Smart Trips Commuter Challenge

Take 2012 Smart Trips Commuter Challenge this June and July and you could win one of these great prizes:

• Apple iPad
• Timbuktu Messenger bags
• Kindle Fire tablets
• Bike tune-ups
• GRAND PRIZE - $1,500 towards the purchase of an airline, cruise or vacation package from AAA Travel of East Tennessee.(Our 2011 winner is shown as he embarks on his cruise!)

If you aren't signed up for Smart Trips yet, register online. If you're registered already, just remember to log your commutes! All you have to do is choose an alternative to driving alone to work once a week during the Challenge -- that is just 8 days total! We can help you find a carpool partner with the free online ridematching database. Looking for a good bike route to work? Just email Kelley with your start and end locations. Want transit info? Just email us and we can help!

Things kick off on June 1 with our Downtown Prize Trolley. Hop on, answer a trivia question (correctly!), win a prize! It’s that simple. It’s our take on the popular show Cash Cab.

In July, check out our Window Display contest. During our fun, urban contest windows around downtown will be dressed up in their Smart Trips finery and you’ll have the chance to vote on your favorites! Interested in having your window in the contest? See details.

Bike to Work Day

Do you like to save money? Want to be healthier? Would you like to arrive at work feeling energized? Then you should join us on Bike to Work Day!

Here in Knoxville, we have twice as many people who bike to work every day as the national average. We’ve got an easy way for you to try out bike commuting. Friday, May 18^th, there are bike convoys leaving from each direction heading to Market Square
for the Bike to Work Day celebration. The convoys are led by experienced bike commuters who can show you the ropes. Don’t worry about the pace; the group will stay together, whatever speed everyone needs. 

We’ll be on Market Square with free coffee and biscuits from 7:30 – 8:30 a.m. for bike commuters. Mayor Rogero will present the Best Dressed Commuters awards at 8 a.m.. We like to show that if you have a short commute, you can wear your normal work clothes—or even something more special than your regular attire!

Here are the convoy details:

Friday, May 18

6:30 a.m.          Halls to downtown and UT.

Meet at Halls Center, 6950 Maynardville Pike, near Ace Hardware.

7 a.m.               North Knoxville to downtown and UT.

Meet at Office Depot/Food City parking lot on Broadway, 4212 N Broadway.

7 a.m.               East Knoxville to downtown and UT.

Meet at Holston River Park, 3300 Holston Hills Road (top parking lot by pavilion).

7:15 a.m.          Bearden to downtown and UT.

Meet at Third Creek Greenway trailhead, 130 Forest Park Blvd, near Earthfare.

7:15 a.m.          South Knoxville to downtown & UT.

Meet at Food City parking lot, 4580 Chapman Hwy.

Thursday, May 17

7:45 a.m.          Oak Ridge to ORNL.

Meet at Jackson Square

More details and all other Bike Month events are online at:

http://www.knoxtrans.org/bikemonth

Fundraising for bicyclist hit by motorist

Damon Foster, a cycle instructor at the Rush was hit by car on Kingston Pike recently. He had two additional surgeries and spent several nights in the ICU.  He was released on April 17th but still has a long road to recovery ahead of him.  Knox Revolution is holding a greenway ride as a fundraiser to assist with hospital bills.

Sunday, April 29th
3:30 p.m.

Meet at The Well (4620 Kingston Pike) at 3:30 pm and then ride Third Creek Greenway to World’s Fair Park and back. The ride will be around 12 miles total, so ride the whole thing or just part of it. Afterwards, come back to The Well for ½ price food & drink specials. They will be there taking donations from 2:00 - 9:00 p.m..

If you can't make it, you can still donate via the Jeff Roth Cycling Foundation website.

Seeking Kids on Bikes for Dogwood Parade

Do you want to be in the Dogwood Parade Friday, April 27 at 7 p.m? The Bicycle Program's entry will feature kids ages 5 - 10 and their parents. Kids should come in a spring-themed costume (adults can too!). What does spring mean to you? Flowers, sunshine, bees? You and your child should also decorate her/his helmet and bicycle. We want to show how festive and fun bicycling is!

