Aggie Blue Bikes hosts Cache Bike Festival 2009
The Cache Valley community is invited to celebrate national bike month at the fourth annual Cache Valley Bike Festival, sponsored by Utah State University’s Aggie Blue Bikes, on May 16 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Merlin Olsen Park (300 E. Center St., Logan).
“With more bikes on the road as people turn to bikes for cleaner air in Cache Valley, this year’s festival is particularly important to bridge the gap between motorists and cyclists and to educate cyclists about the importance of riding responsibly,” said Adam Christensen, manager of Aggie Blue Bikes.
The festival mixes bike culture with live music, local food and fun. In an effort to promote responsible bike riding, the festival offers community members a chance to learn about bike education and maintenance taught by employees from local bike shops.
Participants can listen to short seminars focusing on issues, including how to ride bikes responsibly, the laws of the road for bicycling and how to get a bike that fits properly.
New to the festival this year, a mountain biking seminar will educate riders about the trail system in Cache Valley and throughout Utah. Festival goers also have the chance to find out about unique bike sports such as bike polo.
Friendly competitions will be held all day and require no entry fee. People can compete in a bike toss, slow race, drag race, tire patch competition, bike obstacle course and a bike cruise in where contestants can show off their bikes. Prizes will be awarded in all competitions.
A raffle for dozens of prizes, including a commuter bike and summer lift passes for mountain biking to Grand Targhee, will be held. Other prizes include a one-hour massage from Valhalla salon, free lunch from several local restaurants and a month-long pass to the Rock Haus Climbing Center.
Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts can work toward obtaining the cycling merit badge at the festival. Certified merit badge instructors will teach the necessary skills all day so Scouts can complete the merit badge.
The Cache Valley Bike Festival, one of the many activities Aggie Blue Bikes is sponsoring for National Bike Month, is held in an effort to get more people on bikes.
In addition to the festival, Aggie Blue Bikes is sponsoring other events to celebrate National Bike Month. On May 22-23, it will lead a 50-mile bike tour to Maple Grove Hot Springs in southern Idaho and May 29 at 7:30 p.m. it will host a bike movie night at the Blue Bikes shop (on USU’s campus at 700 North between the Nelson Field House and the Military Science building). People interested in the bike tour can sign up at the Blue Bikes shop.
For more information about the festival or other Bike Month activities, contact Christy Jensen at Aggie Blue Bikes, 797-0963 ext.3, or visit, www.aggiebluebikes.blogspot.com.