essential part of our success and are the driving force behind what we do at MassBike. Not a member yet? Join here. Thank you for your support!   Sincerely, The MassBike Staff

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National Bike Challenge

Massbike is promoting the National Bike Challenge this year, a fun way to compete with other states to see what state is the most dedicated to cycling. See below for details, or read here.

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MassBike is proud to launch the National Bike Challenge in Massachusetts. This is a great opportunity to show the rest of the country how dedicated bicyclists in Massachusetts are! Building on the momentum of the MassCommute Bicycle Challenge, which took place during Bay State Bike Week, this friendly nation-wide competition runs through the end of September. We’re ready to hit the ground sprinting!

To register, do the following:

1. Visit NationalBikeChallenge.org and click “JOIN.”

2. Type in your Employer or School/University (optional).

3. If you are at a large employer, you can create teams within your company. To do so, click “Join a Team.”

4. Either create a team or join an existing team.

Prizes are given out on a monthly basis by the League of American Bicyclists. Powered by Endomondo, participants can track miles using a smartphone app or the Endomondo website. Once you register, all miles tracked through September automatically count toward the National Bike Challenge. Most importantly, we are competing against all 50 states! Let’s show them our biking prowess.

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MassBike Is Hiring

From MassBike:

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We are excited to announce two great job opportunities. We are hiring a part-time Bike Safety Instructor for the Boston area and a Project Coordinator based in Springfield, Massachusetts. If you or anyone you know would be interested in either of these positions, please send in an application. We are expecting to close the hiring process within a few weeks, so you’ll need to act quickly.

Bike Safety Instructor

Our Instructors deliver the bike safety education for our Education Program. We currently have four instructors located around the state, but are looking for an additional instructor for the Boston Metro area. The key to this position is having a flexible schedule, as many of the classes we teach are during the day, though occasionally on nights or weekends. Ideal candidates will have teaching experience and are intimately familiar with bicyclist issues. Time commitment will only rarely exceed 20 hours per month. To see the job description, click here.

Project Coordinator

We are searching for a top-notch candidate to help the City of Springfield build its bicycle and pedestrian network. The Project Coordinator is a full-time position based in Springfield that will work closely with staff from the City and from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. An ideal candidate would have a Master’s Degree and a minimum one year of experience, or two to four years of experience doing related work. Spanish language skills and familiarity with or residency in Springfield a HUGE plus. To see the job description, click here.

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More Bay State Bike Week Events

From Massbike:

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Just around the corner is a statewide celebration of two-wheeled, human-powered transportation: Bay State Bike Week! Be sure to check out this year’s calendar of events so that you don’t miss out on the free breakfasts, t-shirts and other swag, and fun rides that make this week a truly unique time for Massachusetts cyclists!

There are more than 120 events planned statewide for the nine days of Bay State Bike Week 2013. Here’s a sampling from across the Commonwealth:

• Saturday, 5/11 – 5th Annual National Train Day Bike Tour, North Station, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
• Sunday, 5/12 – Family and Community Bike Ride, Worcester, 9:00 am to 11:00 am
• Monday, 5/13 – Bicycle Forum, South Hadley, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
• Tuesday, 5/14 – Broadway Bicycle School Annual Pancake Breakfast, Cambridge, 8:00 am to 10:00 am
• Wednesday, 5/15 – Springfield Movie Night, North Riverfront Park, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
• Thurdsay, 5/16 – Bicycle Clinic for Elders, Amherst Senior Center, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
• Friday, 5/17 – Hyannis Biker Breakfast, Hyannis Transportation Center, 8:00 am to 8:45 am
• Saturday, 5/18 - Morning Road Ride, Westfield, 7:00 am to 8:30am
• Sunday, 5/19 – Northampton Tweed Ride, Forbes Library, 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
  

Be sure to sign up for the MassCommute Bicycle Challenge if you haven’t already. Organizations and companies of all sizes compete against one another to rack up the most miles and trips biked during the week through this site. This year there are also individual awards in categories like “Fearless Commuter” and “Bicycle Love Story.”

A big thanks goes out to our partners at MassDOT and MassRIDES for helping to make this event possible, and to the scores of event organizers who make this possible. Let’s make the 2013 Bay State Bike Week the biggest and best ever!

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Submit Your Bay State Bike Week Event ASAP

From Massbike:

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The month of May – Bike Month – is almost here. That means that Bay State Bike Week is just around the corner. We’ve already started getting events submitted for the upcoming week of bicycle celebrations (May 11-19). There is a Bike to School Day on the Cape, a Bike Rodeo in the Pioneer Valley, and a Bike Film Festival in Metro Boston, and the MassCommute Bicycle Challenge, to name only a few events.

Now is the time to submit your event to the calendar.

During the week of May 11-19, people across the state will be searching for events in their community or region – this calendar connects them up with your great event! Plus, registering your event for Bay State Bike Week also does the following:

• Makes your event eligible for Bay State Bike Week swag, such as t-shirts and reflective ankle straps.
• Provides branding materials for promotion of the event.
• Gives event attendees a chance to win great prizes in a drawing!