If you are interested in participating, RSVP to kelley.segars@knoxtrans.org Space is limited so email soon! Your email should include:

1) Name and age of child (or children; it's ok if a sibling doesn't fall into the 5 - 10 age range)
2) Idea for costume theme
3) Phone number

Kids should be able to bike at a sloooowwww parade pace, but also should be able to keep up when we're told to catch up to the float in front. Adults will walk. (Kids must be accompanied by a parent--no drop offs!)

Helmets required for kids. Should be available for parade line-up by 6 p.m. at the latest. (We will have more instructions once we receive them from Dogwood Arts.)

Bike Month calendar

Tour de Cure planning

Do you like planning parties or bike rides?

The Knoxville Tour de Cure is looking for volunteers to join us as we grow this Tour into one of the best in the nation. Knoxville Tour de Cure COMMITTEE Interest Meeting(This is a meeting for anyone who is interested in helping to learn how more about all the opportunites we have to be a little more involved)

Thursday, February 16th
6pm to 8pm
Barley’s in the Old City.
200 East Jackson Ave
Knoxville, TN

The Tour de Cure Volunteer Committee is looking for hardworking passionate individuals to help us make the 2012 Tour de Cure the BEST EVER!! It’s our vision to double our goal in 2012, but to make that work we need to double the size of our planning committee! If you are interested on serving in any capacity, please attend the meeting to learn everything you need to know about the Volunteer Committee and what we are responsible for and how you can help. There is a great fit for your skills from PR to Route Logistics to planning a party! Everyone is welcome!

Please Bring a friend and get ready to throw one of the biggest parties Knoxville has ever seen. WE NEED YOU!

Please contact Ben Bass at bbass@diabetes.org or 865-524-7868 ext 3342 to RSVP for this exciting event.

Tyson Park detour

The closure of Third Creek Greenway in Tyson Park since December has been a real problem, and KUB doesn't seem to be close to finishing. I just found out about a great option for a detour, though. From the west via the greenway, get on the park road and go past the skatepark. The road continues under Alcoa Highway to the UT Kingston Pike property, and turns right, taking you out to Kingston Pike at a traffic signal. You can either use the traffic signal to enter Kingston Pike, or take the sidewalk up to 22nd. Depends on whether you are going downtown or to UT as to where you go from there. If you use the sidewalk, remember to anticipate drivers turning or pulling out in front of you, so go slowly and watch out!

Save the Date: TN Bike Summit

2012 Tennessee Bike Summit
May 2-4, 2012, Chattanooga, TN

In just a year, Tennessee rose from ranking 43 to 24 of the League of American Bicyclists' Bicycle Friendly States list. To continue building this momentum, the 2012 Tennessee Bike Summit will serve as an opportunity to share successes, challenges, and strategies for moving Tennessee forward as a bike-friendly state. Join us for exciting sessions and mobile workshops!

Who should attend: Practitioners, technical professionals, researchers, advocates and anyone with an interest! There is something for everyone!

**The 2012 Tennessee Bike Summit immediately precedes the 25th Anniversary 3 State 3 Mountain Challenge being held in Chattanooga May 5th.**

Registration details for the bike summit will be made available soon. To receive future communication regarding the summit, including registration opportunities, sign up for the mailing list. The mailing list will be used for important updates only.

To inquire about sponsorship opportunities, please email Cody Roney at tnbikesummit@gmail.com.

Job announcement for Safe Routes to School

Job Announcement for Tennessee State Advocacy Organizer

The Safe Routes to School National Partnership is hiring a state advocacy organizer in Tennessee who will build and maintain a network of diverse partners to achieve three main policy objectives: (1) Leverage funding for bicycle and pedestrian construction projects including Safe Routes to School and Transportation Enhancements funds, (2) Facilitate additional street-scale improvements through Complete Streets policies and other mechanisms and (3) Advance joint-use agreements. Policies must benefit lower-income communities and improve the built environment to increase physical activity to help reverse childhood obesity. Applications are due on Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. PT. The position begins on March 1, 2012.

