Bicycle club rides into action
Bikes chained to trees, lampposts and rain gutters downtown may become a more common site thanks to a club founded by GC&SU alumni Benny Watson. That was the scene outside Blackbird Coffee recently, when the Bicycle Club of Milledgeville-Baldwin County (BCMBC) held its monthly meeting inside.
The BCMBC is made up of local mountain and road cycling enthusiasts who appreciate the networking ability that a club provides.
Watson’s enthusiasm for cycling and cycling advocacy led him to form the club.
“I just love to ride and just wanted some people to ride with,” Watson said. ” I know there are people out there who ride and probably want other people to ride with.”
According to Watson and others, Milledgeville is a great place to ride because the downtown area is commuter friendly and the surrounding countryside provides interesting scenery. Watson is involved with the Middle Georgia Bicycling and Pedestrian Planning Advisory Committee, which is responsible for helping towns incorporate the needs of cyclists and pedestrians into their designs.
Watson is a proponent of adding bike lanes in Milledgeville, including some that would connect the downtown area with West Campus. He said that the increased visibility of the local cycling community would increase the likelihood of such improvements becoming a reality.
“To get anything done, you have to get people out there riding” Watson said.
Watson, who graduated from GC&SU in 1981, believes that the club could be very beneficial to students.
“Hopefully it will give them a chance to get together and do some riding,” Watson said.
Noah Fouts, cyclist and senior GC&SU nursing student, agrees.
“Hopefully, the club will generate interest within the college community. Cycling is a great way for college students to commute, especially since gas is so expensive,” Fouts said.
The club organizes group rides and welcomes on- and off-road riders of all experience levels, from those who race competitively to those who ride recreationally.
Liz Havey, a study abroad advisor at GC&SU, is new to cycling and would like to start bike commuting to work.
“I used to live in Las Vegas, so I was used to being able to walk places. I’m looking for alternative transportation,” Havey said.
The BCMBC’s Web site,
www.groups.yahoo.com/group/bcmbc, contains ride schedules, discussion postings and other cycling-related information.
The club meets on the last Tuesday of every month at 5:30 p.m. at Blackbird Coffee on Hancock Street.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Sep 9 2005. Filed under Sports.
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