Join Your Local Advocacy Group

There is something about cycling that invokes passion within oneself. One lives and breathes cycling and it becomes so ingrained in one's lifestyle that this not-so-common understanding opens one's eyes to the necessity of advocating the safety of cyclists. One's cause may be as simple as wearing a bicycle helmet to something as large scale as creating new laws protecting commuters. Doing this as a group can have much more impact and can combine individual experiences for the progression of the group.

When I first started mountain biking, I hopped online and searched high and low for mountain biking sites to begin my riding education. There wasn't much available, but I quickly found the great luxury of the Michigan Mountain Biking Association forum. I used the trail resource of the web site to find trails downstate when I visited, and I was in awe of the quality, fun factor, and excellent trail markings provided by the MMBA trail volunteers. In fact, it was my first ride at Holdridge Lakes in Holly, MI one wet October that wowed me into joining the MMBA the following January. I've been a member for 16 months and it has been a wonderful experience.

I have met many members of the MMBA and ridden with people all over the state. I have people to ride with almost anywhere I go – all I have to do is post up to the forum. Yesterday, I mentioned that I would like to get a clearance law passed in Michigan (see yesterday's post). I did not know if someone was already working on it or if it was currently being passed. I posted in the forum and someone told me who to contact for information.

Advocacy organizations often put on races to raise money for trails, host clinics for women, children, or any rider looking to improve their skills, and family events to get all involved. The Ride of Silence is a national ride with local organizers which has the purpose of raising awareness of cyclists on the road and riding in honor of those who have been killed in auto-bicycle collisions.

National Bike Month tip of the day: join your local advocacy group.

Cycling Forums

The Internet is a pretty addicting little tool. Many of us have spent hours, if not days, surfing the web with endless information at our fingertips. I spent one whole night last week surfing through the backwards chronology of the English monarchy on Wikipedia.

If you are reading this blog, it is probably a safe assumption that you spend some of your bandwidth surfing through various cycling forums as well. I am quite guilty of this, especially this winter. Four complete weeks of bed rest dispersed throughout the winter is encouragement enough to click over to my favorite forum and dream of getting outside to ride my bike. I think this has been the cause of my spring fever, which I rarely get because I usually get to enjoy my winters skiing and snowshoeing in good health.

I spend a lot of my Internet time surfing through four cycling forums. The forum I spend the most time with is the Michigan Mountain Biking Association. This is a fun, passionate group of people who never fail to entertain. Even most serious topics get “sent to the Basement” when someone inevitably makes a sick comment sending the conversation into a downward spiral. This group proves amazing, though, as this forum also serves as a major network for riders who want to find others to ride with at various Michigan trails. One of our members moved to Colorado and even guides many the Michigan riders who head out west to be awed.



Team Estrogen is an online store for women cyclists looking for a large selection of fun cycling clothes and accessories to meet their needs. This store is unique in that it also hosts an online forum for women that has become quite the community. There is an incredible contrast between the female-dominated Team Estrogen and the male-dominated MMBA, both offering different kinds of information with the latter providing more humor and politics.



The Red Jacket – BlueSky Health Cycling Team forum is a new forum that deserves my time mostly because I am the forum administrator and a member of the cycling team. The goal of this forum is to provide a common source for local area riders to communicate and facilitate rides and transportation for races and trips. It is also our goal to provide health and training information as topics of discussion. All are welcome to contribute.



Mountain Bike Review is a precious resource to mountain bikers all over the world. It provides user product reviews, photos, and other resources along with an extensive forum. I only use the forum when I am homebound due its complexities. It is a very large forum with a lot of subforums and countless threads. Due to its size, it can be a bit overwhelming, but a lot of information can be found in its depths.