5th annual Tour de Lights

What happens when it doesn't rain and is 60 degrees in December? You get nearly 500 bicyclists turning out for the Tour de Lights! It was a great time.

Links to photos:
Bicycle Program website
Stuck Inside of Knoxville blog
Facebook page

Links to videos:
Your Tube
Facebook

Local bicyclist attempting to set world records

Message from Gerry Eddlemon, who won the World Cup of UltraCycling earlier this year, and is looking for a little help to set some records:

>>>>>>>>>>>
Some of you may recall that I was all set to attempt several bicycling world records last May near Fayetteville, NC, but the Bladen County maintenance department tore up part of the course just three days before I was to make the attempts.

The weekend of November 5, I will once again attempt to set UltraMarathon Cycling Association (UMCA) records for the 100-mile, 200-mile, 12-Hour, and, body, soul, and God willing, the 24-Hr and 1000-Km (621 miles!) time trials in the GrandMasters Division over near White Oak, North Carolina, all as one big ride. White Oak is about 20 miles southeast of Fayetteville.

The 20-mile course, situated in in the beautiful, rural Carolina Bays area, has been approved and certified by the UMCA. The UMCA by the way, is the only world organization overseeing and certifying ultramarathon racing and record attempts. Only one cyclist is allowed to attempt these records at a given time.

However, one of the biggest and seemingly perennial challenges in making these record attempts is acquiring enough officials to be able to make the record attempts in accordance with UMCA rules.

If you have any interest at all in this kind of endeavor, I would be most appreciative, and honored, if you would consider serving as an official for these record attempts (it's easy, and no experience necessary!) beginning the morning of Nov. 5. I would be finishing morning of Nov. 6 or 7 if I have enough officials on hand for different shifts, but even if I have only two or three officials I am still allowed to go for the 100-mi, 200-mi, and 12-hour records. So, even if you can serve only on Nov. 5, that would still be most helpful.

All reasonable expenses related to this effort (UMCA membership fee, meals, gas, and lodging) will be reimbursed by me.
Anyone at least 21 years old can serve as a UMCA official. Officiating is quite simple and no experience is necessary. But would-be officials do have to read the rules.

If you think you, and your significant other if he or she is interested, might enjoy this kind of adventure (think of it as an all-expenses-paid vacation to the lovely Carolina Bays ; > ), please let me know at your earliest convenience because some simple forms must be received by the UMCA no later than the day before the event.

I will be glad to walk you by phone through the simple paperwork at the UMCA website: www.ultracycling.com

So far, everyone who has participated as officials or crew in my past record attempts with me has given every indication it was a fun and rewarding experience.
Those of you who do not know or remember me may well wonder if I have any idea of what I’m doing. Just so you know, I am most fortunate to be the current UltraMarathon World Cup Champion (“he said with blushing modesty. . .”), and, with 63 US state and Canadian province crossing records and time trial records, the UMCA has declared me the all-time UMCA record setter. If you have any interest in how an old guy of 65 managed to snatch a World Cup championship, please go to the UMCA on-line magazine:
http://www.ultracycling.com/sections/magazine/issues/2011_V20_1.pdf
I almost forgot, the UT Torchbearer on-line also did a recent story with photos on my world championship:
http://www.utk.edu/torchbearer/2011/07/at-65-alum-wins-ultracycling-world-cup/?utm_source=etorch&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=0711

By the way, for what it's worth, the 10-day forecast calls for 69 deg and sunny at White Oak NC, but colder and wetter conditions here -- so I bet most of you would rather officiate a record attempt than ride!.
If I don't get enough officials for Nov. 5, I may try for Nov. 12, so if any of you are interested but unavailable on Nov. 5, let me know.
Hope to see you soon, if not November 5 or 6, then at a local ride.
All the best,

Gerry
eddlemo@bellsouth.net

Neighborhood Bike Ride

11th Annual Neighborhood Bike Ride
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Ride leaves at 10:30 a.m. and visits North Hills, 4th & Gill, Belle Morris, and Edgewood Park.

