*’WHEELS ON ICE’ READING TONIGHT*The “Wheels on Ice” event is tonight! Books will be for sale there.
Rachael Kvapil, Corrine Leistikow, and Eric Troyer will be reading from their works and be part of a panel discussion. The event will start at 7pm at Bear Gallery on the 3rd floor of the Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts building in Pioneer Park.
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*IMBA SIGN-ON LETTER*The International Mountain Biking Association has a sign-on letter to urge Congress to pass several pieces of legislation that would help mountain biking. Read about it and find the letter here: www.imba.com/blog/imba-priority-bills-2022
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*TWO LOCAL TRANSPORTATION PLANS UP FOR COMMENT*FAST Planning has two plans that are open for comment until December 20. The organization has a lot of impact on non-motorized transportation infrastructure in the Fairbanks and North Pole areas. Make sure to let them know how important cycling is as a means of transportation. If you haven’t yet commented and are looking for some guidance, here are letters submitted by the FCC.
Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) www.fastplanning.us/tip
Metropolitan Transportation Plan update fastplanning.us/mtpupdate/
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*STATEWIDE WINTER MAINTENANCE SURVEY*The Department of Transportation is seeking comment on winter road maintenance priorities. This is a good opportunity for winter cyclists to speak up about including cycling as an equal mode of transportation.
Take the survey here: survey123.arcgis.com/share/1b86ed63a6b84377974d8a7b9cfaa710
dot.alaska.gov/stwdmno/wintermap/
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*COMMENTS SOUGHT ON OLD STEESE PROJECT*The Department of Transportation is soliciting comments on the Old Steese Highway Reconstruction project between the 3rd Street and Johansen Expressway. If you use that road please comment and indicate your support for the 4-foot wide paved shoulders, the 7-foot wide sidewalks with ADA ramps, and any other improvements you agree with.
notice.alaska.gov/209178
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*KLUANE CHILKAT RELAY BACK*The Kluane to Chilkat International Bike Relay is back for 2023!
Shared from Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay
Mark your calendars, we are back! The Kluane to Chilkat International Bike Relay will host the 28th annual relay on Saturday, June 17, 2023. Ride as a soloist, or as part of a team. Let’s ride the pass, and celebrate summer together. Hope to see you in Haines Junction next June. More details to follow. kcibr.org/
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*HELP GET BIKES AND BIKING GEAR TO KIDS IN NEED*No more help is needed with doing the final check on bikes for the “Christmas Promise” program. Simon Rakower put in his Energizer Bunny batteries and got the work all done! Awesome job, Simon!
The program–a collaboration between Alaska Waste, Santa’s Helpers, Durham School Services, Fairbanks Nissan, and other volunteers–gets bikes and bike accessories to kids in need.
While the final check on the bikes is done, you can still help!
DONATE Donate to the program or purchase bike helmets and locks and accessories and drop them off at Fairbanks Nissan, where Santa’s Helpers are currently located. You can donate money online at www.SantasHelpersAlaska.com. When you make a donation online, you’ll be able to mark that the donation is for the Alaska Waste Christmas Promise project. (Donations that come in too late to be applied to this year’s project will be applied to next year.)
FCC will match donations–monetary and in-kind–through Dec 17. (Deliveries are done on Dec. 18). We’re going on the honor system here. So, make a donation or purchase items and then send an email to Eric Troyer ( fbxtrails@gmail.com). He’ll tally them up and FCC will match the donations (up to a maximum of $500).
HELP SANTA’S HELPERS FINISH UP AND DELIVER THE GIFTS In addition to the bikes, Santa’s Helpers gathers and delivers other gifts and food to children in need. The group still needs volunteers this week and weekend to finish getting everything organized and delivered. Find out how you can help here: santashelpersalaska.com/
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*FAST PLANNING NEWSLETTER*FAST Planning has a lot of impact on non-motorized transportation infrastructure in the Fairbanks and North Pole areas. Here’s one more way to keep up on what the organization is doing.
Shared from Fairbanks Area Surface Transportation Planning
You can sign-up for our brand new newsletter here! You will receive updates on transportation planning, projects, and programs for the urbanized area of the Fairbanks North Star Borough. fastplanning.us/getintouch/
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*FRANK SOOS REMEMBERED*Writer Dermot Cole has a nice remembrance of the late Frank Soos, one of the main organizers of the SCUM on Wheels weekly summer riding group. Frank was also an avid skier and Dermot writes this column from a skiing perspective, but he also talks of Frank’s love of biking and the new book “Wheels on Ice,” a collection of essays on biking in Alaska that Frank helped bring together with Jessica Cherry. There will be an event for the book, including readings from authors, this Friday. See the end of Dermot’s column for details.
www.dermotcole.com/reportingfromalaska/2022/12/10/mssfuxkl7l8p01ig7rmfpjs3q8obfr
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*BANKSTOWN BIKE AND SKI OPENS FAIRBANKS STORE*Bankstown Bike and Ski has a new location at 1600 Well St.
Shared from Bankstown Bike and Ski is at Bankstown Bike and Ski.
We will be OPEN starting Today, Monday, Dec 12th at 9 AM!
Bring by your bikes, your skis, or just yourselves and check out the new shop at 1600 Well St! This Space has come so far since the 1st of the month and I can’t wait to share it with you all! Also MANY THANKS to all the homies who helped make this happen ❤️❤️❤️ You known who you are ☺️😁👌
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*SOS RIDE AT ADMA TRAILS*We had a great Sundays on Snow ride and rode around a portion of the ADMA trails on Sunday. Check out the ride report and photos here: www.fairbankscycleclub.org/2022/12/sos-ride-explores-the-adma-trails/
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*ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS ‘WHEELS ON ICE’ BOOK*Dave James, co-leader of the FCC Tuesday Night Mountain Bike Rides, has a News-Miner article about the new book “Wheels on Ice: Stories of Cycling in Alaska.”
The book is a re-imagined re-issue of Terrence Cole’s book on cycling during the Gold Rush. While it still contains essays on historic cycling , it also has many new stories about cycling in Alaska and Alaskan cyclists.
Dave interviews three of the contributing Fairbanks writer/cyclists — Rachael Kvapil, Corrine Leistikow, and Eric Troyer. All three will be presenting at a reading and a panel discussion this Friday. The event will start at 7pm at Bear Gallery on the 3rd floor of the Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts building in Pioneer Park.
Books will be for sale at the event. Come celebrate cycling and maybe pick up a book or two for Christmas presents! You can also buy it online here: www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9781496232472/
See Dave’s News-Miner article here: www.newsminer.com/features/sundays/becoming_alaskan/the-stories-of-cycling-alaska-as-told-by-the-cyclers-themselves/article_4990fa90-781a-11ed-baa3-b3c597186a06.html
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*FCC RESOURCES*We’ve got lots of useful stuff on our website, including a bunch of information on our Resources page and under our Resources dropdown menu: –Bikeways Fairbanks cycling map –Info on Alaska cycling laws –Tanana Valley State Forest Roads –National and International Cycling Advocacy Groups –Winter Riding Tips –Maps Archive
See those and more under Resources at: www.fairbankscycleclub.org/
*FCC FACEBOOK WEEKLY WRAP-UP* *(An anti-social media compendium for our non-Facebook members)*