[Megabeth]

It’s time for the latest daily supporter update (and trust me, there’s lots more to announce).

Exclusively for the ladies on the ride, four lucky rider/donors will receive a tube of Hoo Ha Ride Glide courtesy of The Bike Lane. (Yeah, I got to say Hoo Ha!)

Wait, there’s more!

Bike Arlington! Bike Arlington was one of the first ride supporters and I want to give them a plug for all their ongoing support. But, they’d also like to reward you, too! One lucky lady rider and one lucky man rider will receive their own Bike Arlington jersey! And, 12 lucky pairs of feet (or 120 toes) will be so happy and warm on the ride in their own Bike Arlington socks we’re giving away.

Afraid you’re going to win some of this stuff and can’t carry it home? Don’t fear, Bike Arlington will have their bags on hand to help you haul home your loot!

Thanks everyone for your donations and for showing up for this ride in support of WABA’s Women & Bicycles program! Don’t forget to let me know you’re coming here: https://sites.google.com/site/hainspoint100/home

(I will probably this evening get an e-mail out to the people that have volunteered to help or provide day-of snacks or baked goods…hang tight. We’ve had an uptick in rider forms submitted so I want to make sure as many people as possible are included. Thanks!)

[Megabeth]

Thanks, again, all for your help, support and, most of all, donations!

There are so many quickly moving parts (remember, I just came up with this “stunt” a little over two weeks ago). Your thoughts and input are greatly appreciated.

Now, here’s today’s update.

Here’s the list so far regarding day-of prize offerings. Lots of fun things and fun ways to win these on the 23rd:

– The first 50 riders will receive a special sparkly jingly gift to commemorate the day.
– Riders that donate $50 will be entered to win one of 15 copies of Elly Blue’s book “Everyday Bicycling”. (Thanks “Anonymous”. I’m very excited about this offering!)***
– Revolutions Cycles has donated several $20 gift certificates
– Java Shack has donated a coffee/tumbler package
– And…we’ve got some other great things, gifties, and JERSEYS (yeah, JERSEYS!) up for grabs from…well, I want to leave *some* surprises as we get closer to the ride. STAY TUNED!!!

How can you win one of these things? Come on the 23rd and you’ll find out! And, you know I’ve got to say it, make sure you let me know if you’re coming here.

***To be entered to win the Elly Blue book, make sure 1) You indicate “Women & Bicycles” on the WABA donation site and 2) you fill out the “rider” form on Hains Point 100 so that I know you’ve given $50 or more and 3) show up at the Hains Point 100. Winners will be posted on site.

[Megabeth]

Still seeing temps in the upper 40’s for Sunday. No precipitation.

Will require some layers, but things won’t be freezing and falling off. (Because, yeah, that wouldn’t be fun…)

[Megabeth]

Hey there!

Are you still on the fence about doing the Hains Point 100 on December 23rd? Well, I wanted to let you know It’s shaping up to be something big!

Let me tell you a few things that may help you in your decision to come out and ride…

Excuse #1: My family is in town

Don’t worry! Bring them! All kinds of riders will be down there rolling along Hains Point. If you don’t have enough bikes, I have several free 24-hour memberships for Capital Bikeshare (and isn’t there a secret part of you that would love to see your mother or father-in-law facing the Hains Point headwind on a CaBi bike? Tis the season!). Let me know if you’d like one. There are also many folks in the area that have extra bikes, so feel free to post your need here and maybe somebody can hook you up. (The very awesome @GirlonaBikeDC already kindly offered up a loaner bike. Details here: http://girlonabicycle.blogspot.com/2012/12/my-loaner-bike.html)

Excuse #2: It’s too cold.