Meet on Central Street, just north of Baxter Avenue.
Sign in, bike safety checks and bike helmet decorating start at 9:30 a.m.
Helmets required. All ages and skill levels welcome.

NEW! Families with small children and people not up for more hills can do the short route, which will include a fun-filled rest stop with kids activities. Everyone will be together for the beginning and end of the route. Refreshments and more activities will be available after the ride. Hollerpalooza street festival will be going on as we get back as well.

If you plan to participate in the bike ride, please RSVP so we can have a head count for the post-ride refreshments

Ride sponsored by the City of Knoxville and Knoxville Regional Bicycle Program.

New bicycle counts available!

We conduct bicycle and pedestrian counts twice a year. We just did the latest counts on September 27th. It was a beautiful day and counts were high. We set a record high at James Agee/Cumberland, and other counts were on par with our highest count day, back in October 2008. We were much higher than the past two years. The full record of our counts can be found at http://archive.knoxmpc.org/locldata/TrafCnts/bike_ped.pdf

Why we aren't Europe (or, Have you seen that video of people biking in Amsterdam?!)

I am reposting this from the Assoc. of Pedestrian and Bicycling Professionals listserv because I think it is the best summary of these issues that I have seen:

"Culture is constructed. A big difference between the US and Europe is the number of people who live in cities vs. the number who live in the suburbs. Gasoline prices are significantly different. It's a lot harder and more expensive to get a drivers license in Europe. Car excise taxes are much higher. In many European cities, it is very hard to get urban parking privileges. (E.g., in DC, a residential parking permit costs $15/year.) Etc.(Sorry to be pedantic.)

So bikes and cars (and transit) aren't on a level playing field, motor vehicle based mobility occupies a privileged position. That's not about culture or norms, it's about policy.

But I raise the issue of cities vs. suburbs for two reasons (1) because in cities speed limits tend to be significantly lower than in suburbs. And with slower speeds and shorter distances between stop and yield signs and traffic signals, traffic moves much more slowly. In such situations it's a lot easier to ride in mixed traffic situations. It helps that the distances between origins and destinations can be relatively short.

(2) in most cities, with the exception of parts of DC, Boston, NYC, Chicago, Seattle, SF, Portland, LA, and parts of certain others, trends still don't favor urban living, therefore trends don't favor urban biking.

Biking as transportation is a class movement (well, it's bimodal, and also appealing to people who can't afford a car). And for the people with choices living in the suburbs, generally lack of facilities, high speeds on traffic engorged arterials, and long distances between origins and destinations makes biking comparatively impractical.

In DC I do feel like I am seeing a lot more bicyclists in the core of the city, and especially women, in significant numbers. The city has two cycletracks (but one, on PA. Ave. isn't in an area where people are likely to use it) and a few trails. Most transportational cyclists ride in places with either no lanes or lanes, not cycletracks. I attribute this to the class/choice factor mostly, co-incident with the change in attitudes that favors living in DC (as opposed to the suburbs). This has been a phenomenon of the past 5-7 years especially (e.g., you could still buy commercial buildings in now hip areas for under $200K through early 2003).

I get "riled up" when people talk about "bicycle culture" or similarly "how people in Portland are somehow unique and atypical."

What is atypical about Portland is that around 1970 they began developing a sustainable transportation policy (they tore down a freeway), and prioritized public investment downtown including bus transit, later extended to light rail and streetcar transit, and then to the support of bicycling. That's not culture. It's policy, and it's taken them 40 years to get to where they are.

