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2023 Uphill Battle

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The second annual Uphill Battle is all about ups and downs (and even more ups). This is Trailnet’s most challenging ride, and that’s the point. If you can conquer these hills in June, you’ll have no problems when it’s time to tackle Trailnet’s Ride the Rivers Century in the Fall…

Fair warning: The 2023 Uphill Battle features Category 3 climbs with grades over 10%—those are Tour De France-level numbers. This ride ain’t no joke.

But don’t be scared away. These routes run through some of Missouri’s most beautiful parks and wildlife areas. The sights are so beautiful, you may forget your legs are falling off.

The first 65 registrants get a free water bottle!

All finishers will receive a special token from our partners at Trailhead Bicycles.

General Information
Ride Start Time: 8am
Check-In Begins: 6:30 am
Start Location: Wildwood Middle School – 17401 Manchester Road Wildwood, MO US 63038
Routes Lengths (in miles): 26, 45, 56
Terrain: Hilly | Smooth pavement

Group Start
All riders will line up at 8 am and leave Wildwood Middle School as a group led by a police escort at a controlled pace. Once riders have been escorted to the start of the route, they may ride at their own pace. The group start is not optional and is required by the City of Wildwood.

Try the Busch Greenway

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Try the Busch Greenway: Family-friendly, slow, and social, all ages and abilities are welcome on this ride. Our “Try the Greenways” series of rides are intended to introduce local Great Rivers Greenways trails to folks who don’t know about or use them.

This greenway combines beautiful settings like hardwood forests and a creek with a bustling research park full of businesses and natural conservation areas. It connects the Missouri State Parks’ Katy Trail to the University of Missouri’s Research Park to the Weldon Spring and Busch Conservation areas, going by Francis Howell High School and Highway 94 in the process. Walkers, runners, and bikers alike enjoy getting some fresh air on this scenic, sunny route!

We’re meeting up at the parking lot of Francis Howell High School to kick off an epic cycling expedition along the Busch Greenway. We’ll be cruising on a round trip of less than 10 miles (around 8+ miles) packed with excitement. To find our meeting spot, just plug in these coordinates: 38.701197, -90.719871. See you there, ready to rock those pedals!

 

FREE. No registration is required.

Email Trailnet Bicycle Educator Sarah at sarah.heyman@trailnet.org with questions.

Bike to Work Day

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Bike to Work Day is back this year! Metro Transit, Trailnet and our partners are hosting hospitality stations across the region where bike commuters can stop and refuel on their way to the office! Click here to see the current location of commuter stations. We will add more so check back for updates!

Can your organization host a DIY hospitality station? Email adam@trailnet.org for more information.

Check out our Confident City Cycling page for tips on biking safely in an urban environment.

Car-Free STL Ride

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Imagine being able to move around our city without needing a car. What if you could bike, walk and take public transit to all the places you need to go?

Join us for a free, family-friendly celebration and show of support for a car-free or car-light lifestyle.

This joyful bike parade will demonstrate the demand for multi-modal transportation options while showcasing the infrastructure and amenities we have in place currently. Stay after the ride for a resource fair where you can learn about how to get around St. Louis without a car and how you can stay involved in the movement for Streets for All!

Register for free now: https://runsignup.com/Race/MO/StLouis/2023CarFreeStLouisRide

The Street Project Screening + Panel

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In the heart of National Bike Month, Trailnet is hosting our second FREE public screening of The Street Project—an inspiring documentary about the global, citizen-led fight to make our streets safer.


This event will take place at the SLPL Central Library Downtown from 6-8 pm on Wednesday, May 10.

We will air the full 52-minute documentary followed by a panel on the state of our streets in the St. Louis region. More details to come. Pre-register today: https://runsignup.com/TicketEvent/TheStreetProject

May is National Bike Month

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Trailnet is partnering with organizations across the region—including Metro Transit, Greater St. Louis Inc. and Washington University in St. Louis—to celebrate National Bike Month in 2023. Together we are putting on events, classes and giveaways throughout the month to highlight the many benefits of bicycling.

Join us on two wheels in May, as we come together with our neighbors in support of a region that is better for bicycling.

Read the full release below, and find all the information you need at trailnet.org/bike-month.

Bike Maintenance Clinic – Kingshighway Library

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Join us for a basic bike maintenance course! We’ll cover: how to fix a flat, brake adjustments, shifting adjustments, fitting a bicycle, and any related topics that come up in questions from participants.

These classes follow the League of American Bicyclists’ Smart Cycling curriculum.

The clinic will take place at Kingshighway library (SLPL) 2260 S Vandeventer Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110. It will last no longer than 2 hours. With questions or to reserve your spot email sarah.heyman@trailnet.org

Beans, Bikes and Brews

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Beans, Bikes and Brews is BACK! Trailnet’s signature rides calendar release and fundraiser returns on March 23, 2023 from 6 to 9 pm at The Heights Community Center.

We’ll be bringing back crowd favorites – delicious chili, a 50/50 raffle, and the release of the rides calendar. You can be among the first to register for all of Trailnet’s 2023 Classics!

Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to purchase a season pass at an unprecedented discount.

