March comes in tomorrow. March means spring. Spring means, apparently, $4 a gallon gasoline. And that means, time to put some air in our bicycle tires and crank up our own personal combustion engines.
And just in time, we have Oaks and Spokes upon us, a 10-day Raleigh bicycle festival with something for riders of every sort and age. It runs from March 1-10. Click on the website for a complete list of events.
The kick-off event is Friday night, 7 p.m. at the NCSU Bell Tower. It’s “Bike First Friday with Oaks and Spokes,” which means simply that you bike with the gang from the Bell Tower to downtown and do your First Friday traveling on two wheels.
No doubt many will be heading for the “Raleigh Bikes Art Show” at the Benelux Cafe in City Market.
Note, too, that admission to CAM Raleigh — the Contemporary Art Museum — is free Friday night.
Sunday brings the inaugural Oak City Open, a polo tournament on bicycles. That’s out on New Hope Road, with a Saturday night registration party preceding at Humble Pie.
Need some additional encouragement? Raleigh Public Record has a good piece about the progress we’ve made as a city moving from the “bikes not wanted” stage to the “wait, we have bikes on our roads?” stage of bicycle-friendliness. It’s a good read.
Oaks and Spokes sent a press release:
OAKS AND SPOKES BICYCLE FESTIVAL BRINGS BIKE FUN AND FESTIVITIES TO RALEIGH THIS MARCH
Raleigh, NC: Bike Polo, Alley Cats and Tweed Rides, Oh My! Raleigh’s Inaugural Bicycle Festival will be held March 1st-10th 2013 in and around Downtown Raleigh. “Oaks and Spokes” as it has affectionately been tagged, was created by a group of cycling advocates in the downtown area, aiming to celebrate bicycles, the people who ride them and the urban fabric that brings it all together in the “City of Oaks.”
The festival will span ten days and encompass a variety of events. “We wanted to create an opportunity for the burgeoning community of bicycle riders that is growing in Raleigh to get together and have some fun on two wheels,” said co-director Kristy Jackson. “It is our hope that these events appeal to a diverse cross section of individuals — young and old, skilled and rusty, as well as beginning cyclists to come out and experience riding in the city.”
The festival kicks off on Friday, March 1st with Raleigh’s monthly “Bike First Friday.” This casual group rides from the NCSU Belltower to art galleries around Downtown, featuring stops at CAM Raleigh and the Raleigh Bikes Art Show. Other festival highlights include the second annual Triangle Tweed Ride, a Bike-In Movie showing “Ride the Divide,” the Oak City Open bike polo tournament, a FrankenBike Parts Swap, Crank for a Cause charity event, and NC Rides to the Capitol to show support for better treatment of cyclists on the road.
The festival will culminate on Sunday, March 10th with Kidical Mass: a safety demonstration followed by a neighborhood ride where the kids lead the way. All events are free and open to the public. Food, drink and prizes will be present at many events. Fun and friends will be present at all.
Join the momentum! For a complete list of events and descriptions visit www.oaksandspokes.com. If you still have questions, email us at info@oaksandspokes.com.