Only by understanding this process, that it is a process, and not something that derives from drinking special koolaid, or special "culture" can we make comparable progress with sustainable transportation policy elsewhere. (This pertains to Copenhagen and Amsterdam as well.)"
--Richard Layman

Benefit for Steve Hancock, local cyclist

PLEASE ATTEND AND SUPPORT OUR FRIEND AND FELLOW CYCLIST
Saturday, September 17 at 3:00pm
Barley's - Old City

For many years, Steve Hancock has had a saying: Make hard jobs easier.

Hancock, a local musician and cycling enthusiast, was riding his bicycle on May 5 when he was struck in the right lane by an uninsured motorist. His bicycle was destroyed and he was thrown far from the road, sustaining many horrible injury to his lower torso and legs. The cost of putting him on the road to recovery was and is staggering. Rehabilitating his damaged body and paying for the attention he needs to do so is a very hard job.

And we are going to make that hard job easier. If you'll help.

On September 17, Barley's will host a benefit concert featuring various Knoxville bands (many of which include cyclists). There will also be multiple morning bike rides which will end at Barley's for the show (details coming). There will also be several fantastic items silent-auctioned off, including merchandise from local businesses and an painting by local artist Jenna Hancock, inspired by her father.

Bike ride details (among other details) will be posted in the next few days. Here is the line-up:

Outside performances by:
3pm - Will Fist
4pm - Econopop
5pm - Greg horne
6pm - Katieand the Bass Drums

Inside performances by:
8pm Stolen Sheep
9pm The Tim Lee 3
10pm Three Man Band
11pm Senryu (and guests)
12pm Fine Peduncle

Cover: $10 (or more, if you feel like being completely awesome)
Age: All Ages during the day, 18+ after 10 (subject to clarification)

There will also be a website where donations will be accepted for Steve and his family, for people who cannot travel in for the show, or those who wish to donate after the event. URL soon!

WUTK is really nice to sponsor this! They are nice to support so much, so often, and also deserve your support.

PLEASE SHARE THIS EVENT. Help us show love to a family that shows non-stop love to Knoxville and Knoxville music.

Online Donation link here: http://www.rockandrollvelodrome.edgereg.com/ 100% of the donations will be disbursed to the Hancock family by the Jeff Roth Cycling Foundation.

UT Launches Nation's First Fully Automated E-bike Sharing System

UT Launches Nation's First Fully Automated E-bike Sharing System

KNOXVILLE--The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is home to the nation's first automated electric bicycle (e-bike) sharing system. The pilot program is the subject of a research study by civil and engineering assistant professor Chris Cherry and Stacy Worley and David Smith from biosystems engineering. If successful, it may be adopted into a full-scale program by the university.

The system will introduce two bike sharing stations with 10 bikes each--seven e-bikes and three bicycles. The first station is on Presidential Court. A second station is slated for installation on the Agriculture Campus.

The media are invited to view and test the e-bikes from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7, at Presidential Court. Interviews will be available.

"We are pleased to add the e-biking share program as we work to become a more pedestrian and bike friendly campus," said Jeff Maples, senior associate vice chancellor for finance and administration. "This effort also fits in well with our campus’ commitment to sustainability and energy savings. It is yet another way UT is blazing a new trail in our long term climate commitment and energy savings and efficiency goals."

An electric bicycle is a bicycle with an attached motor which activates when pedaling gets more difficult for the rider. The sharing station consists of an integrated bike rack with a battery-charging kiosk which distributes batteries to those who check out e-bikes. The system is fully automated. Users simply swipe their university ID cards to check out and return bikes to the station when finished. The pilot test is free to subscribers within the UT community.Currently, the project is recruiting 200 volunteers for two-month cycles for the academic year.

The e-bike is heralded as an environmentally friendly alternative to driving. Cherry notes they could be a part of a solution to three related problems: environmental degradation that impacts public health, quality of life and economic security; over-reliance on insecure energy; and a public health crisis of obesity related to inactivity.

"Electric bike sharing has a chance to introduce much more people to mild active transport," said Cherry. "Nobody wants to work too hard to get around campus but would still like to get some exercise in their daily activities. This system will provide that, improving the users' health and also reducing emissions."

