Mayor Buckhorn Talks Bicycling While Bicycling

SWFBUD interviewed Mayor Buckhorn during the 2011 Bicycle Bash Festival Sunday.

Check Out Touching Channel 10 Story

Channel 10 did a touching story on Genevieve Almodovar, who is overseeing the kids arts and crafts program at the Bicycle Bash to honor the memory of her mom Diane Vega. A red light runner killed Diane while she was on her bike commute home from work on Oct. 1, 2010.

Bike Bash Ahead!

Thank you Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office for placing this sign on Morris Bridge Road just east of I-75 to tell everyone about the Bicycle Bash at fabulous Flatwoods Park Sunday.

Tampa Police did the same on Bruce B. Downs for the other entrance into Flatwoods. Thanks go out to Tampa's John Newman for that sign.

I spent this afternoon laying out the Bash site and all systems go for a full day of celebrating bicycling in Tampa Bay Sunday.

County parks at Flatwoods led by Kevin Church, Eddie, The Grizz, Ranger Rick and the whole crew have been wonderful. See you guys bright and early tomorrow. Enjoy your extra hour of sleep

Creative Loafing Previews Sunday's Bicycle Bash

Thank you Julie Garisto at Creative Loafing for doing a wonderful job previewing the Bicycle Bash in the magazine's "do this" section on page 5.

Creative Loafing also wrote a cover story two months ago on SWFBUD's BAM Network idea for a regionwide paved trail system in Hillsborough County/Tampa. See you Sunday.
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Patch.com Story on Sunday's Bash

Check out the cool Patch.com story on Sunday's Bicycle Bash.

Recognize the by-line?

Look for Channel 10 Coverage of the Bash Friday and Saturday

Brian Eckman of Carrollwood Bicycle Emporium and I talked with Channel 10 News this morning about the Bicycle Bash on Sunday. Look for Channel 10 coverage Friday and Saturday.

Mayor Buckhorn and Fla. Rep. Burgin To Sign Peopleforbikes.org Pledge At Bicycle Bash

The latest cool Bicycle Bash news: Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and state Rep. Rachel Burgin will be signing the peopleforbikes.org pledge to support bicycling in the U.S. at 12:30 PM at Sunday's Bicycle Bash.

Peopleforbikes.org will also give away a new Civia commuter bike during the Bash, so visit their booth Sunday.

She Might Not Be At The Bash But She'll Be Wearing The Bash Shirt

Meet my new friend Ryan, who works at Cafe Hey in Tampa and loves bicycling and would love to attend Sunday's Bicycle Bash but she lamented to me that she has to work Sunday. That really bummed me out, so the best I could do was give her a Bicycle Bash T-shirt to wear Sunday at work and she said she will wear it with pride.


Speaking of Bash shirts, I met my friend Timothy wearing the Bash shirt earlier in the day at the downtown Tampa food truck rally.

All-Star Food Line-up At The Bash

This year's Bicycle Bash Festival features an all-star selection of food, with our headliner being the Taco Bus Food Truck.

But we have others, too, including The Killer Samich Food Truck, La Cepereria Cafe Food Truck of Ybor City, Queen of Sheba Ethiopian Restaurant and Little Greek Restaurant.

Here's Dino of La Creperia Cafe in action.


The Killer Samich Food Truck will be at Flatwoods, too.


And the famed Taco Bus will be at the Bash.

Mayor Buckhorn Invites Bicyclists To Bike With Him At The Bash

Tampa Trib Reports Preview Story On Bicycle Bash

Ken Knight of the Tampa Tribune wrote a terrific story about Sunday's Bicycle Bash.

5 Fast Reasons To Come To The Bash NOV 6

SWFBUD's 12 Bike Shops -- The bike stores will be on hand to show you the latest and greatest in bicycles.



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Free bike helmets for kids -- Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office will be giving free bike helmets to kids. Also, there's a free bike gear drawing at 2:30 pm!



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Bikin' Bob -- Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn will be leading a bike ride around the 7-mile loop at 11:15 am.



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Incredible Food -- led by the famed Taco Bus Food Truck. The Killer Samich and La Creperia Cafe food trucks will be there, too, along with the Queen of Sheba Ethiopian and The Little Greek restaurants.


