Beyond Bikes Day Celebrated with Free Cycling Event

With Major Taylor Cycling Club and Kingsley Association, Venture Outdoors continues Family and Community Program Initiative to engage minority populations in outdoor recreation.

(Pittsburgh, PA) – A free family bike extravaganza, Beyond Bikes Day, will offer introduction to cycling through rides led by the Pittsburgh Major Taylor Cycling Club. Bike safety inspections will be provided by Bike Pittsburgh and Free Ride Youth Programs.

The event will be held Saturday, May 30, at the Kingsley Association Community Center at 6435 Frankstown Avenue from noon to 3 p.m. This particular event will encourage biking as a family-friendly activity, as well as showcase some of the bike lanes in Pittsburgh, particularly the bike lane along East Liberty Boulevard. Riders are encouraged to bring their own bikes and helmets. A limited number of loaner bikes will be available. Raffle prizes will be given away throughout the day, including kids’ bikes and biking gear.

In collaboration with the Kingsley Association, and local biking and outdoors advocates, such as the Major Taylor Cycling Club, Bike Pittsburgh and Free Ride Youth Programs, Venture Outdoors brings this event to the public as part of their Family and Community Programs Initiative. The initiative seeks to increase the diversity of the of the outdoors community through a series of progressive steps to include minority populations in outdoor recreation. The cycling club is a predominantly African American cycling group, which has chapters nationwide, and will be a prominent presence at this event, working toward the Venture Outdoors initiative goals.

Venture Outdoors membership exceeds 5,000 in 2009, a definite sign of a growing outdoors community since the organization’s inception eight years ago. However, only five percent of those who participate in these programs are not Caucasian, whereas 16 percent of Allegheny County is African American, Hispanic and Asian. Venture Outdoors would like to close that gap.

African Americans, for example, make up 12.7 percent of the population of Allegheny County, which translates into over 150,000 residents of this demographic being largely disconnected from natural amenities and related healthy lifestyles. Most Pittsburgh communities have parks, trails and water access nearby, but many area residents lack the experience and awareness of how to fully access those resources in ways that are safe and rewarding. Created as a pilot program in 2008, the Family and Community Programs Initiative seeks to diversify the populations using parks, trails and waterways for outdoor recreation by reaching out to children, adolescents and families in diverse communities.

Beyond Bikes Day is one of four more upcoming family-friendly events, including three festivals and National Trails Day, to be held throughout the city components of this effort.

Three free Family Outdoor Festivals will be held from 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM at various locations.

• June 20 at Frick Park, corner of Forbes & Braddock Avenue
• July 25 at Mellon Park, corner of 5th & Penn Avenue
• August 29 in Allegheny Commons park, Northside

Activities will include the Climb Pittsburgh rock climbing wall, Tyke Hike crafts, an REI environmental stewardship demo, an L.L.Bean camping demo, healthy foods cooking, and the Pitt African Drumming Ensemble. Each event will offer giveaway items such as trail maps, bike lights, Heinz Pickle Pins and pedometers to further promote outdoor recreation engagement. All programs will be beginner friendly.

National Trails Day will be co-hosted on June 6 in the Hill District by Venture Outdoors, REI and Allegheny Cleanways. Tools and refreshments will be provided for building a trail connecting Kennard Field, the Oak Hill Housing Development and Landslide Community Farm. 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM. This event is nationally sponsored by the American Hiking Society.

The Kingsley Association works diligently to provide comprehensive, culturally relevant, educational, recreational, and social programming that positively impacts the lives of youth, their families and the East End communities of East Liberty, Garfield, Point Breeze, