Bike Ride to Stone Mountain Cancelled Due to Threat of Bad Weather

The Bicycle South Ride to Stone Mountain is cancelled this morning due to the threat of thunderstorms moving in. Join us next month.

Hope to see you at the Decatur Arts Festival next weekend at the Bike Valet.

Keep on riding!

More Bike Month Activities in Decatur

Thursday, May 16: Bike Decatur meets at 8 am at Decatur Recreation Center, 231 Sycamore Street. The meeting is open, so come on out and join in the discussion. The Bike Decatur night meeting is at 8 pm, McGowan’s Pub in Oakhurst. Check out the FB page at www.facebook.com/bikedecatur for updates on Bike Decatur.

Friday, May 17: Bike to Work Day. Stop by Decatur Recreation Center between 7 and 10 am for a refreshment break on your bicycle commute. We will greet you with coffee, juice and a pastry. And of course, a big smile!

Saturday, May 18: Beginner Group Riding skills, 10 am  – 1 pm. Decatur Recreation Center. If interested in attending register on WebTrac or  contact cheryl.burnette@decaturga.com before 5 pm on Friday.

Sunday, May 19: Bicycle South offers an easy no-drop ride to Stone Mountain Park, beginning at the store at 9 am. Refreshments at Bicycle South after the ride.

Did you kow that you can use an easy AP to log your miles? Click here to access Endomondo – it will also track your walking, running and more. Check it out!

Check Out Free Classes in June

Bike to Work: Stop by Recreation Center for a Refreshment Break

It’s Bike to Work Week and Friday is Bike to Work Day!

Stop by the Decatur Recreation Center for a refreshment break on Friday, May 17 between 7 and 10 am for coffee, water and pastries before your bike commute to work. You will also be able to pick up a City of Decatur Bicycle Suitability Map which identifies roadways using three bicycle difficutly rankings to assist cyclists in choosing suitable routes to desired locations.

Healthy Monday: De-stress Through Diet

While food isn’t a cure-all when it comes to stress, what you consume has the potential to affect your body.

Alcohol, caffeine, and high-sugar foods can contribute to mood changes, excessive stress, and blood sugar disruption.

Foods rich in the vitamin B complex, on the other hand, may help you stabilize your mood and avoid stress, while those rich in antioxidants may help combat the free radicals released when your body’s stressed.

If you feel stressed this week, increase your vitamin B and antioxidant intake by opting for veggies (especially dark leafy greens), whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds.

The Monday Campaigns is a national movement backed by leading public health schools that dedicates the first day of every week to health. Every Monday, individuals and organizations join together to commit to healthy behaviors that help end chronic preventable diseases. For more information and healthy tips, click here.

Volunteer to CATCH Healthy Habits

Get Kids Moving and Eating Healthfully this summer.

Volunteer to CATCH Healthy Habits!

 

The CATCH Healthy Habits Program allows you to make a difference in the life of a child, in your community, and improve your health, too!  In the CATCH Healthy Habits Program, adults age 50+ teach children in grades K-5 healthy habits for a lifetime. The children and adults have a lot of fun as they learn together how to stay healthy and fit. Volunteers work together in teams, so you are never by yourself. All training and class materials are provided free of charge.

CATCH classes are one-hour long and are conducted once a week for a period of eight weeks. This summer CATCH classes will be held at several locations in the Atlanta metro area beginning the week of June 3 through the week of July 30.  Volunteer training will be held May 22 and May 23 at the Villages at Carver YMCA, in southwest Atlanta.  CATCH Healthy Habits is a wonderful way to improve your health and celebrate healthy living in your community, so join us! To volunteer or receive more information about the CATCH Healthy Habits Program, visit the CATCH Healthy Habits website www.oasisnet.org, or contact Mary Newton at ARC at 404-463-3119 or mnewton@atlantaregional.com.  CATCH Healthy Habits- It’s Contagious!

Bike Riding Over the Weekend

http://www.pedbikeimages.org / danburden

If it doesn’t rain again all weekend, here are a few options to help you celebrate Bike Month:

Tonight, May 10
Bike Decatur Mobile Social is at 6:30 pm. Meet at the Church Street MARTA for a leisurely 5-6 mile ride around Decatur. Decorate your bike and join us!

