April 24 2014 – The 2014 Utah Bike Summit will take place on Friday, April 25th at the University of Utah Guest House. The Summit brings together riders, bicycle and trail advocates, bike industry representatives, cycling event promoters, city planners, Utah tourism representatives, and local and state government officials with one common goal, to promote biking in Utah. The Utah Bike Summit is open to the general public and those interested in advancing bicycle efforts in Utah are encouraged to attend.
The theme of the 2014 Summit is Utah – Bike Friendly. Many agencies, organizations, and individuals are working towards making Utah the most bicycle friendly state in the country. Find out what has been accomplished, network with others who are moving efforts along, and find out what you can do to keep us rolling towards no. 1.
This year’s keynote speaker is Sarai Snyder, founder of the women’s cycling blog Girl Bike Love and the global CycloFemme ride. On Mother’s Day in 2013, CycloFemme had 229 registered rides in 31 countries. Both of these efforts seek to empower the future of women in cycling. Sarai also sits on the Women’s Bike Advisory Board for the League of American Bicyclists.
The Summit will feature the Mayors of Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Provo. Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker has long been a proponent of bicycling and has been integral in initiating efforts such as the successful GREENbike program. Ogden Mayor Mike Caldwell is pushing Ogden to be the “Bicycle Cluster of North America” and has made a commitment to ride his bike to work every day in 2014. Provo Mayor John Curtis also made a commitment to walk and bike as much as possible in 2014. All three Mayors will be speaking at this year’s Bike Summit.
All of the presentations and breakout sessions focus on expanding the number of people advocating for bicycle use. One session focuses on how to encourage more Utah businesses, communities, and universities to become involved in the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly America program. This program is a tool for states, communities, businesses, and universities to make bicycling a real transportation and recreation option for all people. Other sessions emphasize starting advocacy organizations, developing off-road trail systems, and supporting more riding through bicycle collectives.
This year’s Summit features an added bonus on Saturday, April 26th in the form of a bike ride on Utah County’s Murdock Canal Trail. Utah Transit Authority has provided 2-day passes for all Summit attendees so that they can avoid driving to the Summit and so they can take the FrontRunner to the ride starting location on Saturday.
Anyone interested in attending the Utah Bike Summit can register at www.bikeutah.org/bikesummit. All are welcome to attend.
