CCTV

May 1, 2013

http://www.cctv.org/watch-tv/programs/next-steps-bike-path

Written by Mike Verillo

http://www.vermontmaturity.com/?page_id=591

May 2013

By Phyl Newbeck

Vermont Maturity Magazine

In the summer, cyclists ranging in age from 50 to over 80 ride every Tuesday with the Silver Spokes. Informal President Steve Couzelis said most riders are in their 60s and 70s. Most routes are in the 20-mile range, but one ride around Lake Champlain is 60 miles long. Roughly 40 people are members of this informal club. (Courtesy photo)

Sometimes going out by yourself to bike, ski, hike or paddle feels like exercise, but if you add a friend or two to the mix it becomes play instead. Older Vermonters who like to mix a little social interaction with their exercise have a variety of groups they can join which will take that workout and turn it into playtime.

In February 2013, Nancy Hankey of Essex started the 50+ Keeping Active Fitness Group. Renn Niquette of Colchester has been on three of their outings. “I’m a walker and a hiker,” she said. “I joined because I like to stay active.”

Niquette said the group tends to go on outings that cover two to four miles in roughly 90 minutes. “It’s always nice to go out with a group because you can socialize along the way,” she said. “As you age, you appreciate the moment more. That includes taking time to enjoy both the companionship and the physical beauty of the scenery.”

In the summer, cyclists ranging in age from 50 to over 80 ride every Tuesday with the Silver Spokes. Informal President Steve Couzelis said most riders are in their 60s and 70s. In April, four members of the group got together to plan their rides for the summer. Most routes are in the 20-mile range, but one ride around Lake Champlain is 60 miles long and some of the Canadian rides are over 30 miles. Roughly 40 people are members of this informal, due-less club with 20-25 showing up for each ride. Couzelis said they average 12-13 mph with stops every twenty minutes or so to chat and regroup. They often break for lunch or coffee, as well. “We’re not a racing group,” he said. “We’re a social group.”

Some club members enjoy the rides so much that they get together on Fridays for less formal rides. At the end of the year, the group has a banquet with dinner and a guest speaker.

For skiers, the 55+ Club at Smugglers’ Notch offers companionship and educational programs for those 55 years of age and older for an annual fee of $30. From early December to late March, club members meet in the Village at Morse Mountain on Wednesday mornings for free coffee and pastries, trail reports and announcements, and to break up into groups based on interest and ability. Although some club members are former instructors or patrollers who barrel down double black diamond trails at warp speeds, others come to the club as complete novices, relishing the opportunity to learn from and with their peers.

Both the 55+ Club and the Silver Spokes members enjoy each other’s company enough to expand beyond their seasons. Although there are no regular meetings, in the summer, members of the 55+ Club stay in touch and stay active with a schedule, set in the spring, for weekly activities, usually on Wednesdays that include hiking, cycling, kayaking and an annual skeet shooting event. Conversely, in the winter members of the Silver Spokes can often be found on the slopes of Smugglers’ Notch on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Jeff LaBossiere is the organizer of a group called the Long Trail Running Club which was founded in 2009. Although the club has members of all ages, LaBossiere said it is common for older athletes to turn from road running to trail running as they get slower with age. “When avid runners have injuries,” he said “they turn to the trail because it’s far more forgiving than the road.”

The club has at least one organized run each week, but members also send out notices when they go out on runs on their own. LaBossiere noted that trail running is far more social than running on the road due to the slower place which allows for conversation. “Trail runners have a great sense of community,” he said, adding that he met his wife on a trail run.

Although not restricted to older members, groups like the Catamount Trail Association (cross-country/backcountry skiing), Champlain Kayak Club, Green Mountain Bicycling Club, Green Mountain Club (hiking) and Vermont Paddlers Club sponsor outings where a number of members are 50 and older. Leslie Carew, former touring chair of the bicycle club, believes at least 50 percent of the riders in the club’s touring section are over 50. Amy Otten, a member of the Catamount Trail Association Board of Directors, believes her group’s numbers are similar. She noted that on a recent multi-day ski outing, only two of the 23 participants were under the age of 50.