The goal of Cherry's study is to test the operational and economic feasibility of introducing electric bikes in a shared bike system and also test how users respond to them.

"We want to test the technology, operations, environmental impacts, travel demand, impacts on physical activity and economics of developing such a system," said Cherry. "With this being the first fully automated electric bike sharing system in the country, and one of the first in the world, we hope to prove or disprove many of the assumptions that are attached to such a system."


Cherry hopes the program is attractive to both bike and non-bike users and to leverage his research into developing a full-scale program that can be adopted by the university as part of its Make Orange Green environmental initiative.

"This is a very car-oriented campus, and UT is committed to providing high-quality alternative transportation modes to get to and from campus and to get around campus," he said. "This is a research project first but could provide a highly sustainable alternative model should the university adopt it."

The bike sharing program is funded by the University of Tennessee Student Sustainability Initiative, Southeastern Transportation Center and Tennessee Department of Transportation, with support from Currie Technologies, Fountain City Pedaler and UT's Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and the Biosystems Engineering and Soil Sciences Department. For more information, visit www.cycleushare.com.

For more information on UT Knoxville's sustainability efforts, visit the Make Orange Green website at http://environment.utk.edu.

Ride calendar update

Just a few of the rides you have to choose from! (Not intended to be comprehensive.)

Weekly Rides

Tuesdays

KnoxRevolution Road Ride
6:30 p.m.
start at Coulter’s Bridge (Hwy 321 then left on Tuchaleechee Pike, 1.7 miles to Coulter Bridge)
18 – 34 miles, depending on group
13 to 16 mph
No drop ride
Contact Linda at gray2527@bellsouth.net

Wednesdays

SMW Beginner Road Ride
6 p.m.
start at Fountain City Pedaler.
26 miles
12 to 14 mph pace.
No drop ride
Email tdools03@gmail.com for more info.

TVB Beginner Mountain Bike Ride
6:30 p.m.
start at Ijams parking lot
about 5 miles
Call 540-9979 for info.

Thursdays
Fountain City Pedaler Road Rides
6 p.m.
start at Fountain City Pedaler
25 and 35 mile options
14-16 and 18 - 21 mph, respectively
No drop ride.
Call 357-1580 for info.

Sundays

Cycology social-paced Road Ride
9 a.m.
start at Cycology Bicycles
30 to 35 miles
15 to 17 mph
No drop ride
Email hiknakd@hotmail.com or dana.r.davidson@gmail.com for more info

Upcoming Events

Oak Ridge Velo Omnium
August 6-7, 2011
Details at http://www.oakridgevelo.com/

Barley's Cycling Classic
September 17, 2011
66, 50, and 30 mile ride options. More info and registration at http://racedayevents.net/events/barley-s-autumn-cycling-classic/

October 8
SMW Fall Century
Details to come at http://www.smwbike.org/

October 22
Neighborhood Bike Ride
Ride leaves at 10:30 a.m.
1000 N. Central St.
New this year is a short option for families and people who don’t want to do many hills
Details to come at http://www.knoxtrans.org/bikeride/index.htm

For more ride info, check calendars of:
SMW
KnoxRevolution (women's club)
AMBC (mountain biking)
SCO
KnoxVelo
Foothill Striders
Rocker Riders (recumbents)

Peopleforbikes pledge

Peopleforbikes is trying to get one million signatures in support of bicycling. They were in Knoxville yesterday at Market Square Farmers' Market, and lots of bicyclists showed up, from road bikers, commuters, to mountain bikers. Plus, there were the random passers-by who bike on the greenways. It was wonderful to show off our bicycling community to this national organization! They seemed impressed by how close knit we are.

Please show your support for bicycling by signing their pledge. I promise it's the most simple, straight-forward pledge you'll ever sign.
http://www.peopleforbikes.org/pages/pledge

Here's what it says:
I am for bikes. I'm for long rides and short rides. I'm for commuting to work, weekend rides, racing, riding to school, or just a quick spin around the block. I believe that no matter how I ride, biking makes me happy and is great for my health, my community and the environment we all share. That is why I am pledging my name in support of a better future for bicycling — one that is safe and fun for everyone. By uniting my voice with a million others, I believe that we can make our world a better place to ride.

