What the heck is Cranksgiving?

Cranksgiving is on Saturday, November 18th, and it's one of our favorite days of the year! 
 

So, what the heck is Cranksgiving?

Cranksgiving is a national event that combines bike riding and giving back. It's a mix of a scavenger hunt, food drive, and bike ride. We'll give you a list of food items and grocery stores, and then you'll have a set amount of time to ride to as many of the stores to collect as many of the food items as you can. And all of the food goes to Moveable Feast. Basically, it's all about food for people in need and riding bikes with friends, new and old.

What does the day look like?

12:30pm | Registration at Peabody Heights Brewery
1:45pm | Pre-ride rules and kick-off
2:00pm | Biking food scavenger hunt throughout Baltimore
4:00pm | Receipts and food due at Peabody Heights Brewery
4:00pm - 6:00pm | Awards and after party at Peabody Heights Brewery

Do I need to register beforehand?

No, just show up! Registration is from 12:30-1:45pm. It's helpful if you RSVP on Facebook, but there's no formal registration beforehand.  

Do I need a team?

Because riding with friends is more fun, all riders participate in teams of 3 or 4. If you don't have a team beforehand, we'll help "free agents" find folks to ride with during registration, or you can post in the Facebook event and get one going beforehand. 

How does the ride/scavenger hunt work?

When you register, teams will be handed their manifests. On the manifest is a list of grocery stores and food items to purchase, each worth a certain number of points. The way to get the most points is to hit all the grocery stores and purchase all the unique foods. The ride begins at 2pm and only teams who check in at Peabody Heights by 4pm will be considered for prizes. Then stick around for the after party, where we'll announce the winners and prizes, and for beer, food and celebration!

How do we win? What are the prize categories?

The winners are 1st, 2nd, and 3rd (the teams that have the most points, if there's a tie, the team that checks in first win) and — our favorite category — BEST COSTUME/TEAM SPIRIT! 

How much does it cost to participate?

By design, Cranksgiving is and always will be a free event — meaning Bikemore will never charge registration to participate. We ask that each person on a team bring $10-15 to help purchase food items on the list. But how much you are able to spend is entirely up to you! 

What should I bring?

- Working bike
- Bag to carry purchases (backpacks, panniers, baskets — whatever you have!) 
- $10-15 for purchasing food to donate
- Water bottle
- Flat kit (Bikemore doesn't provide any ride support)
- (Optional) Smartphone to take photos and upload to social media for additional points! 

Is it a race? I don't ride very fast. Will I still have fun? 

Kinda. That's Ok! Absolutely! Cranksgiving is designed to be a team event (because what's more fun that riding through the city with some friends?!) While prizes are awarded to teams with the highest number of points, you can also win Best Costume & Team Spirit!

CAn I bring my kids?

Yes, we have had family teams in the past! The ride is set up so you pick your own route and pick which stores to go to depending on your own judgement and comfort level. And our Team Spirit/Best Costume prize category is a great one for younger riders! And either way, it's a great way to have fun riding together and give back.

What happens if it rains?

Unless it's a serious safety hazard, this is a rain or shine event. Riding in the rain/cold/wind makes you tough, so show up and ride! Plus, people in need still need food when it's raining.

>> Check the Facebook event for all updates, and to invite your friends!

Ride a bike, eat a donut, and have fun

2017 has not been a great year for biking in Baltimore. Our task is trying to make biking safe and accessible at a time when our city is challenged to deliver on services both large and small. So what do we do during this time? One of the most important things we can actively be doing is to continue to build up our community. Spending time doing things that bring us joy can sustain us through these periods The people who bike in Baltimore are full of love and support for one another. We see beauty in a city where many see none, simply because we are moving at a pace slow enough to absorb it. We have a responsibility to nurture that community when opportunities arise. Our perspective, that comes from seeing this city up close can be a catalyst for positive change.

This Saturday, for the second year in a row, we are gathering at Wyman Park Dell to celebrate arguably the best thing to happen to people who bike in a really long time — the Maryland Avenue Cycle Track. Last year we had hundreds join us on a crisp sunny Saturday morning for coffee and donuts and take off on a short simple ride to Mt. Vernon Market Place for lunch and hanging out. It was during that ride that we realized just how many families bike with small children in Baltimore, because we finally held an event that was perfectly sized and timed for them. People wore silly costumes, decorated their bikes with streamers, and remembered why we work so hard to get things like this built in every neighborhood. They are a game changer in terms of activating streets, connecting people to one another, and to the city that we love.

