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Lawrence Habitat Hosting Bike and Build 2013 P2C Team

July 9, 2013 /

A group of 30 cross-country cyclists participating in this summer’s Bike & Build 2013 trek across the US. The team began its journey to raise awareness about affordable housing in Providence, R.I., and will continue its 4,173-mile biking trip west to Half Moon Bay, Calif. Entering its eighth summer, the Providence to California (P2C) trip will take its riders from the hills of New England to the wheat fields of Kansas, up and over the Rockies, and ultimately to the gorgeous Half Moon Bay. With many improvements over the course of the route, this summer’s journey is sure to be the most scenic yet!

After a two-day orientation in Providence and a build day with Providence Habitat, riders will head out across Connecticut and over the hills of New York towards their second build day in Harrisburg, PA. From there they’ll head across the rolling plains of the Midwest (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska). Then it’s mountain time! Riders will see the gorgeous (pun intended) Rocky Mountains in Colorado and have a day off in Fort Collins before heading into Utah. Passing just south of the Salt Lake and into Nevada, riders will finally see the California border.

The P2C team (Providence to California) will make a pit stop in Lawrence this week to build a home with Lawrence Habitat for Humanity. The riders will work on Lawrence Habitat’s home at 212 N. Comfort lane from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.

Bike & Build fund projects planned and executed by young adults. Over the past 10 seasons they have donated more than $4M; built for more than 120,000 hours; pedaled over 6M miles; and engaged more than 1750 young adults in spreading the word about the affordable housing crisis in America.

For more info on the event check out the Bike and Build P2C’s page.

Baldwin City’s 2013 Bicycle Swapmeet Set for Saturday 7/13

July 9, 2013 /

The Baldwin City Bicycle Swapmeet is an annual event that takes place in Baldwin City, Kansas, at the Antiques On the Prairie parking lot, 520 High Street. Buy, sell, and swap bicycles, parts, and gear.

The Baldwin City Bicycle Swapmeet is open from 8am to 5pm. Vendor spaces are free, up to two parking spot sizes. A fee of 10 percent will be collected on sales. Bring your old, new, antique, or collector bikes. and parts too. Buyers shop for free.

For more information contact Stan at 785-418-3881.

Have an Old or Outgrown Bike – Donate it to Good Use

June 27, 2013 /

FreeWheels for Kids, a Kansas City-based nonprofit that gives away repaired bikes and helmets, will be collecting donated bikes during the Tour of Lawrence’s Sunday’s criterium.

Members will be set up outside of Sunflower Bike and Outdoor, 804 Massachusetts St.

Free Wheels for Kids teaches youth to repair bicycles and ride safely, in order to increase exercise and fight obesity, provide mobility and empower participants, and provide leadership opportunities and experience to at-risk youth. Through their Earn-a-Bike classes, youth in low-income neighborhoods repair bikes for younger children and earn a refurbished bike, helmet and tools. After completing the repair course and safety training, graduates are encouraged to participate in regular group rides around the city and to form ride clubs in their neighborhood. One dedicated FreeWheels graduate said it best.

When asked why he wanted to earn a bike, he responded: “I really like riding a bike. The one I had broke and I [don’t want to] spend my time inside with nothing to do.”

Participants have enthusiastically gone on rides up to 25 miles (with a cold!), sometimes in snow, in neighborhoods they don’t know, after falling off their bikes and all with a smile because the next best option is video games or the graffiti-covered park in their neighborhood.

More than one FreeWheels participant has told staff that he or she would barely leave the house were it not for FreeWheels events! We are always working to provide new opportunities for graduates to be involved.

In 2012 FreeWheels has given over 1,460 bike to kids in need and ridden hundreds if not thousands of miles together.

Not a Pro Racer? Still Lots To Do at This Year’s Tour of Lawrence

June 19, 2013 /

The weekend of June 28th you can enjoy bicycle racing at its best in beautiful and historic Lawrence. The Tour of Lawrence is a set of three separate USA Cycling Pro-AM competitive bicycle racing events.

The TOL actually consists of three competitive bicycle racing events and the weekend’s cash prize list totals over $20,000!

— on Friday night downtown are the Street Sprints sponsored this year by Laird Noller Automotive

— on Saturday, the challenging the KU Campus Circuit Race sponsored by Meadowbrook Apartments goes up and down the hills of Mt. Oread with over 400ft of climbing per lap and is this year’s KCA’s Kansas State Category Road Race Championships

— on Sunday, the Downtown Criterium sponsored by Free State Brewery is using the former two-time Collegiate National Championships course and this year’s KCA’s Kansas State Category Criterium Championships

If you’re not a competitive bike rider there’s lots of other opportunities.. You can volunteer to help at the TOL’s site http://www.touroflawrence.com/volunteers.php

Lawrence Central Rotary and one of our initiative’s Ride Lawrence is sponsoring the free Kid’s Zone on Friday night and Sunday. The fine folks from Lawrence’s Jump for Joy will have inflatables set up for the kids and it’s free! There’s also a host of other kids events that weekend. Click on the image below for more info, times & places!

On Sunday there’s a FREE Kids Bike Race at 11am and at 12:30 is the Mass Street Mile run down Mass Street.

It’s going to be a great weekend in Lawrence so come check it out!

New Bike Racks from Central Lawrence Rotary installed at Theatre Lawrence

June 14, 2013 /

As a part of their biking initiative Lawrence Central Rotary (who sponsors and runs Ride Lawrence ) identified bicycling as an avenue to a healthy lifestyle. To that end we not only sponsor the yearly Community Bike Ride, but we also have raised thousands of dollars to fabricate and install bike racks around Lawrence.

We’re happy to share that the latest creation was unveiled recently at the new Theatre Lawrence building on Lawrence’s west side.

Even the bicycle racks for the new Theatre Lawrence have a theatrical theme. The city requires bike racks to be installed for new construction. and rather than purchase generic racks for a very un-generic building. the theatre sought out Lawrence blacksmith artist Kate Dinneen to design something more appropriate for the theatre’s beautiful new building.

Kate Dinneen admiring her vision installed.

Kate, an artist both in a blacksmith forge and also in a symphony orchestra, graciously donated her time and talent to design and fabricate two metal bike racks for Theatre Lawrence.

One suggests actors holding hands and bending forward in a company bow at the end of a performance, and the other is a representation of theatrical spotlights on poles.

The Lawrence Central Rotary Club generously donated the materials, powder coating and installation for the project. Thanks to the interest and participation of Kate Dinneen and Lawrence Central Rotary, the theatre has pieces that not only are fully functional bicycle racks, but also are pieces of sculpture that add to the exterior beauty of the new building .