Air Quality Alert Days and Biking

I've been hearing from people asking if they should be biking on the numerous air quality alert days we have had, and will continue to have all summer. Air quality alerts are forecasts for the following day, so not every alert day turns into a day when we actually exceed the AQ standards. (Just as it does not rain every day it is forecast to rain.) Here in Knox County, we have had 5 days that turned into "orange" days versus many more alert days (I have lost count!). Granted, five days is a pretty significant number, considering our hottest weather is still to come (one would assume!).

You can find the current air quality as well as the current forecast online. Put in your own zip code if you wish, but it is a regional map.

It's definitely safe to bike in the mornings because it is generally not until 3 p.m. or later that the ozone level goes above 100 (turning it into an orange day). If you can carpool or take transit home, that would be ideal. I try to bike home slowly so that I am not breathing hard (thus, not taking in as much pollution, and not breathing it as deeply). Not sure if this does much good. There is also the question of what the difference truly is, healthwise, between a day that it reaches 99 and the day that it reaches 101.

I am not an expert on this, and the recommendations change based on new research all the time. Given that, here is some info I have compiled:

From Bad Air Day, Air Quality and Your Health

Dr. Frank Gilliland, an expert in environmental health at the University of Southern California (says) “High levels of ozone reduce lung function and lead to inflammation, or swelling, in the airways...”

Ozone’s effects can come on quickly and linger or even worsen with time. “When people hear it’ll be a bad air day, most expect their breathing will be affected that day. But in fact, they often feel the effects most strongly the next day or the day after,” says Dr. David Peden, an environmental medicine researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

From Ozone and Your Patients' Health: Training for Health Care Providers

Information from clinical, epidemiological, and animal studies...indicates that exposure to ambient ozone is a risk factor for triggering short and long-term health effects... It is desirable, in general, for people to reduce both their short-term and their cumulative exposure to ozone.

From Health: Air pollution, the invisible threat

“Healthy, active people tend to underestimate the harmful effects of polluted air, because they don’t wheeze or experience chest pain,” says Dryer. “Experiencing no symptoms of anything wrong, they continue to exercise, putting themselves at greater risk.”

Faced with all this data, should we all quit our two-wheel habit? Despite the darkening diesel cloud, spiking asthma rates and proliferation of heart-stopping studies, all the experts assure me that, on balance, cyclists are doing themselves more good than harm.

He suggests changing my daily gym trip to early in the morning, when diesel particulates, ozone and other air pollutants are at their lowest levels, or after nightfall, when traffic abates.

Here is some info from:
How Air Pollution Affects Your Lungs

Effects
People who already have serious diseases such as asthma and diabetes, as well as pregnant women and the elderly, are more susceptible to...air pollution. However, people with no apparent problems can develop issues if they are exposed...too long or too often.

Symptoms
Air pollution can affect your lungs by causing coughing, sneezing, watering eyes, shortness of breath and actual asthma attacks (even if you have never had one before). In an asthma attack, your lungs become swollen and your airways shrink, which lessens the amount of oxygen getting to your lungs....

Diseases
Prolonged exposure has been proven to lead to...lung diseases such as asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema....

Casual bike ride

In the first of a series of summer events, join the Bike Collective for a ride on Sunday, June 19, 1 p.m., starting from Market Square.

As summer rolls in, roll your lazy, sweaty, bike-lovin’ self down to Ijams where the cool air from the caves lingers in the upper 60s. A leisurely cruise across Gay St. bridge and down through Island Home will end at the Meads Quarry parking lot. From there it's a short walk to the Ross Marble site and sweet respite from the heat.

Bring plenty of water. Lemonade and tunes provided. Return home at your own pace, or with the group around 4 p.m. for Marble City beer at the Bistro.

Look for us on Facebook as Joe Bikecollective