This year, we will also feature new opportunities for you to engage with our mission. Experience a pop-up traffic calming demonstration. Ask questions about the 2022 Crash Report. Take action with our Advocacy team. Practice fixing a flat with our bike educator.

https://runsignup.com/TicketEvent/BeansBikesandBrews

Happy Trails, Taylor March!

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From intern to Programs Director, Taylor March left a lasting impact on Trailnet and the St. Louis region. Now, he is taking his talents to the state level, advocating for better walking and biking across Missouri as the new Executive Director of Missourians for Responsible Transportation.

For eight years, Taylor was the smiling face of Trailnet. It’s only right that we reflect on the legacy he leaves behind—a legacy of kindness, knowledge, professionalism and passion.


Taylor’s Journey

Taylor March leads a youth fix-a-flat course for Trailnet

Taylor first joined Trailnet as an intern in the winter of 2010, while he was studying environmental engineering at Murray State University. He had worked as a bike mechanic since high school and was an avid environmentalist.

Though he didn’t know it then, Taylor’s passion for Trailnet’s mission (and his handiness with an Allen wrench) would serve the organization for years down the line.

Five years after his internship, having worked for several years as a solar engineer in between, Taylor returned to Trailnet on February 24, 2015 as our Youth Programs Specialist.

In his first full-time role, he led Trailnet’s bike education programs and designed our curriculum for smart cycling. He also worked on a number of Safe Routes to School projects, including one with Froebel Literacy Academy in south city. Taylor worked with Froebel through eight years and a handful of title changes at Trailnet.

“Working with Froebel and seeing that relationship develop and change throughout the years was so satisfying,” said Taylor. “From the walking school bus, to the installation of speed humps on Nebraska Ave., to the Calm Street now under construction on nearby Louisiana Ave… It was really cool to see the community buy in.”


Advocating for Change

Midway through his tenure with Trailnet, Taylor shifted his focus to the advocacy and policy spaces. As a long-time bike commuter, he was a natural advocate for safe, alternative transportation. As a leading expert in bike/ped best practices, he influenced change-makers across the state. And as an exemplary colleague, he fostered relationships that would blossom into our strongest partnerships today. To name a few…

  • Taylor co-created the annual Juneteenth Community Ride with our partners at 4theVille and grew the ride into a collaboration between the Missouri History Museum, Northside Community Housing and other aligned partners. The event draws over 200 riders each June and celebrates Black music, art, culture and history.
  • Taylor was part of the team that developed Trailnet’s Connecting St. Louis Plan in 2019, which is now 50% funded for construction by partners like GRG and the City of St. Louis.
  • Taylor spearheaded our state-wide advocacy efforts. In collaboration with BikeWalkKC, Local Motion in Columbia, and Ozark Greenways, he helped create Missourians for Responsible Transportation and Hands-Free Missouri.

The Work Continues

Now, Taylor is off to lead the statewide partnership that he once helped to create. Trailnet looks forward to many more years of collaboration with Taylor and his team at MRT.

“Trailnet will miss him and his careful and precise explanations of the transportation system we are trying to change, his help changing a flat, and his ability to always find time to listen,” said Trailnet CEO Cindy Mense.

For your years of dedication—Thank you, Taylor! Let’s continue to work together to make Missouri better for people outside of cars.

Board Bill 120: What is it, and why should you care?

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The infrastructure bill that could reshape our most dangerous streets

A bill was recently sent to committee by the City of St. Louis Board of Aldermen that could finally address some of the issues plaguing our streets. Here’s what you need to know about Board Bill 120:

  • In 2021, The City of St. Louis received nearly $500 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding, to be spent by 2026.
  • In response to a particularly dangerous summer for people who walk, bike and use mobility devices, Mayor Jones pledged to invest at least $40 million of ARPA funding in safer streets.
  • Thus, BB#120 was born. The initial version of the bill, sponsored by Ward 3 Alderman Brandon Bosley, allocates $74 million of ARPA funding to invest in infrastructure. 
  • $40 million will go to the Board of Public Service for traffic calming, roadway and ADA improvements on corridors with the highest need.
  • $9.58 million will go to the Streets Department for sidewalk improvements and a mobility and transportation master plan.

Trailnet hopes, as this bill makes its way through the legislative process, the city considers adding a few details:

  • A provision for drivers education, which is not currently required in the state of Missouri,
  • A provision for a media campaign to encourage responsible driving,
  • A provision for equitably implemented enforcement, such as automated enforcement, which would reduce traffic violence and dangerous driving behaviors without adding to current racially biased enforcement strategies,
  • A line item that explicitly names the city’s commitment to Vision Zero, and the creation of a position to oversee and follow-through on said commitment to a Vision Zero plan.

This amount of money, if used correctly, could be seriously transformative—the first draft of the bill proposes over 4x the average yearly annual budget that goes toward street maintenance in the city.

This is a massive step in the right direction. Trailnet is proud of the part we have played in advocating for these changes. Now we look forward to helping the City make these improvements as quickly and effectively as possible, so that sometime in the near future, our Streets can truly be for All.

Read more about Board Bill 120.

City residents: talk to your alderperson about what you think is missing from this bill.