Here are what a few of our participants had to say:

“It was a pretty day and nice to see lots of people out on bikes in green.”

“It was a super fun day! We came from Boone to do it. I also liked some of the signs along the way like the tongue twister going up the big hill.”

“Good to see participants from the other bicycle advocacy groups helping out.”

“It was fun to do for the first time. I loved having the route on my phone that talked to me. The checkpoints were fun to find and well spaced.”

Bike of the Irish 2021 would not have been possible without the help of our local partners!

Local businesses that served as checkpoints along the Bike of the Irish routes opened their doors to a number of BOI participants. Here are just a few of the quotes from our checkpoint partners on the day of the event:

“[We saw] steady traffic of visitors. Many stuck around for a complimentary beverage and asked about our bikes and service.”

“Lots of excited participants checking out our spot for the first time!”

“We decided to not play a large role this year and not be there in person because of COVID, but AoB made it very easy for us to display our board and play a small part! Looking forward to doing more in the future.”

And finally, we would like to congratulate the winners of this year’s Bike of the Irish event.

Cruisers:

Best Overall

Team: Team Agan
Members: Steve Agan, Maggie Agan
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/64125793

City Centric:

Most Points in the Least Amount of Time (this includes checkpoints and bonus points)

Team: ‘O Bear
Members: Ed Broadbear (solo)
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/64116882 

Runner Up and Best Photographs

Team: Leslie’s Team (Team Leslie)
Members: Kristy Carter, Wade Rogers, Leslie Houde, Bronie Reynolds
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/64121752

Best Team Name

Team: Very Hungry Catermillers
Members: Wes Miller, Kristi Miller, Brent Miller, Nicole Miller, Trenton Miller, Bellatrix Lestrange
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35410139?privacy_code=osb3QyLKNYJpFcWi

Rough & Rowdy:

Most Points and Most Elevation (this includes checkpoints and bonus points)

Team: Riley and Luke
Members: Luke Paulson and Riley West
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/64117321

Most Points and Least Amount of Time

Team: Zoller
Team Member: Jason Zoller (solo)
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/64136576

Best Team Name & Best Costume

Team: Irish I Was at the Pub
Members: Garrett Burrell, Monty Burrell, Juanelle Burrell
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/64126884

The post Bike of the Irish 2021 (COVID-19 Edition) Winners appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

About Abby

Abby and her husband Austin moved to Asheville in the spring of 2003. The mountains, the people and the endless opportunities to ride bikes was too much of a draw to keep them away. Asheville quickly became home as she settled into life as an elementary teacher and then became the mother of two. While her children were young she started and managed a community garden in West Asheville for 10 years and then went on to create and teach FEAST classes at Francine Delany Charter School. Whether mountain, road, gravel or racing cyclocross, she gets as much time as possible on her bikes. She is also an invested member of the cycling community and has been a supporter of Asheville on Bikes since its inception. What really excites Abby is bringing people together through bikes, As much as she enjoys helping to promote and racing cyclocross for the i9 Masters Team, she is truly inspired by coaching the local NICA Mountain Biking Team, leading a local Women’s Mountain Bike Ride and as an ambassador for Kitsbow. Her all-around involvement in the cycling community ensures that she gets to encourage and connect those to a shared passion for bikes.

Abby and AoB

For the last two years, Walker served on AoB’s board of directors and chaired the events committee while serving on the development committee. She was instrumental in transforming AoB’s community rides to conform to social distance requirements and essential to AoB meeting its end-of-year funding goals.

In her staff position, Walker will support AoB’s executive director with a focus on event planning and membership management.

Be on the lookout for Abby at the upcoming Bike of the Irish on Saturday, March 20th. Legend has it, she’ll be sporting her “Rainbow Connection” kit.

The post AoB Welcomes Abby Walker as Executive Assistant appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

AoB thanks our 2020 sponsors for their financial support which enables us to move our mission forward:

Winners Announced: 

Cruiser Winners: 

1st Place:

Team – Spider Bike
Team Member(s): Nate Field & Otis Field
00:45min & 17 checkpoints
https://ridewithgps.com/trips/58409098

Runner up (Second Amount of Checkpoints in the Least Amount of Time):

Team – Wagers on Bikes
00:28min & 8 checkpoints
https://ridewithgps.com/trips/58394800

City Centric: 

1st Place: 

Team – Monty Rides Again
Team Members: Dave & Linda Copley
01:46hr & 36 checkpoints( including bonus)
https://ridewithgps.com/trips/58404772

Runner Up

Team – Jim
Team Members: Jim Grode (Asheville on Bikes’ Board Member)
2:43hr & 31 Checkpoints
https://ridewithgps.com/trips/58407802

Rough & Rowdy:

1st Place:
Team – Honda Insight Fan Club (Official)
Team Member(s): Devin Clancy and Nick Bragg
03:55hr & 28 checkpoints
https://ridewithgps.com/trips/58408402 

Runner Up:

Team – Pumpkin Pedaller Fox in Socks
Team Member(s):Christina Montes
https://ridewithgps.com/trips/58414982

Best Costume: 

Team: It’s Pronounced Fronkensteen
https://ridewithgps.com/trips/58417939

Best Team Name:

Team – Bent Creekers
Team Member(s): William Goodson

Pumpkin Pedaller winners will receive a gift from one of these local companies: 

• Oowee Products
• The Runner Box 
• Taco Billy 
• Riveter

AoB has a three pronged approach to our mission – celebration, education, & advocacy. To learn more about our work in education and advocacy, watch “Education & Infrastructure Moves the Next Generation Forward.”