If you have already registered your event, but want to request materials for Bay State Bike Week, check out this page here. If you have any questions about submitting an event to the calendar, requesting materials, or anything else, please do not hesitate to email [email protected].

Finally, if you haven’t yet planned an event but are interested in doing so, it’s not too late! There is still plenty of time to put together a bike ride, bike breakfast, or other event for your community. We have included both weekends to allow for more recreational events, and not just work commuting. Check out our Event Planning Resources for more information on how to plan an event.

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MassBike Update

From MassBike:

Here is how you can take action now:

1. Join in on the Transportation Day on the State House steps on April 2. If you can’t make the Bike/Walk Summit on April 11, or if you want to have your voice heard on broader transportation issues, then this is a great opportunity
2. Email your legislators using this simple template.
3. Call your legislators and tell them you support adequate transportation funding, including funding for biking and walking. If they are supportive, ask them to express that support to the Speaker of the House and the Senate President. Phone numbers can be found here.

When we were in DC for the National Bike Summit, we weren’t able to meet with the Massachusetts Congressional delegation due to a  snow storm. Despite that setback, we have been keeping in close touch with members of Congress and their staff. This has recently paid off by the news that more than half of Massachusetts’ US Representatives signed on to a letter to USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood asking that USDOT establish performance goals for reducing bicyclist fatalities.

Please send a thank you email to these US Representatives if you live in their districts:

• Michael Capuano
• William Keating 
• Ed Markey
• Jim McGovern
• Niki Tsongas 

Things are only going to get more hectic as the transportation funding debate comes to a head in the State House, and as the current federal transportation authorization nears its expiration in 2014. As always, we depend on you, our members and supporters, to make sure that bicyclists aren’t forgotten in these discussions – thanks so much for your hard work.

Registration For Berkshires To Boston Tour Starts March 28th! Massachusetts has so much to offer – rolling hills, pastoral valleys, historic towns and cities. This year, we are offering an opportunity to see it all – by bike! Registration for the first-ever Berkshires to Boston Bicycle Tour opens March 28th.   The Berkshires to Boston Tour is a four-day, 240-mile bike ride which will showcase the best of Massachusetts cycling and will also help support MassBike’s advocacy efforts. Beginning in the scenic Berkshire hills along the New York border, the tour meanders through the Connecticut River Valley and spins though the historic communities of Lexington and Concord before arriving in Boston. Upon arrival in Boston, riders will join more than 5,000 cycling enthusiasts for Hub on Wheels, Boston’s annual cycling festival. Registration starts at $295 for the full tour and $125 for the weekend. Register early and save money! Space is limited to 300 riders.   This is a wonderful opportunity at a great price, so be sure to reserve your spot today!   Call MassBike at (617) 542-2453 or visit the Berkshires to Boston site for more information.

Holyoke Plans For Better Biking Since the summer, MassBike has been working on a bicycle planning project with the City of Holyoke to assess the level of public support of bicycling, and next steps to making it easier to go by bike in The Paper City. To that end, last week the City held an open house for gathering input on ways to improve bicycling. MassBike Programs Director Price Armstrong (me) was there to give ideas on particular routes for bicycling, cite examples from other communities, and brainstorm solutions for barriers that were identified. In the end, the two maps of Holyoke (which included the downtown area and a more suburban/rural part) were thoroughly marked up with problem spots, ideas for improvements, and general comments about bicycling in Holyoke…   Read more…

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MassBike Is Hiring

A great organization, check this out if you want to get into the bike advocacy world.

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We have an incredibly busy year of advocacy and education planned, and we need more help to make it happen! We have two positions available immediately: a half-time Program Associate and a full-time Events and Outreach Manager. Check out the job descriptions below for the details, and please forward this on to others who might be interested.

Events and Outreach Manager

This position will have primary responsibility for the planning and execution of our two major riding events – the Summer Century and the Berkshires to Boston Tour (a new multi-day ride) – and for our day-to-day public outreach and communications activities. In addition to promoting the events, the Events and Outreach Manager will work closely with other staff members to develop content for our blog, email newsletter, and social media. See the full job description here.

Program Associate

This half-time position will primarily be responsible for coordinating the Education Program, including our Safe Routes to School classes and Adult Education Classes. This will include corresponding with customers to arrange classes, working with our instructors around the state to get the classes in their schedules, and providing instruction for many of the classes in the Boston area. Finally, the Program Associate will work closely with the Events and Communications Manager to help with outreach and communications as needed. See the full job description here.

If you are interested in applying to either of these jobs, please send a cover letter, resume, and writing sample no longer than 1000 words to [email protected] (blog posts are preferred for the writing sample, and links are fine). We will accept applications until the position is filled, though prefer applications to be sent in by Friday, March 29.

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