Recently we had the opportunity to discuss the philosophy, activities, and future plans of Renaissance Bicycles with Alan Barnard of EcoVelo.  And (in the small chance)  you haven’t heard of EcoVelo, then you should go ahead and plan on a daily visit from now on.  Alan brings together beautiful photography, current issues in transportation, and some of the most thoughtful product reviews.

As always, Alan was gracious, insightful, and willing to let us be us.  And without further adieu, here is the article:

http://www.ecovelo.info/2010/08/24/an-interview-with-bryan-luce-of-renaissance-bicycles/

As we mentioned in our previous blog post, The Bike Commuting Green Dot, the real key to more acceptance of transport cycling in the U.S. is inclusion.  The basic premise, based on Seth Godin’s model is:

• New participants (or new cyclists in this case) get caught in the Red Zone of the new activity, where the initial Hassle of activity outweighs the Joy.
• While this Red Zone time period is generally pretty short, a lot of people drop the activity before ever making it to intended result: Joy far outweighs Hassle.
• Success in making out of the Red Zone is highly dependent on others — in this case called Green Dots — helping to support the new participant along the way.
• And as it specifically applies here, people interested in trying the bicycle for transportation simply need more Green Dots.

So … here are 8.5 Things That You Can do to Encourage Others to Try Cycling for Their Transportation (8.5TTYCDTEOTTCFTT for short).  Keep in mind that cycling for transport will never be for everybody, but there are enough on-the-fence riders that you can definitely make a difference.
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We spend our fair share of time reading and reviewing bicycle related articles, blogs, and photo galleries. But we also look around the web to other people and places of interest.

Seth Godin, the author and social media marketing maven, is one of the most interesting and relevant people on the Web. He recently wrote a short article entitled How Big is Your Red Zone? that illustrates the balance between the time and effort needed to engage in a new activity as contrasted with the long-term benefits.  This idea is not new, but Seth’s take on the one key element that determines long-term success is insightful.
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As many of you don’t remember (or don’t care), the benevolent dictator of Renaissance Bicycles had an ambitious goal at the beginning of the year — to ride 5200 miles.  100 miles a week seemed like a simple and straight-forward enough. At the beginning of the year, Bryan wrote:

“I’ve ridden that kinda miles in the course of a year, so in the big picture, 100 miles a week is a very reasonable goal.  Heck, I can ride a 100 miles in a day (well … I have ridden a 100 miles in a day).  But the real challenge in this challenge is to accumulate the miles.  An average of 14.25 miles a day works out to be about a one hour casual road ride each day.  Easy enough … but what about those days when riding is just not really an option?  And those couple of days in a row when travel / work / family / illness demand my attention?  And what about when I have “one of those weeks”?  Do I just go out and suffer to “make up the miles”?  Hardly.”

With three quarters of the year gone by, Bryan now says:

“Well … it seems that this goal has hit a slight snag.  Not an issue that was wholly unexpected, but one that is both a responsibility and a blessing:

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Once again, Renaissance Bicycles is helping prepare the local cyclocrossers for the upcoming season. For the third year, we will host / participate in a three race training series in Fletcher Park. Here are the details that you need to know:

• USAC Sanctioned Non-Competitive Training Series. No awards, prizes, or points … just the self-satisfaction of riding fast.
• September 8th, September 22nd, and October 6th all at Fletcher Park in Fletcher, NC
• Two “Races”:
  • @6pm for 30 minute duration — CX4, CX 3-4 Women, Juniors
  • @6:50pm for 45 minute duration – CX1-3, Masters, CX1-2 Women
  • Registration opens @5pm, closes 15 minutes prior to Race
• $10 Entry Fee with USAC license — One day USAC permits are $5 for non-licensed riders.
• Helmets required, hecklers likely.
• First time riders welcome. Basic instruction available prior to 6PM race.
• All bicycle types are welcome, but please no bar ends.
• And remember: Wednesday Will Bury You.

Final Race Series Results

WNCX Race #1 — 9/8/10 →
WNCX Race #2 — 9/22/10 →
WNCX Race #3 — 10/06/10 →

General Information

Map and Directions to Fletcher Park →
85 Howard Gap Road, Fletcher, NC 28732

Download WNCX Flyer and spread the word! →

Contacts:

• General questions and comments can be directed to ned@millsriverpt.com
• Volunteer and sponsorship inquiries should be sent to info@renaissancebicycles.com

And of course we can’t forget to mention some of the people that make all of this possible:

• Fletcher Parks and Recreation
• Cane Creek Cycling Components
• Planet Bike
• Asheville Bicycle Racing Club
• USA Cycling — Cyclocross