Andrew Runciman Memorial Ride

On April 30, 2011, around three hundred Austin cyclists came together to honor the memory of Andrew Runciman. Andrew was tragically killed by a hit-and-run driver on South Lamar. Friends, family, and co-workers rode their bicycles together to show respect for Andrew.


Please Be Kind to Cyclists, the Thursday Night Social Ride group, and Bike Texas organized this memorial ride. Around 7:00 in the evening everyone started pedaling south on Lamar escorted by three police cars. The ride took the right lane forming a procession that was more than five blocks long.


Now there is a ghost bike, a Please Be Kind to Cyclists sign, and a flower garden at the location where Andrew was hit. This small piece of land, right in front of Red’s Porch, was donated by the property manager. The garden was planted and is maintained by Al Bastidas and co-workers of Andrew. Al says, “I try to water the plants once or twice a week, but with this heat, more water is needed.” Contact Please Be Kind to Cyclists to learn how you can help maintain this garden.

Bazaarvoice, the company where Andrew was working at the time of his death, has joined the efforts to raise funds and awareness. They have kicked-off a fundraiser to help Please BE KIND to Cyclists and Bike Texas as they continue with their mission of making our streets safer for all cyclists. Check out Bazaarvoice’s efforts and join the cause at www.safelanes.com

More information about this tragedy can be found at:

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/crime/cyclists-ride-in-remembrance-of-friend

http://www.kvue.com/home/Cyclist-death-prompts-closer-at-bike-lanes-121198664.html

Victim Relief Fund

Please Be Kind to Cyclists is pleased to announce the creation of their Victim Relief Fund.  As our Executive Director, Al Bastidas explains in the video below it is a fund that will further allow our organization to help and support cyclists.

For more information on the Victim Relief Fund please visit our website.

Join us in our efforts to help and support cycling victims by donating to the Please Be Kind to Cyclists Victim Relief Fund.  Please Donate Here.

The Jack and Adam's Bicycle Re-Cycle Project

It is always very exciting to post about good things that are happening the bicycle world, and today's article is even more exciting because it deals with cycling, the environment, and hometown Austin goodness.

Jack and Adams are good friends of ours over here at Please BE KIND to Cyclists and they have now launched a Bicycle Re-Cycle Project.  They are now an official collection station for TerraCycle (the leading trash to treasure recycling company).

Here's the way it works....Jack and Adams collect energy bar wrappers and then they send these along to TerraCycle so they can be turned into goods such as coin purses and bags.  Pretty cool, huh?  It gets even better.  The articles that are made are then used to earn money for non-profit organizations that are chosen by Jack and Adams.

Now here's the best part.  Jack and Adams have chosen Please BE KIND to Cyclists as the beneficiary for this program and will donate all the money raised through their efforts with TerraCycle recycling.

About Jack and Adam's Bicycles:

Located in Austin, TX, Jack and Adam’s Bicycles is a complete
triathlon and road cycling store. Founded in 2004, it has been voted
Best Triathlon Store in Texas every year since its inception. The
store is renowned for its friendly service, incredible product
support, and community involvement. www.jackandadams.com

About Jack & Adam's Bicycle Re-Cycle Green Team:

The Green Team is a recycling campaign geared towards keeping bicycles
and everything bicycle related out of the landfills.  We're extending
our green efforts at events into our daily activities at the shop.
You can be part of it too by tossing your tubes and tires into one of
the bins which will be available at the shop.  We'll have bins for
other items as well, including spare parts and clothing.www.bicycle-recycle.com

About TerraCycles:

TerraCycle’s purpose is to eliminate the idea of waste. We do this by
creating national recycling systems for the previously non-recyclable.
The process starts by offering collection programs (many of them free)
to collect your waste and then convert the collected waste into a wide
range of products and materials. With over 14 million people
collecting waste in 11 countries together we have diverted billions of
pieces of waste that are either upcycled or recycled into over 1,500
various products available at major retailers ranging from Walmart to
Whole Foods Market. Our hope is to eliminate the idea of waste by
creating collection and solution systems for anything that today ends
up in our trash.  www.terracycle.net

Ranting Against Cyclists

Earlier this week, the morning radio show of Bob and Bender with Jamie on 98.1 KVET did a little rant about cyclists in Austin.  You can check it out and also listen to a segment of the rant by clicking this link.  As you can probably imagine from the label of "rant", it wasn't a favorable discussion about us cyclists.

We understand that not everyone is a cyclist and shares our same passion for the bike, but I think some of the comments that were made went just a little too far.  Have a listen for yourself, but there was talk about being happy when Bender (the radio dj) layed on his horn and scared the cyclist off his bike.  I know it was all in "fun", but comments like that are just not acceptable.

Our friend Darryl from Loving the Bike was also not impressed and asked if he could be on air to help defend us cyclists.  They had him on the day after the rant, and Darryl was able to explain that we are good people and a mutual respect should be given between cyclists and drivers.  Our Please Be Kind to Cyclists organization was also brought up when they interviewed him and we would love an opportunity to get on air more often to discuss all the things that we believe in.

As always, we stay commited to raising awareness and increasing the harmony and tolerance between drivers and cyclists.  Let's work together to make it happen.

Can Personality Make You a Champion?

This year’s Tour de France has just begun, but before it even got going there were predictions that Alberto Contador could very well take it once again.  If so, this would be his fourth TdF victory in the past five years….but why don’t people like to label him a Champion?  As they introduced him at the team introductions last Thursday….he was booed, and I’ve also seen a whole lot of smiles following the rough start he’s had in this year’s tour.  Yep, people just don’t want to give him that “Champion” title now do they?

If you’re a Contador fan, let me apologize right now for the little bit of slamming I’m going to do on him today…it’s nothing personal, but he’s the perfect subject to go along with the topic of today’s post.  But chances are, you’re one of those people who don’t really dig the guy.  What is it about this incredible cyclist that makes us dislike him?

You know how you see this super hot girl (or guy for our female readers), and once you get to know them a little better and see that they may be a 10, but their personality is more like a 3….they’re all of a sudden not so hot anymore.  The flipside is also true.  I don’t know about you, but I think that a good personality can increase the attractiveness factor of anyone.


Okay, so back to Contador….the dude is just not a likeable guy.  Whether it’s his cheesy shooter fingers that he likes to flash to the television camera, his lack of having a gentleman’s presence (made famous last year when he refrained from waiting for Schleck and his dropped chain), his doping allegations, or just the aura he gives off….his personality brings him down from a 10 to a 3 pretty easily in my books.

There’s no denying that he knows how to win cycling races, but I’m never going to remember him as a cycling champion or legend.

Then there’s our friend, Jens Voigt.  He’s never one any major race, but he is more of a champion than Contador will ever be.  How can you not like this guy? Jens is just a likeable kind of guy, and it’s pretty hard to resist his unique charm and personality.  He’s got heart, guts, and a way about him that makes people look at him like a champion….and that is how we’ll remember him when his cycling career is over.


Yes, personality can make you a champion….and it can also take it away as well.  Sure Contador might win yet another Tour de France, but it will be people like Jens Voigt who we remember.
Let’s hear what you have to say.  Is Contador a champion?  Is it his personality that takes it away for a lot of us?  Let us hear it.