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Bicycles of all sizes! The Bicycle Bash is a festival for all bicyclists, bicycles and bike groups.

Bicycle Bash To Include Peopleforbikes.org NOV 6 at Flatwoods

Today's Bicycle Bash message comes from Peopleforbikes.org -- a national bicycle organization that's coming from Boulder, Colo. for the Bash on NOV 6 at Flatwoods Park. They are looking forward to having Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn sign the peopleforbikes pledge to support bicycling in this country. Peopleforbikes.org is signing up 1 million people across the U.S. to support bicycling. www.peopleforbikes.org

Ranger Rick Says Come To The SWFBUD Bicycle Bash

God's Pedal Power Will be Accepting Old Bikes At The Bash

Great to chat with Mike Olsen of God's Pedal Power, which takes in old bikes, fixes them and then distributes rehabbed two-wheelers to the needy. Mike will be at the Bicycle Bash on NOV 6 accepting old bikes.

Little Greek Restaurant Will Be At The Bicycle Bash

I'm happy to report that Little Greek Restaurant, a Tampa Bay fast-casual Greek restaurant chain, will be at the Bicycle Bash on Nov 6. They will be offering samples.

Bicycle Bash Promo Unveiled Today

Kudos to Hillsborough County TV and Commissioner Mark Sharpe for this terrific promo video for the 2011 Bicycle Bash Festival.

Bicycle Bash Press Release

TAMPA -- SWFBUD, the alliance of Tampa Bay bicycle stores, is proud to put on the 2011 SWFBUD Bicycle Bash Festival to celebrate bicycling in the Tampa Bay market at Flatwoods Park on Nov. 6 from 10 am to 4 pm.

The Bicycle Bash is Tampa Bay's bicycle festival and SWFBUD's 12 retail bicycle shops hosts the bicycle festival to bring Tampa Bay's bicycle community together and promote bicycling as a healthy lifestyle, effective transportation and asset to the region.

The 5th Annual Bicycle Bash will feature:

-- Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn leading a bike ride called the Buckhorn Bash Ride around the Flatwoods 7-mile loop at 11:15 AM.

-- The SWFBUDDY Awards given to local Tampa Bay residents and officials who have worked to make the area a more bicycle-friendly community.

-- A Swap Meet where people can buy used bike gear; food provided by the famed Taco Bus Food Truck; and music.

-- Guest announcers Skip Mahaffey and Brendan McLaughlin of Channel 28 Action News.

-- Free bike gear giveaway drawings; an artist doing creating live bicycle painting;

-- SWFBUD lawyers will be on hand to offer free legal advice regarding bicycle issues.

-- Tampa BayCycle will provide a free BikeSmart bike education class and Tampa Bay's bicycle clubs will be on hand to talk about bike rides throughout the region. Bikes Belong from Boulder, Colo. and the Florida Bicycle Association will also be participating. HART and the MPO will be on hand, too.

-- The Bicycle Bash is FREE.

-- The Cure on Wheels charity bike ride (www.cureonwheels.org) is the Bicycle Bash presenting sponsor and Hillsborough County is a co-sponsor.
SWFBUD is a nationally-recognized, award-winning alliance of 12 Tampa Bay bicycle stores: Carrollwood Bicycle Emporium, Oliver's Cycle Sports, Bicycle Outfitters, Just Ride Bicycles, Chainwheel Drive, ABC Bicycles, Trek Bicycle Store of Tampa and Clearwater, Street Fit 360, University Bicycle Center, Trek Bicycle Store of St. Petersburg, The Ironman Store and Velo Champ. SWFBUD also includes three lawyer members: Tom Singletary, J. Steele Olmstead and the Mark Roman Law Group.

SWFBUD's achievements include prompting Hillsborough County to initiate a bicycle safety action plan in response to local bicyclist deaths and also prompting local officials to consider a regional paved trail system called the BAM (Bicycle Area Mobility) Network.

Please log on to www.bicyclebash.com and www.bicyclebash.blogspot.com for more information.