Well, yeah, it’s *December 23rd*. Winter, it’s bound to be cold. That’s why me doing the 100 miles around Hains Point is sort of crazy this time of year, and I thought I’d use the crazy factor to draw some attention and support to WABA’s program. All that said, weather reports (so far) are looking good for the day. And anyway, remember that you don’t have to spend the *whole* day down there. Ride a few laps. Or just come down and ring a cowbell. We would love the support. If you do ride, you’ll be in the running to earn some fabulous swag from some very kind donors such as Bike Arlington, New Belgium Brewery, Revolutions Cycles, Sticky Fingers, Java Shack and more! (See, I told you this was going to be an awesome ride…)

Excuse #3: I’m out of town.

No worries. You can still join the fun by following @HainsPoint100 during the day of the ride. You can even mock us via the #HP100 hash. But I would love it if you could also submit a donation and tell your friends that are in town to come join me. The more the merrier. Send them this link to learn more about the ride: https://sites.google.com/site/hainspoint100/

Excuse #4: No one else I know will be in town.

As I mentioned, there will be *plenty* of people to ride with of all skill levels, from pacelines to grocery getters. While this has already expanded well beyond my own initial expectation, this is still a social ride. So it’s a great time to get to know some other cyclists in the DC area. Don’t be shy! Lots of people have already signed up so I know you’ll have plenty of company. Besides, you can also ride around with me!

I hope this helped in your decision and that you’re now ready to roll with us, please, please, please be sure to fill out the form linked to from this page: https://sites.google.com/site/hainspoint100/

I’m looking forward to riding with you and appreciate your support of WABA’s Women & Bicycles program.

(By the way, the first 50 riders that show up will get a special sparkly and twinkly gift that will show your support and that you are a part this ride. The elves were busy yesterday.)

[Megabeth]

THANK YOU! Uploading that into my Garmin right now.

[Megabeth]

@crysb 38049 wrote:

I should be able to come around to help out and ride a bit. Filled out the form but haven’t heard anything yet.

My thought was that I can contribute water or snacks or whatever’s most needed. Let me know!

Thank you!!!

I’m hoping to send out some e-mails to volunteers and baker/snack bringers in the next few days to try to wrangle everyone. I’ve had an explosion of interest which has created a lot of moving parts!

In the meantime, I encourage everyone that is either riding, donating and interested in volunteering to fill out the form on the Hains Point 100 page so you can be sure to receive updates (and some really exciting announcements that will be coming out soon).

[Megabeth]

Last year, the first part of the year had me off the bike because my arm was still recovering from “Seagull Centurygate 2010”. I did get some great riding in towards the end of the year, but, I knew in 2012, I needed to come back to the sport with a vengeance. I suppose I did that. Here’s what I did this year…

– Philadelphia Cycling Classic – Rode the Manayunk Wall three times. Was only one of a few women that did it all three times. (And, a lady on the side of The Wall said, “See, look, she’s smiling. That’s how you should do it!” Little did she know that was my pain face!)

– Air Force Cycling Challenge – This year’s course was shorter than last year’s course. So, earning the gold medal was a little easier. I was a little bummed about that. You see, last year, I had one lap to go to make it but my bum arm wasn’t going to let me get around the course one more time. This year, while riding w/ Tim and DaveK, they kept making me go faster and faster. Tim was my “bottle boy”. He’d dart up Air Force Hill, fill my water bottle, so I could keep going. Unbeknownst to me, were keeping me on a pace to earn the gold medal at the pace I would have needed to earn it on the longer course last year. They helped me earn a Gold Medal+! And, I did a cranking 60 miles non-stop. (Thanks, guys!)

– Church Creek Time Trial – participated in my first 40k time trial after only learning about it a week before. Got to wear a time trial helmet, fold myself in half w/ aerobars and use disc wheels. (Thanks, Tim!) Was a nervous experience but finished up and decided I would do it again next year. Didn’t come in first, but I didn’t come in last. That head wind during the final third of the ride was BRUTAL.

– Bike DC – I’m QOM of the GW Parkway. Woo!

– Contes/Fresh Bikes ride – had my most consistent year of going out on the weekly ride and dramatically improved my time to complete from the previous years.