Saturday, May 11
Sam’s Freight Room Ride is at 2pm (tomorrow and every Saturday). Meet at 415 E Howard Avenue for an easy 11 mile ride through Avondale Estates, Oakhurst and Decatur. No drop ride and really nice folks. They usually go for pizza after the ride.

Ride Leaders Mike Masters and Mike Sheehan will host an Intro Group Riding Skills Clinic. Meet at Glennwood Academy, 440 East Ponce De Leon Avenue, Decatur GA 30030, ready to ride at 1:30pm. The clinic starts with a group discussion covering the basics of bike safety, rules of the road, and group riding skills. There will be time for questions and answers on a variety of cycling topics before the ride begins. Following the group discussion, we will put theory into practice on a 5 mile group ride around Decatur. Participants are encouraged to reconvene at Fellini’s Pizza after the ride for refreshments and socializing. For more information click here.

Georgia Bicycling Rules of the Road

Since it is National Bike Month, it is a great time to review the Rules of the Road.

• Bicycles are vehicles and MUST obey traffic laws! Traffic laws that apply to vehicles also apply to bicycles. Bicyclists must obey stop signs, speed limits and traffic signals just as they would if driving a car.
• In Groups, ride no more that two abreast and as a courtesy ride single file when traffic is present in your travel direction.
• Ride on the right. Georgia Law states that bicyclists should ride as near to the right side of the roadways as possible. Bicyclists can move from the right when turning left, when avoiding hazards, when the lane is too narrow to share safely with a motor vehicle, when traveling the same speed as traffic and when passing another vehicle.
• At night, be seen!  Every bicycle must be equipped with a white front light and a rear red reflector, each visible from 300 feet. Rear red lights may be use as well.
• Don’t hit the road without a helmet! Bicycle helmets are a good idea for everyone, and required by law for every bicycle rider younger than age 16. They must be fastened on securely.
• Three Foot Rule. Motorists are required to pass cyclists by a distance of at least three feet.

Let’s all obey these rules and stay safe!

Decatur Active Living and Bike Decatur have produced a Bicycle Suitability Map for the city rating the road conditions for cycling as well as showing the location of bike lanes, water and bike parking. You can download one here, or stop by the Decatur Recreation Center or the Visitors Center to pick one up.

Bicycling Commuter Class and a Mobile Social

It’s National Bike Month and Decatur has a couple of fun activities planned this week that you won’t want to miss.

On Thursday, May 9, we are offering a FREE Introduction to Bicycle Commuting at the Decatur Recreation Center from 6:30 – 8 pm. Learn from two cyclists who commute to work and most everywhere else on their bikes. To register, contact cheryl.burnette@decaturga.com or call 678-553-6541.

 Bike Decatur and Decatur Active Living join forces for the Bike Decatur  Mobile Social on Friday, May 10. Meet at Church Street MARTA station at 6:30 pm for a leisurely 5-6 mile ride through Decatur neighborhoods. All levels are welcome. We will stop off for refreshment at one of Decatur’s water holes after the ride. Meet other cyclists and have a nice evening. Helmets are required. The ride will be cancelled in the event of rain, but we have our fingers crossed for sunshine! Decorate your bike and join us for a fun evening.

Please like Bike Decatur on Facebook!

Bike to School Day is Wednesday, May 8

 Thousands of children across the country will be strapping on helmets, kicking up kickstands, and putting their mettle to the pedal as they ride their bikes to school on Wednesday, May 8, in celebration of the second annual National Bike to School Day. All of Decatur’s K-3 schools, Renfroe Middle School and St. Thomas More School will be participating and competing to see which school has the highest percentage of bicyclists.

Bike to School Day encourages a bike-focused celebration in the month of May and builds on the popularity and success of International Walk to School Day, which is celebrated across the country – and the world – each October.

National Bike to School Day is part of National Bike Month, celebrating 56 years of promoting cycling. For a list of bicycling activities in Decatur, click here.