Bicycle Bash Update

The Bicycle Bash Festival on NOV 6 at Flatwoods is Tampa Bay's bicycle festival and I am happy to release an early program:
10 AM -- BASH starts
10:30 AM -- Bicycle yoga with Michelle Cherry
11:15 AM -- Buckhorn Bash Ride with Mayor Bob Buckhorn around the 7-mile loop
12 Noon -- SWFBUDDY Awards Ceremony
1 PM -- WalkSmart bike education program
2:30 PM -- Free bike gear drawings
4 PM -- BASH ends

If you want to be an exhibitor/vendor, log onto www.bicyclebash.com to get a form or contact alansnel@yahoo.com.

We also have the swap meet, the Taco Bus food truck, guest announcers Skip Mahaffey and Brendan Mclaughlin and our SWFBUD bicycle shops and lawyers: Carrollwood Bicycle Emporium, Olivers's Cycle Sportsm Just Ride Bicycles, Chainwheel Drive, Univerfsity Bicycle Center, Bicycle Outfitters, ABC Bicycles, Trek Store of Tampa and Clearwater, Street Fit 360, The Ironman Store, Trek Store of St. Petersburg, Tom Singletary, Mark Roman Law Group and J. Steele Olmstead.

Thank you sponsors -- Cure on Wheels, our presenting sponsor; Hillsborough County, our co-sponsor; American Traffic Solutions, a sponsor.

We also have incredible bicycle groups coming -- Tampa BayCycle, the St. Petersburg Bicycle Club, Suncoast Cycling Club, SWAMP, Seminole Heights Bicycle Club, the Florida Bicycle Association, Bikes Belong and the Tampa Bay Bicycle Co-op.

Organizations and agencies in attendance include -- the Sierra Club, HART, Hillsborough County MPO/Planning; Hillsborough parks and recreation.

Please support the Cure on Wheels bike ride on NOV 5 from Flatwoods. Cure on Wheels helps out on the Bicycle Bash and raises money locally for the families of cancer patients going through treatment. Their 350 riders raised $165,000 last year! Log onto www.cureonwheels.org to sign up.

Bicycle Bash Signs and Banners Are Up

The Bicycle Bash signs are out -- you'll see them around Flatwoods and SWFBUD shops.

And the Bicycle Banners are up, too.

Rick Fidanzato's crew at Trek Store of St. Petersburg put up a Bicycle Bash banner in front of their store on Fourth Street in St. Petersburg. This will be their first Bicycle Bash.


SWFBUD's newest bike shop is Velo Champ in Seminole Heights. Jordan Miller plus dad Doug and mom Sue make Velo Champ a family-run busines. They strung up the Bicycle Bash banner on their storefront on Central Avenue.

SWFBUD Names SWFBUDDY Winners for 2011

SWFBUD (South West Florida Bicycle United Dealers), the alliance of 12 Tampa Bay retail bicycle shops, is proud to announce this year's SWFBUDDY Award winners who will be honored during the SWFBUD Bicycle Bash Festival at Flatwoods Park on Nov. 6.

SWFBUD gives the SWFBUDDY Award to Tampa Bay residents who have made our community a more bicycle-friendly place. The SWFBUDDY Award honorees are:

-- Tampa City Councilwoman Yolin Capin, for her support of shared road markings ("Sharrows") that have been placed on various streets in the city of Tampa. Councilwoman Capin also delivered a stirring speech at the Hub Grub Bicycle Ride in Seminole Heights in April.

-- Zachary Taylor, wellness specialist for the city of Clearwater's parks and recreation who started a bicycle sharing program.

-- Tampa Bay Rays Manager Joe Maddon, for showing his love for bicycling during various media reports and doing a bicycle safety PSA.

-- Alicia Zicchino, Catherine Fritchman and Dan Magazu, for reaching out to the bicycle community and holding a bicycle memorial event to honor the life of bicyclist Dr. Robert Niedbalec, who was killed by a speeding motorist while cycling on Fletcher Avenue in Tampa in February.

-- Tampa Police Department, for applying Share the Road decals across the entire width of the rear window of its police cruisers.

-- St. Petersburg Councilwoman Leslie Curran, for her courage to return to bicycling after suffering a serious head injury from a bicycle crash.