– Arlington Fun Ride – This year I volunteered at one of the aid stations. Had so much fun watching people roll in – all smiles, all fun!

– Nations Triathlon – first olympic tri. On the bike, I ranked 29th (of 171) in my age group and I was holding back to keep some legs for the run. (Don’t ask about the run.)

– Alpine Gran Fondo – a week after the tri, I did a stupid ride. The 70+ mile version of the Alpine gran fondo w/ 7700+ feet of climbing. I swore, during it, I would never do it again. Uh, yeah, I’m signing up again for next year.

– Riding in other places – I rented a bike in San Antonio and explored their new river trail. And, I rented a bike in Michigan and pedaled a scraper bike up some really interesting ski resort hills. And, explored new places outside Stokesville, Virginia where the hills are plenty and the corn grows high.

– Second Annual Thanksgiving C&O canal biking/camping trip – Packed up our bike with about 800 pounds of camping equipment and had another great ride and camp along the Potomac. Looking forward to the third annual ride…

– I also climbed Kilimanjaro this year, but not on my bike, so that doesn’t count…

– And, finally, I’m going to round out the year with the Hains Point 100. Come join me!

All of these things did not get done with a solo effort. I’ve been able to ride with so many wonderful people this year and I thank you all (for your drafts, encouragement, introducing me to “power tap insanity”, ability to push me into doing things resulting in me cursing loudly, etc.) And, a special thanks to Mark – my one-man pit crew, bike mechanic, domestique, rice bar maker, and sports psychologist.

[Megabeth]

I am very excited about the initial response and support for this ride. (Stay tuned for some exciting promos and incentives for donors and riders!) If you’re planning on riding or donating, don’t forget to visit Hains Point 100.

In the meantime, I wanted to share some more information. I have seen an uptick of women riders in the DC area, and I love it! But, we still have a long way to go with getting women on bikes.

The 24% statistic covers the entire US and looks at all bicycle trips. (It’s from the 2009 National Household Travel Survey.)

In the DC area, we do rank a little higher. Women make 33% of bike trips in this area. This statistic was cited in the report Trends and Determinants of Cycling in the Washington, DC Region (pdf) .

According to this sweet infographic, females make up 36% of Washington, DC area bike commuters.

In another study, specifically geared towards the Washington, DC region it was reported that, “…compared to women, men are associated with a 2.65 greater likelihood to cycle to work”. – “Determinants of Bicycle Commuting in the Washington, D.C. Region: The Role of Bicycle Parking, Cyclist Showers, and Free Car Parking at Work.”

It’s more than just commuting, it’s using the bike as a method of transportation beyond just getting to work. So, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the awesome Women Cycling Surveys conducted by the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals. While not DC specific, it does show some of the hurdles and challenges area bike advocates, such as WABA, have to overcome to help increase the number of females on bikes.

Other articles of interest:
– Elly Blue also tells it like it is here.
– Found this neat little chart where you can enter in a state and get some interesting bike commuter statistics.

[Megabeth]

Pshaw. Hains Point 100 is the warm up to that challenge….

[Megabeth]

Oh, yeah, right. If Tim’s setting the pace, then we’d be done in two hours. What’s the fun in that?

[Megabeth]

Put your name as the donator and put “Women & Bicycles” in the “In Honor Of” fields on the WABA donation form. (I’ll make that a little clearer on my web page, too.)

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I’ll ride a lap in your honor!

[Megabeth]

Fantastic! Whether 0 laps, and just support or 1 lap or 33+ it doesn’t matter! Working to get more Women on Bikes so every bit helps!

[Megabeth]

crysb – You had a smile on your face that lit up the race course. Fantastic job! You inspired me to consider doing a cx race (someday…maybe). (I was in the pink jacket w/ some of the forum folks. Sorry we didn’t get a chance to meet in person.)

[Megabeth]

Does the DC area have African swallows or European swallows?

[Megabeth]

I meant to type “pink bikinis”. Sorry for the confusion…

[Author]

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