VeloLouisianne 2011

Louisiana Bicycle Festival

Perkins Road Community Park

April 9-10 2011

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Map


View VeloLouisiane Festival Grounds 7122 Perkins Road in a larger map

Kenilworth and Perkins BREC Perkins Road Community Park

Between Starring/Essen and College Drive.

Misson

Velo Louisiane is an annual event celebrating all forms of human powered cycling in Louisiana with a weekend of festivals and parties. In 2010, the 1st Annual Velo Louisiane took place on Saturday and Sunday, April 10 - 11.

Why celebrate the bicycle and bicycling in Louisiana? Here are a few of the things going on around the state in support of bicycling:

  • Louisiana Legislature enacted the Colin Goodier Protection Act (2009) mandating a minimum 3-feet passing separation distance when an automobile passes a bicyclist;
  • Louisiana Legislature passed Senate Concurrent resolute 110 establishing a Complete Streets Work Group(2009) to create a document defining Complete Streets and outlining the means of implementing Complete Streets throughout the state via the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development(LaDOTD);
  • LaDOTD completes update of the Louisiana Statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan (2009);
  • Monroe Advocates for Safe Streets (M.A.S.S.) established in 2009, dedicate 2 bicycle paths the same year;
  • Shreveport holds its first Velo ride, fall 2009, and begins painting sharrows on selected routes;
  • New Orleans continues rebuilding, installs bicycle lanes and sharrows on selected routes, continue the mapping project to rate all streets in the city;
  • Baton Rouge designated Bronze Level "Bicycle Friendly Community" by the League of American Bicyclists; sharrows painted on select routes; Mayor's Bicycle Program Phase 2 public input meetings held to help shape the next phase of the Mayor's Bicycle Program in the city-parish;
  • and much more around the state

Join us in Baton Rouge, or attend an event in your town, on the weekend of April 10 - 11. Share your joy of bicycling with hundreds of other riders!

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Sponsors

2011 Sponsors Coming Soon

2010 Sponsors

Our thanks go to our sponsors, without whom none of this would have been possible! When you have a chance, stop by and tell 'em, "Thanks for supporting Velo Louisiane Bicycle Festival!" Bet-R Supermarket located at 2812 Kalurah Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, is an independent grocer serving the Southdowns, Hundred Oaks, and University Lakes area since the early 1960s. They are currently (March 2010) undergoing an expansion that is rumored to include bicycle parking! Chelsea's, located at 2857 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, is a community favorite. Good food, good drinks, and great music are to be had here in the Quonset hut tucked nearly under the Perkins Road Overpass. David Cano and Kathryn Hunter provided the use of their space for our Saturday night extravaganza. When David and Kathryn aren't working they also host The Ephemeral Gallery, an occasional event, part art show, part gallery, part happening, all fun! Earl Weidner is a man with a philanthropic bent who supports BRASS and Velo Louisiane! Thanks Earl! Jim Stone Company, Baton Rouge location is the largest distributor of natural stone, pavers, retaining wall products, and man-made stone in Louisiana.They also love bicyclists and have supported Velo Louisiane in its 1st year.

Schedule

2011 Schedule Coming Soon

2010 Schedule

Saturday, April 10 Event Location
9.00 AM – Noon Mayor's Family Fun Ride City-Brooks Park
3.00 PM - 5.30 PM Velo ride on existing bicycle facilities and along route of planned facilities Start/end at City Park,
7.00 PM - 11.00 PM Goldsprints / Bicycle Art show and Sale / Bicycle movies Ephemeral Gallery - 19th and Main Streets
Sunday, April 11 All events at City/Brooks Park
Noon – 12.15 Opening ceremonies
Noon on EMS/ police bike squad
1:00 Pedi Cabs
1:30 - 2:30 Gold Sprints
2:00 - 2:30 Kid's "Beat the Clock" Race
2:30 - 3:00 Bunny hop contest
3:00 - 3:30 Cruiser drag race
3:30 - 4:00 Foot down contest
4:00 - 4:30 Mechanic's Race
4:30 - 5:00 Bike toss
5:00 - 5:20 Raffle drawings
5:20 - 6:00 Bike parade/Closing Ceremony
All day Ghost bike memorial
Custom bikes display
Vendors
Information booths
Noon – 5:00pm Raffle tickets on offer

Press

CELEBRATE BIKING IN BATON ROUGE AT VELO LOUISIANE!

Mar182010

Go to Velo Louisiane Baton Rouge for the Baton Rouge Festival “Schedule-at-a-glance”. See attached PDF for a Festival site map.

Baton Rouge, LA, April 10th – 11th, 2010:  Baton Rouge Advocates for Safe Streets (B.R.A.S.S.) hosts Velo Louisiane, Louisiana’s first annual bike festival on Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11 at the BREC’s City Brooks Park.

Velo Louisiane celebrates all forms of human powered cycling in Louisiana.  The festival kicks off on Saturday with Mayor “Kip” Holden leading the Family Fun Ride at 9 a.m.  A “Velo Ride,” guided bike tour of the new City-Parish and proposed Downtown Development District bicycle routes, will commence later that afternoon at 3 p.m. starting at BREC’s City Brooks Park. Evening festivities starting at 7:00 p.m. including “Gold Sprints,” an intense stationary bike race competition, bicycle-themed art show and sale, and bicycle-themed films will be shown at the Ephemeral Gallery, 19th and Main Street.

The family fun activities continue on Sunday from noon – 6 p.m. at BREC’s City Brooks Park.  Activities include Kid’s Bike parade, bike mechanic competition, bike polo, BMX ramps, mountain bike demonstrations, bike safety training, races, and more!

“Velo Louisiane gives the community an opportunity to come together and celebrate bicycling in all its many forms.  Our goals are to encourage healthy and fun life styles through bicycling and to build awareness of the growing city-parish bicycling community,” says Mark Martin, founder of B.R.A.S.S..

For additional information on Velo Louisiane, visit: www.velola.org or to learn more about safe biking in Baton Rouge, visit: www.brsafestreets.org.


B.R.A.S.S. is an independent nonprofit that promotes bicycling and walking as transportation options in the greater Baton Rouge area; making these modes of transportation safe, convenient, and enjoyable as possible, and educating the public on the associated environmental, economic, and health-related benefits of biking and walking.

Posted on Thursday, March 18th, 2010 at 3:15 am. Comment RSS
Filed under Uncategorized by admin.

Elsewhere

As communities and organizations around the state tell us of their plans for Velo Louisianewe will list them here. Come back to track the growing list of participants!

Cycle Zydeco puts on an annual event that this year coincides with Velo Louisiane. Cycle Zydeco is limited to 350 participants and rumor has it all the slots are taken within a matter of moments following opening of registration for the new ride. For 4 days bicyclists pedal between 40 and 50 miles per day through the Cajun heartland around Lafayette. Stops include Lafayette, St Martinville, Breaux Bridge, Arnaudville, Mamou, and a lot more.