The post Pumpkin Pedaller 2020 Winners appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

That means we have just two and a half weeks to raise $8,000 to take full advantage of their generous offer.

To continue our advocacy work, our goal is to reach $60,000 in donations by the end of the year—and we can’t do it without you. Donations from community businesses and bike-loving citizens directly benefit our work to improve infrastructure in our beloved mountain town.

So, as you prepare to make your end-of-year donations, or if you are looking for a sweet party with like-minded folks, please consider donating directly via our website or attending our annual Button Up for Bikes event on December 5th.

But wait, there’s more! For donors who give at $200 and above, we’ve arranged with Kitsbow for some unique donor benefits:

• $200 and above: Receive a Kitsbow limited-edition AoB branded t-shirt. Kitsbow prides itself on its “Dirt to Shirt” approach. The cotton is grown and harvested in NC, turned into a shirt, and dyed and manufactured in NC.
• $500 and above: Receive the Kitsbow limited edition AoB branded t-shirt and VIP tickets to Bike Love.
• $1,000 and above: In addition, receive a $175 gift card for clothing of your choice from Kitsbow! We have the capacity to put your charitable giving to work to improve the multi-modal nature of our city, and we appreciate your support.

Click here to donate and help us reach our goal!

The post Help Asheville on Bikes Meet Our 2019 End-of-Year Goals. Donor Will Match Up To $8,000! appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

The Street Tweaks Team has reimagined four city blocks to be more inviting and safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and car traffic, using inventive temporary materials and on-street art. With this open-streets-style debut celebration, you’re invited to play in the street with non-car wheels, your own two feet, and creativity. Bike parking available in front of Urban Orchard on Buxton Ave. Help roll out the good vibes!

Here are all the details:

Who: Street Tweaks Team

What: Open! Street Tweaks on Coxe Ave.

When: Sunday, November 4th, 12 noon to 3 PM

Where: Coxe Ave, south of Banks Ave, with bike parking on Buxton Ave.

Why: Roll out a new and improved Coxe Ave. with a car-free block party. See what tactical urbanism can do while we play in the street.

If you have questions or you want to volunteer at this event please reach out to Ritchie Rozelle at ritchie@landofsky.org.

We’ll see you (and your family and your friends) there!

In the meantime, can you do us a huge favor? Please RSVP to Open! Street Tweaks on Facebook and share the event far and wide to spread the word.

The post See Our Coxe Ave. Street Tweaks at Open! Street Tweaks on November 4th appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.

Join Us:
Pumpkin Pedaller ‘17
Saturday, October 28th
3:00 to 6:00 PM
@ New Belgium Brewing
FREE & Family-Friendly

We hope you can make it out. Here are the details:

Costumed Family Bike Ride Rolls Out at 3:30 PM

As always, the Pumpkin Pedaller kicks off with a family-friendly group bike ride. This year’s “Ride More” route gives you the option to ride anywhere from 4 to 12 miles of rolling hills and tours RAD, Montford, North Asheville, and Downtown. Do the whole enchilada if you want, or you can easily modify the route for a shorter (and flatter) ride. Smiles are more important than miles.

Meet at New Belgium Brewing at 3PM and be ready to roll out at 3:30. To ensure a safe and happy ride, make sure your bikes are in good shape and ready to roll—although folks from Youngblood Bikes and Motion Makers will be on hand to provide quick bike checks if needed. We highly recommend front and rear lights and a bike bell to maximize safety during the ride. Costumes for you and your bike encouraged, but not required.

Post-ride Party & Costume Contest at New Belgium Brewing

After the ride, meet back at New Belgium Brewing for a Halloween party, Asheville on Bikes style! We’ll have music, bicycle games, and a costume contest with prizes. There will also be several food trucks and plenty of New Belgium Beer on tap for purchase. For each beer sold, New Belgium will donate $1 to AoB, plus they’re donating all their tips to us! Festivities kick off at 5:00 PM.

Volunteer and have a beer on us!

Volunteers are the secret to the Pumpkin Pedaller’s success. We still need volunteers for several positions:

• Route marking on Friday night
• Bike patrol during the ride
• Family Check-in and support
• Representing at the AoB membership tent at New Belgium.

Signing up to volunteer is easy. Just fill out and submit this form—an AoB board member will get in touch to confirm when and where to meet. You’ll get a beer token as our thank you.

If you have any questions about the Pumpkin Pedaller, contact us! In the meantime, please spread the word by RSVPing on our Facebook event page and sharing with your friends. We can’t wait to see you all dressed up!

The post It’s the Great Pumpkin Pedaller, Asheville! October 28th is the Date appeared first on Asheville On Bikes.