Bike riding brings us a lot of joy. Let’s take a few hours on Saturday morning to reconnect with that joy and make sure we take time to celebrate how far our community has come so we can feel ready to handle the challenges that lie ahead. Come ride a bike, eat a donut, and demonstrate just how many of us there are that are ready to #fightforbikes. Our city and its people deserve so many things — safety, health, security. Biking, and the health and joy it brings, is something that is completely within our reach to share and experience with others. Looking forward to all the cheers, yips, and high fives on Saturday morning. Thanks for showing up.

---

Maryland Ave. Cycle Track's 1st Birthday Party
Saturday, November 4, 2017

10am | Meet at Wyman Park Dell for coffee, birthday donuts, and meeting others who love to bike.

11am | BIKE PARADE leaves Wyman Park Dell heading south on the Maryland Avenue. This is a slow, fun, silly ride. All are welcome to ride with us! 

until 2pm | Lunch + Drinks at Mt. Vernon Market Place. Pay as you go. Taste of the Marketplace - $5 specials throughout the Market will be going on, so there will be $5 specials at (almost) every stall at the Mount Vernon Marketplace! 

> All the details, RSVP and invite your friends! 

Bike to Market Tip #2: Riding to Druid Hill Park

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Our second Bike to Market Day is on Wednesday! And there's tons going on at Druid Hill Park that evening — including live music, guided bike rides, yoga and a movie — so grab your bike lights, your basket and make a night out of it! 

Bike to Market Day at Druid Hill Farmers Market
Wednesday, June 21

3:30pm to 7:30pm
Druid Hill Park
3100 Swann Drive, Baltimore (next to the Conservatory) 

Bike to Market is a partnership with the Maryland Farmer's Market Association, encouraging you to ride to a variety of markets, and mixing two important aspects of a thriving sustainable city: sustainable transportation and local fresh food. 

At the market we'll provide free bike valet so you can safely and easily leave your bike while you shop, and have giveaways and a raffle for anyone who rides! We'll also be there to answer your questions, and talk all thinking biking in Baltimore! 

RSVP and invite your friends!

How do I get to Druid Hill Park?

There are a number of wide, fast roads surrounding the park (we're working on improving this — check out our Big Jump project!), so it's important to plan your route. Here are a few of our favorite ways to get there from various directions. 

Stick around and enjoy Druid Hill Park!

There are tons of fun things happening at Druid Hill Park that night, so stick around! 

Guided Bike Rides at the Druid Hill Farmers Market
Join Baltimore City Recreation and Parks Outdoor Recreation for guided, 7 mile, mostly flat bike ride around Druid Hill Park. Rides are at 5:15pm and 7:15pm and bikes are provided. $10 suggested donation. Registration is recommended BCRP.Bikes@baltimorecity.gov for more info. 

Free Yoga at the Market
Join the Baltimore Yoga Village and the Friends of Druid Hill Park for free yoga from 5:30pm-6:30pm! All levels welcome. Bring your own mat or blanket.

Movies at the Market featuring Hidden Figures
Bring your chairs and blankets to watch Hidden Figures, the incredible untold story of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson - brilliant African-American women working at NASA. Movies begins at Dusk.

See a full list of market happenings here. 

Tips for Riding at Night

And if you do stick around, make sure you're ready to ride home in the dark. While good street lighting and bike infrastructure is important for safely riding a night, here are a few tips to help you be more seen and feel more comfortable:

• Try to pick routes that are well lit and likely to be more populated.

• Be extra cautious in looking out for potholes and debris in the road — they're even more difficult to see at night.

• Be sure to have bright lights. A white light on the front and a red light for the back, like a car has, makes it easier for people to understand which direction you're headed.

A Recap of Our Annual Members Meeting

Each year Bikemore hosts our annual member meeting. This is our version of an annual report. Instead of spending resources designing and printing something, we ask everyone to come hang out, drink a beer, and ask questions in person. We discuss our organization’s success, challenges, and where we stand financially. This year we thanked members by providing a drink ticket and a hot off the presses edition of our Illustrated Guide to Biking in Baltimore.

On Tuesday over 100 folks gathered to hear about our year in review. The past twelve months have been an incredible year for bikes and Bikemore! The City of Baltimore finally began construction on the Downtown Bicycle Network, including the long awaited Maryland Avenue Cycletrack. Last fall the city also launched bike share. Biking in Baltimore now looks and feels incredibly different.

