*FCC FACEBOOK WEEKLY WRAP-UP* *(An anti-social media compendium for our non-Facebook members)*
*AK HOUSE BILL 8 ON E-BIKES – LOOKING FOR PEOPLE*Alaska House Bill 8, which would legally define what an e-bike is (and is not) and would set basic rules for how electric bikes may be used in the state, will be up for hearing before the House Transportation Committee on Tuesday, Mar 28, at 1pm. The committee is supportive of the bill, so we don’t want to overwhelm them. The Fairbanks Cycle Club supports this bill. We are looking for five people to testify via phone. If you are willing to testify, please send an email to Eric Troyer at fbxtrails@gmail.com.
Here’s a story about the bill. alaskabeacon.com/2023/03/20/new-legislation-could-clear-up-confusion-surrounding-e-bikes-in-alaska/
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*RIDE OR GLIDE HAPPENS APRIL 1*The second Ride or Glide happens Saturday, April 1. No fooling’!
The Ride or Glide is a 2 person relay race (no you can’t do it alone). Teams will be composed of either 2 skiers, or 1 skier and 1 fat biker. Each teammate will complete the same flat and fun 9km loop.
To register and find out more go to this page. www.rideorglide.com/
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*IS NOYES AURORA BRIDGE REPLACEMENT SUFFICIENT?*Design specifications for the Noyes Slough bridge replacement (on Aurora Drive) call for replacing the existing 3-foot-wide sidewalks with 5-foot-wide sidewalks (with 2-foot-wide shoulders). Should the Fairbanks non-motorized community be advocating for more or is that sufficient? What do you think? dot.alaska.gov/nreg/aurora-bridge/
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*RIDE SPOT GIVES BACK PROGRAM*Here’s another way to use cycling for activism.
Shared from PeopleForBikes.org
PeopleForBikes’ Ride Spot Gives Back program is all about elevating marginalized voices. By partnering with community organizations and nonprofits, we help promote awareness for and donate money to incredible causes.
Read more about the program and what’s to come in 2023 by visiting the link! www.peopleforbikes.org/news/how-to-use-ride-spot-to-give-back
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*LAB SIGN-ON LETTER FOR FEDERAL E-BIKE INCENTIVE BILL*We recently sent out a post about the federal e-bike act with a sign-on letter from People for Bikes. The League of American Bicyclists also supports the legislation and has their own sign-on letter. Find it here. bikeleague.org/take-action/action-center/vvsrc=%2fCampaigns%2f102889%2fRespond
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*RACE RESULTS AVAILABLE*Results for both the Chena River to Ridge and the Tanana River Challenge have been posted.
Tanana River Challenge tananariverchallenge.org/results/2023-results/
Chena River to Ridge www.athlinks.com/event/342530/results/Event/1039868/Results
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*FEDERAL E-BIKE BILL REINTRODUCED*True, if it works. This is a good step in the right direction. We also need a more bike- and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure. Fortunately, Fairbanks is working toward that.
“Transitioning to a clean energy economy includes changing the way we get around. That means transit, rail, and electric buses, cars, and bikes. Our bill will make it more affordable for working people to buy an e-bike and help get cars off the road.”
If you support the federal e-bike act, this article has a link for a sign-on letter of support.
www.peopleforbikes.org/news/ebike-act-reintroduced-in-congress
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*BEST WINTER CITY CYCLING PRACTICES*AMATS (the Anchorage Metropolitan Area Transportation Solutions) will be having a hybrid presentation on “Winter City Cycling Best Practices” in April. While this will be held in Anchorage, it will be available to anyone via the web or phone.
Find out more here: mailchi.mp/3896f57e8e36/winter-city-cycling-best-practices?e=77c30739b1
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*GREAT DAY SHINES ON SOS RIDE!*Only two people joined our ride leaders on the FCC Sundays on Snow ride! Hope everyone else got out anyway. If not, here’s what you missed. (Don’t read if you don’t want to be jealous!)
Read the ride report and see the photos here: www.fairbankscycleclub.org/2023/03/glorious-day-greets-sos-ride-for-the-lucky-few/
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*NOYES SLOUGH CLOSED INTERMITTENTLY FOR PROJECT*Noyes Slough will be closed intermittently at Aurora Drive from March 27 to April 6 for a bridge demolition (and eventual replacement) project.
An OPEN HOUSE will be held on Wednesday, March 22, from 4:30pm to 6:30pm at Randy Smith Middle School Commons. During this time, project staff will be available to share information on the scope of work and what can be expected for summer commutes.
For more information, call DOT at (907)451-5311, HC Contractors at (541)536-4098 or visit 511.alaska.gov.
You can also find out more here: dot.alaska.gov/nreg/aurora-bridge/
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*TOUGH TRIP TO TOLOVANA HOT SPRINGS*When is walking as fast as biking? When the trail to Tolovana Hot Springs is really drifted! But even then, it’s still a great trip! notquiteoverthehillcorrineanderic.blogspot.com/2023/03/tolovana-hot-springs-by-bike.html
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*BRAKE EMERGENCY BLEED KIT*If you’ve had problems with hydraulic brakes while on a multi-day trip (or are worried about it), this little kit might be good in your repair kit.
Shared from BIKEPACKING.com
New Zealand-based Neutron Components recently launched a nifty emergency bleed kit system for on-the-go hydraulic brake tune-ups. We got our hands on one ahead of its release to see if it’s worthy of a spot in our repair kit. Find our review of the Neutron Components Emergency Brake Bleed Kit here… bikepacking.com/gear/neutron-components-emergency-brake-bleed-kit-review/
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*LEARNING ABOUT LAB*Want to find out what the League for American Bicyclists does for cycling? Check out their newsletter.
Shared from League of American Bicyclists
Sign up for the League’s biweekly e-newsletter to receive the need-to-knows on all our programs and opportunities for you to better #bicycling, from new League Cycling Instructor seminars open for registration to our latest action alerts! Get the next e-news in your inbox ➡️ bit.ly/GetLeagueNews
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*STORY ON ITI WINNER*Alaska Public Media has a story on Miron Golfman, who won the Iditarod Trail Invitational this year. Golfman rode with Fairbanksan Tyson Flaharty for quite a while during the first part of the race before Tyson pulled ahead for the win to McGrath. Impressive that he rode with Tyson for so long considering that he was going all the way to Nome! alaskapublic.org/2023/03/17/anchorage-man-wins-2023-iditarod-trail-invitational/
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*SNOWSHOES ATTACHED TO A BIKE*This guy attaches snowshoes by strapping them to loaded bags on the cargo mounts using the bindings of the snowshoes. Inventive!
Shared from BIKEPACKING.com Our Reader’s Rig of the week comes from Cody Johnson in Minneapolis, Minnesota, who shares the first-generation Surly Moonlander he’s been riding for more than a decade. You can get to know Cody and his all-terrain, all-season steel tourer and grocery-getter here… bikepacking.com/news/readers-rig-codys-surly-moonlander/
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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/