Rob Libby, President of the Champlain Kayak Club, estimates at least 60 percent of their membership is 50 or older with the majority of those in their 60s. There are five active members in their 70s. Two years ago, at age 43, Libby and his wife were the youngest out of 90 members, but recently some younger paddlers have joined.

At the Vermont Paddlers Club, Tony Shaw reported that almost half the club’s membership is over 50. Roughly one quarter of the members haven’t provided their date of birth, but of those who have, four are over 70, 15 are in their 60s and 17 are in their 50s. Although some of those members are no longer active paddlers, they still attend club functions like pot-luck suppers and slide shows.

When you get older, you don’t have your work peer group anymore,” said Couzelis. “I’ve been retired for 16 years and this is my second family.”

Niquette concurred, adding that “as you age, making connections and friends is really important.”

Otten noted that group outings bring people out on days when they might not otherwise be active. “Group enthusiasm makes marginal conditions better,” she said. “The fun is contagious when you ride with others,” Carew said. “Friends can almost turn a rainy day into a sunny one.”

Host Mayor Miro Weinberger speaks with Nate Wildfire, Assistant Director for Economic Development at CEDO, and Jason Van Driesche, Director of Advocacy and Education at Local Motion on the Public Investment Action Plan (PIAP), the Bike Path, and Walk-Bike Friendly initiatives.

http://www.cctv.org/watch-tv/programs/public-investment-action-plan-bike-path-and-walk-bike-friendly-initiatives

• Production Date: 05/15/2013
• Catalog Number: 9915
• Series: Burlington Mayor's Show
• Length: *0:29:55
• Town: Burlington
• Geography: Burlington
• Event Type: Executive
• Content Type: Live
• Live Type: Channel 17 Web

http://www.otherpapersbvt.com/join-the-vermont-bike-challenge-get-on-your-bike-get-fit-have-fun-and-ride.html

April 25, 2013

The Other Paper

Join the Vermont Bike Challenge: Get on your bike, get fit, have fun and ride!

Congratulations, South Burlington!  In 2012, Vermont was recognized as the top state in the National Bike Challenge, and the Burlington-South Burlington community landed the top spot for all communities in the United States.  Last year, from May 1 – August 31 over 30,000 people rode 12 million miles as part of the National Bike Challenge.  This year the goal is to get 50,000 Americans to ride more than 20 million miles.  South Burlington residents we need your help to achieve this goal.

Have you been thinking about getting back on a bike for the first time in years?  Perhaps you’ve wanted to give bike commuting a try.  Or maybe you’ve been riding for years and are ready to start improving your distances and times.  May is National Bike Month and is a great time to kick start a new cycling routine.  Here are some opportunities to motivate you to ride: National Bike to School Day is May 8th and National Bike to Work Day is May 17th.

Five minutes is enough time to join the Challenge.  The way it works is simple, and it’s free.  You sign up at www.vermontbikechallenge.org and log the miles you ride.  That’s it.  You can either log your miles manually at your computer on the day you ride, or you can download an app to your smartphone.  With the app, you just tap “start” at the beginning of your ride, and “end” when you finish.  Your miles are automatically logged for you. 

You can review your personal progress online along with stats on your accumulated mileage, best times, longest rides, calories burned and more.  A quick peek at the Leaderboard feature will allow you to compare South Burlington’s progress to other communities both in Vermont and across the country.  You can join an existing team or create your own.  Your company can also form a Workplace and you can track your company’s progress against other companies both local and national.

The Challenge rewards both long distance and casual riders.  Each day that you ride at least one mile you get one point for each mile ridden and a daily bonus of 20 points. The points are used to rank progress on the Leaderboard, and to qualify riders for the prize lottery.  The more points you have, the better the prizes you are eligible to win.  Prizes are given at both the Vermont and the National levels.

