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  • Members of the Bicycling Club of Milledgeville and other local bike enthusiasts take part in the April Fool's Ride each year. U-R file photo

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September 8, 2010

Bicycling Club welcoming new members with open arms

Jessica Luton The Union-Recorder

MILLEDGEVILLE — If you’re looking for a place to meet other bicycling enthusiasts or help advocate for a more bicycle-friendly community, the Bicycling Club of Milledgeville welcomes you with open arms.

The club, which meets on the last Wednesday of every month in the basement of Blackbird Coffee Shop on Hancock Street, aims to connect area riders and bring important biking issues to the forefront in the community.

Just recently, the club gave a presentation on the benefits of making Baldwin County and Milledgeville a bicycle-friendly community under the standards of the League of American Bicyclists, and the club will soon gear up for the annual April Fool’s Ride, an event that brings in nearly 100 bicyclists from around the state and region.

Club President Adam Heagy said the mission of the club is clear.

“The mission of the bike club is to put more people in Baldwin County and Milledgeville on bicycles more often,” he said, adding that the role of the club is two-fold.

“We are a social riding club,” he said. “A lot of times, it’s easier and you feel safer riding with a group of people, as opposed to getting out by yourself. And we are the local advocacy group as well.”

Meetings typically focus on advocacy issues or upcoming events such as the ride in April, he said, and a dedicated group of more than a dozen bicyclists are active members in the club.

Additionally, approximately 100 people are involved in the club’s online forums and those individuals are considered part of the club, too, he said.

The club’s current projects, which include partnering with Live Healthy Baldwin and the Oconee River Greenway Authority to create the first mile of the Fishing Creek Community Biking Trail, which begins at the Oconee River Greenway.

The past few meetings have focused on getting research together for the bicycle-friendly community presentation, he said, but soon the club will turn its attention toward an event that brings in a crowd of bikers who are eager to bike in and around Baldwin County.

“We do a charity ride in April,” he said. “Usually in November or by December, our meetings focus on the organization of that event, which is a good draw for the community. In the past, we’ve had almost 100 riders pre-registered for the event. It takes a lot of effort to get that off the ground every year.”  

Additionally, the club tries to keep members informed about rides and bicycling events that are going on in the state and across the southeast, he said.

The club is also looking forward to a visit from the International Mountain Biking Association in November for volunteer training in trail maintenance and construction and an assessment of the current bicycle trails in town, he said.

“As far as upcoming bicycling events, the International Mountain Biking Association has a program called the Trail Care Crew. They’ll be in town from Nov. 4 through 7 to train volunteers on trail construction and maintenance and assess the Bartram Forest Trails and Selma Irwin Trails. I feel that’s a pretty big deal for Milledgeville because they’re an international body. We might get maybe a couple of dozen people besides local to receive this volunteer training and do some work on our local trails.”

Heagy said the recent community forum regarding making Milledgeville and Baldwin County into a bicycle-friendly community was well-received by the public officials that were able to attend.

“We did have several representatives from city and county government, and I think we had a really positive exchange with those folks in working toward forming stronger partnerships with those agencies,” he said. “And we have been invited to give the presentation to the mayor’s office and to members of city council that weren’t there, and I think we might be able to get it on the schedule for a county commission meeting as well.”

To join the cause or meet other local area riders, local bicyclists can attend the next meeting of the Bicycling Club of Milledgeville at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 29.

For more information on the club, including upcoming events and bicycle rides in the region, visit www.mvillebikes.com.

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