-- Doreen Jesseph of Seminole Heights, for her generous contributions to donating many bicycle event fliers and supporting Seminole Heights bicycle club activities in Tampa.

SWFBUD holds the Bicycle Bash Festival to promote and celebrate bicycling in Tampa Bay. The Bicycle Bash will be 10 am to 4 pm at Flatwoods Park on Nov 6 and will include Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn leading a bicycle ride, bike vendors and exhibitors, a swap meet, music and food led by the Taco Bus food truck. Check out www.bicyclebash.com and the Bicycle Bash blog at www.bicyclebash.blogspot.com

Sign Up For The Cure on Wheels Ride, Presenting Sponsor of the Bicycle Bash

The Bicycle Bash is supported by the Cure on Wheels bike ride, which is the Bash's presenting sponsor. Please sign up for the Cure on Wheels at www.cureonwheels.org. It's a great rude -- Nov. 5 at Flatwoods Park -- one day before the Bicycle Bash on Nov. 6.

Bicycle Bash Welcomes Buddy Brew Coffee Of Tampa

SWFBUD welcomes Buddy Brew coffee of Tampa to the Bash festival on NOV 6 at Flatwoods Park outside Tampa.

Buddy Brew owners Dave and Susan Ward are friends of bicyclists and check out the bicycle cargo rig created by SWFBUD bike shop Velo Champ. Buddy Brew will be bringing that cargo bike to the Bash.

Buddy Brew was at the Bicycle Bash last year and don't forget to visit their coffee shop on Kennedy Blvd. in Tampa.

Bicycle Bash Banner Goes Up Along Pinellas Trail

All 12 SWFBUD bike shops are amazing, including Bicycle Outfitters and owner Adam Beland pictured here with the 2011 Bicycle Bash Festival banner that he tied to the fence behind his store on the Pinellas Trail in Largo, Fla.

Shop at a SWFBUD bike shop because that store supports bicycle advocacy here in Tampa Bay. Check out more info about the Bash at www.bicyclebash.com.

Taco Bus Will Be At Bicycle Bash Nov 6

SWFBUD is happy to report that the famed Taco Bus of Tampa is sending its food truck to serve the hungry Bicycle Bash goers on Nov. 6.

And Brendan Mclaughlin, a bicycle enthusiast and Channel 28 news anchor, will also be at the Bicycle Bash to offer some announcing in the afternoon of the Bash.

Bikes Belong To Exhibit At Bicycle Bash on Nov. 6

Happy to report that Bikes Belong, a terrific national bike advocacy organization based in Boulder and led by Tim Blumenthal, will be having an exhibit at the Bicycle Bash. check out www.bikesbelong.org for more info.

SWFBUD At Interbike To Recruit Bicycle Bash Vendors

SWFBUD is on the scene at the Interbike show, the bicycle industry's annual get-together where some 1,200 bicycle brands set up exhibits and thousands more from the bicycle world come to schmooze, network and hob-nob.

SWFBUD is spreading the word about our 2011 Bicycle Bash festival on NOV 6 at beautiful Flatwoods Park and is recruiting exhibitors to be Bash vendors in less than two months.

SWFBUD is also spreading the word about the BAM (Bicycle Area Mobility) Network that we have lobbied for in the Tampa Bay area. The BAM Network is a unified paved trail system made up of the Tampa Bypass Canal Trail, the South Coast Greenway and the Selmon Greenway as a superhighway for bicyclists in the Hillsborough County and Tampa area. Check out Creative Loafing for a great story about the BAM.

SWFBUD is happy to see SWFBUD bike shop owners on the scene, such as David Luppino of Just Ride Bicycles, Tom Jessup of Chainwheel Drive and Carlos Mirabal of University Bicycle Center. On the flight to Las Vegas from Tampa, SWFBUD bumped into Tom's son, Scott Jessup, from Chainwheel Drive and also Brian and Jen are here from Chainwheel as well. Waiting for the flight fromk Tampa, I also chatted with Bicycle Bash supporter Clayton Bramlett of American Classic wheels, as AC owners Bill and Ellen are on the scene at Interbike, too.