No bike?  No problem.  As part of National Bike Month, many of Vermont’s locally owned bike shops participate in bike swaps the first weekend in May.  You will find kids’ bikes, pedal trailers, mountain, hybrid, road, cyclocross, and even tandem bikes at the swaps. The South Burlington Recreation Path Committee is excited to participate in the Vermont Bike Challenge, and we’re hoping you will join us so that once again South Burlington will shine as the top bike community in the nation.

For more information about the VT Bike Challenge, contact Jason Van Driesche at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Submitted by Dana Farr, Clerk of the South Burlington Recreation Path Committee.  She has lived in South Burlington for 10 years and enjoys cycling, hiking, skiing and freestyle rock climbing.

The South Burlington Recreation Path Committee is a group of seven volunteers who work with the City to cultivate opportunities for residents to walk and bike both for recreation and transportation. Over the next six months, members will share their experiences and suggestions for making the most of our community’s many resources.   Members of the public are invited to attend their meetings, which are held the first Monday of every month from 7-9pm in the municipal office building.

Thursday, April 25th

by Charlotte News

http://www.thecharlottenews.org/pages/allearthrenewablesnamedbicyclefriendlybusiness.html

Solar tracker manufacturer earns silver-level designation in national cycling program

As businesses work to reduce their environmental impact and to support healthy employees, some companies are promoting bike-friendly workplaces. On this Earth Day, the League of American Bicyclists recognized AllEarth Renewables, which is run by Charlotter David Blittersdorf, with a silver-level Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) award. With the announcement today of 63 new BFBs nationally in 44 states, AllEarth Renewables joins a visionary group of more than 500 businesses, government agencies and Fortune 500 companies across the United States that are transforming the American workplace.

AllEarth Renewables, a solar tracker manufacturer based in Williston, is number 148 on Inc. magazine’s 2012 list of America’s fastest growing businesses (and number 1 in Vermont) and was designated in 2013 by Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce as one of the Best Places to Work in Vermont.

“More and more business leaders are realizing that bicycling is a simple and cost-effective way to move toward a more productive company,” said Andy Clarke, President of the League of American Bicyclists.

Being bike-friendly has helped AllEarth Renewables support a healthy, lower-carbon workforce and reduce cost-of-living expenses among its 27 employees—and it’s a concept that’s mission-centric for a manufacturer of solar energy systems already committed to a triple bottom-line of profits, people and the planet.

On any given day in the summer, more than a third of the company saddles up to get to work or run errands near its Williston office, and at least three employees commute to work by bike year-round. The company encourages bicycling as an easy option for transportation and provides shared bikes, lockers, shower facilities, bike maintenance tools and the use of company vehicles for mid-day appointments.

AllEarth Renewables also offers incentives such as a carbon-reduction benefit program and a wellness benefit allowance that can be used to purchase cycling and bike-safety equipment. An annual three-day group ride led by the CEO allows employees and their family members an opportunity for long-distance cycling.

Last year, AllEarth Renewables participated in the Vermont Bike Challenge, part of a national effort to engage cyclists around the country. The company won the statewide challenge in its size division. Vermont-based cycling advocacy nonprofit Local Motion coordinated the Vermont portion of the challenge and afterward reached out to Vermont businesses, including AllEarth Renewables, to help them apply to the League’s BFB program.

“AllEarth Renewables is honored to be named a Bike Friendly Business,” said Blittersdorf, its president and CEO. “Promoting bicycling fits well with our company values, is fun, and makes good business sense. I encourage other Vermont businesses and communities to join us in the Bike Friendly America program.”

He added, “Local Motion deserves great credit for all of its efforts promoting biking in Vermont. As a company, we’re looking forward to participating in the 2013 Vermont Bike Challenge, starting on May 1.”

As a result of the designation, AllEarth Renewables will have access to a variety of free tools and technical assistance from the league to become even more bicycle-friendly.