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.