SWFBUD also appreciates the support of Steve and Laura Toll, owners of the incredible ISM bicycle saddle. Steve and Laura are from the Tampa area and are big supporters of SWFBUD, the local cycling scene and the kids' triathlon programs put on by Suzanne Henslee. Steve and Laura are spreading the word about ISM and people are listening.

SWFBUD has caught up with Andy Clarke, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists, who wrote letters of support to Hillsborough County commissioners and Tampa city council members advising them to help the local bicycle scene in light of the 12 bicyclists killed in Hillsborough County in 2010. I also enjoyed chatting with Bill Nesper, the guy at the League who runs the program that awards bicycle-friendly honors to towns and businesses.

Bill has a personal connection to Tampa because his wife is from the Tampa area, so Bill keeps tabs with the SWFBUD work to make the Tampa Bay area a more friendly place for bicyclists.

It was also great to see Tim Blumenthal, executive director of Boulder, Colo.-based Bikes Belong, which is collecting 1 million signatures from people who favor bicycling to give to the power brokers in Washington, DC. By the way, please call your local US senators and congressmen and tell them to keep funding for bicycle infrastructure. Bikes Belong will be at the Bicycle Bash (bicyclebash,com) so please sign the 1 million bicyclist petition at the Bash on Nov. 6.

My cycling pal Ellen Pierson has rolled into Vegas and it's her first Interbike, so she's in for a treat today when she sees the endless sea of bicyle exhibitors at the gargatuan Sands Expo and Convention Center.

I arrived Tuesday morning to torrential rain in the Vegas area -- how bizarre is that? I came Tuesday to experience the second day of the Outdoor Demo in Boulder City and took the shuttle bus from the convention center to the Bootleg Canyon park, where the demo is staged.

It stopped raining at the demo by the time I got there, but threatening skies kept the crowd low and subdued at the demo, where I met Facebook friend Ben Coffey of Cinelli bicycles. Ben might be from Santa Fe, NM but he also supports SWFBUD and bicycling in Tampa. Ben, how about coming to the Bicycle Bash?!

It was nice to see Dan Thornton and Fred Clement of the National Bicycle Dealers Association (NBDA) -- and remember SWFBUD's own Tom Jessup of Chainwheel Drive is a NBDA board member.

I also hope today to catch up with my friend Ira David Levy from Chicago, who plans to start of a PBS TV show called "Pedal America."

I'll be back late Thursday night and will post photos when I'm back in Tampa.

Bicycle Bash T-Shirts Are In

SWFBUD is pushing our local elected leaders to Build the BAM (Bicycle Area Mobility) Network -- a regional multi-trail system that would include the Tampa Bypass Canal Trail, the South Coast Greenway and the Selmon Greenway.

Check out Tampa bicyclists Jason Wilson and Nereia Cormier sporting the Build the BAM shirts that are this year's Bicycle Bash T-shirts.

If you want a 2011 Bicycle Bash shirt, it only costs $10. Contact alansnel@yahoo.com.

Creative Loafing Does Cover Story on the BAM Network

SWFBUD's plan for a regionwide paved trail system called the BAM Network got a big boost today when Creative Loafing wrote a cover story on the BAM in its current edition that just hit the streets.

The SWFBUD Bicycle Bash T-shirt just came out and it features the "Build the BAM" message on the front.

The T-shirt costs $10 and the money will go to promoting the Bicycle Bash and the BAM. Contact Alan Snel at alansnel@yahoo.com if you would like to buy a shirt.

SWFBUD Says Thanks For Flier Distribution Help

SWFBUD thanks John Chastain and Nereia Cormier for helping distribute Bicycle Bash Festival fliers the past few weeks.

SWFBUD Works To Get Bike Lanes On Bayshore Blvd. In Tampa

Besides putting on the annual Bicycle Bash festival every year, SWFBUD works year-round to advance bocycling in the Tampa Bay region

SWFBUD has urged the city of Tampa to re-pave Bayshore Boulevard and stripe bike lanes for years and we welcome the city on doing the job now.

WMNF radio in Tampa did a cool report on the Bayshore project.

NOLA Cafe Returns To Bash

Louis Robert, owner of the NOLA Cafe in Tampa, tells me he will return to be a vendor of the Bicycle Bash Festival.