Bikemore also grew significantly. We added two new staff, Danielle Parnes and Jed Weeks, growing our organization from one full time staff to three. We added new programs like the Mobile Bike Shop and Bike to Market that encourage people to incorporate biking into their everyday lives. We also advocated for the passage of the Separated Bike Lane Network, ensuring that future investments in protected bike infrastructure are equitably distributed throughout the city.

We celebrated our volunteer of the year, Alex Gebhart for his leadership and commitment as our volunteer bike mechanic at our Mobile Bike Shop. His leadership and skills have helped take the program to new heights, and we are so lucky to have him serving a second year alongside our youth employee Dominique Thorne.

One of the highlights of the evening was pointing out how critical our individual members have been in our success. This year we planned to raise around $40K in individual donations. We have surpassed that and have raised nearly $60K in individual donations, with an average gift size of $100. That accounts for 25% of our overall operating budget, and has paid for 40% of our operating expenses to date. We literally couldn’t have done it without you!

When it comes to larger grants, we are so grateful for the support from key local foundations like Goldseker and Clayton Baker Trust, whose donations have allowed us to add staff, fight on more policy fronts, and serve more neighborhoods.

What our financial picture tells us is that on the expense side we are tracking right on budget. Our spending is also not out pacing our revenue. On the revenue side, we are currently not on track to meet our revenue goals. We need to raise an additional $55K by July first to finish in the black, or $77K to meet our revenue goals with cash reserves. While we have a plan in place to get there, we cannot do it without your support. If you haven’t considered supporting our work with a personal donation before, but feel our advocacy has been of benefit to you, we ask you to consider making a gift today to ensure our organization remains fiscally strong to be able to continue to build a force for biking in Baltimore.

Click through the slides to learn more:

Ready to take action?

Your Guide to Bike Month in Baltimore!

Bike Month is celebrated in cities across the country and, simply put, it's a whole month dedicated to the tons of reasons we love to bike! From joining a group ride, to learning about Bikemore's advocacy work, or trying out biking to work — May is the month to join in! Check out the full calendar of Bike Month events here. 

Can't decide which event(s!) to attend?

Thanks to our thriving biking community, there are more than 35+ events happening — that means something is happening almost every single day of May! And we know, with so many choices it's hard to decide, so we thought we'd help you out: 

View fullsize

Which events is Bikemore hosting?

Some of the events during Bike Month are organized by us here at Bikemore, and lots more are organized by volunteers and members of our community. Here are the ones we're hosting — they're all great opportunities to meet and chat with Bikemore staff and learn about how you can get involved in making Baltimore a more bikeable city.

Bike to Market Day at JFX Farmers Market
Sunday, May 7, 2017 | 7am - 12pm | JFX Farmers Market
We'll have a free bike valet, raffle, and giveaways for anyone who gets to the market by bike!

Bikemore Annual Members Meeting
Tuesday, May 9, 2017 | 7pm – 9pm | R. House
Join us to review our accomplishments from the past year, get a preview of what's to come, and share with us what you care about most.

Cyclofemme Ride
Sunday, May 14 | 11am – 2:30pm
Join the women of Bikemore for a social ride celebrating all that is great about being a woman who rides in Baltimore, as CycloFemme rides happen concurrently in cities around the world. 

Bike to Work Day: Bikemore Maryland Ave. Stop
Friday, May 19th | 7am – 9am | Bikemore
Stop by on your morning commute for free coffee, bike safety checks, and a chance to talk about the future of bicycling in Baltimore with Bikemore’s staff.

Bikemore + North Barclay Green Community Ride
Thursday, May 25 | 6pm - 8pm | North Barclay Green Community Center
Join Bikemore and North Barclay Green Community Center for a social ride and celebration! Kids and adults welcome as this is a social, no-drop ride.
 

Why donate to Bikemore during Bike Month?

Just by looking at the calendar, you can tell that here at Bikemore, we do a whole lot with just a little! Throughout the month we'll be highlighting programs we run and projects we've worked on to give you an inside look at Bikemore's work. We'll share what we've accomplished with the resources we have, and how much more we can achieve with your support. 

Plus, we consider a member anyone who has donated to Bikemore in the past year — and all members will receive a free beer ticket at our Annual Member's Meeting! 

→ Be sure to check the full calendar for the 35+ bike events going on throughout May! And don't forget to tag us in your photos from #bikemonth events on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.