And I'm talking to other notable Tamoa Bay area restaurants that want to be vendors, too. Stay tuned for come announcements.

Mayor Bob Buckhorn To Lead A Bash Ride

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn says he will lead a Bash Ride at 11:15 AM at the Bicycle Bash around the 7-Mile Loop.

And Julie Bond says the new BikeSmart bicycle education program will teach a class at the Bash, too.

Bicycle Bash Vendors, Sponsors and Volunteers Wanted

If you are interested in being a Bicycle Bash vendor, sponsor or volunteer, please contact alansnel@yahoo.com.

A Bicycle Bash Look Back From 2006 to 2010

The Bicycle Bash started on Oct. 29, 2006 when David Luppino of Carrollwood Bicycle Emporium teamed with Alan Snel to stage the first Bash on the terrace outside the St. Pete Times Forum before a late-Sunday afternoon hockey game between the Lightning and the San Jose Sharks,

In 2007, SWFBUD was born and the Bash moved from the Forum to Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg.

In 2007, Jack Sweeney of bikecommuters.com offered some outstanding coverage, including the previous photo and this post on his web site.


In 2008, Adam Beland and his Bicycle Outfitters crew biked all their supplies to Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg.

Check out the 2008 coverage here.

In 2009, we moved from Vinoy Park to North Straub Park in St. Petersburg.

Here's a photo montage of that event.

We had a lot of fun bicycle visitors that day.


In 2010, we moved from St. Petersburg in Pinellas County to Flatwoods Park in Hillsborough County and enjoyed the scenic setting. It was a gorgeous day at Flatwoods and people enjoyed themselves.

Welcome to the 2011 SWFBUD Bicycle Bash -- Nov 6 10am-4pm at Flatwoods Park

It's Bicycle Bash time again!

SWFBUD invites all bicyclists in the Tampa Bay area and Florida to attend the 2011 SWFBUD Bicycle Bash Festival -- a day to celebrate bicycling in the Tampa Bay area.

Your hosts are the 11 bicycle stores in SWFBUD, which stands for South West Florida Bicycle United Dealers. Your SWFBUD bike shops are Carrollwood Bicycle Emporium, Oliver's Cycle Sports in new Tampa, Just Ride Bicycles in Lithia, Street Fit 360 in south Tampa, Bicycle Outfitters in Seminole, Chainwheel Drive in Clearwater, ABC Bicycles in St. Petersburg, University Bicycle Center in north Tampa, the Trek Store of Clearwater and South Tampa, The Ironman Store in new Tampa, and the Trek Store of St. Petersburg. SWFBUD also includes three lawyer/bicycle advocates -- Thomas Singletary, J. Steele Olmstead and the Mark Roman Law Group.

Support those people because they make the Bicycle Bash possible every year.

The Bicycle Bash's presenting sponsor is the Cure on Wheels bike ride, which drew 350 riders last year and raised more than $160,000 for local cancer causes at Moffitt Cancer Center and All Children's Hospital. The Cure on Wheels ride is one day before the Bicycle Bash on Saturday, Nov. 5, also at Flatwoods.

The Bicycle Bash's co-sponsor is Hillsborough County, which manages beautiful Flatwoods Park. Amd SWFBUD welcomes a new Bicycle bash sponsor this year -- American Traffic Solutions.

This is the 5th annual Bicycle Bash and each year it's amazing to see the wide variety of bicyclists and age groups who attend the Bash. This year we will have our bike stores, lawyers, and bike and healh vendors on hand. Plus music, food and free bike gear giveaways courtesy of the SWFBUD bike shops.

We will have the usual swap meet and also some great guests such as Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and Hillsborough County Commissioners. Plus, we will also have a bouncy house for the kids.

And don't forget the SWFBUDDY Awards -- honors that are publicly given to those in Tampa Bay who have stepped up to make our area more bicycle-friendly.

If you want to be a sponsor, vendor, or volunteer at the Bicycle Bash on Nov 6 from 10 am to 4 pm, contact alansnel@yahoo.com.

To get a taste of what the Bicycle Bash is all about, check out this Bike Bash video.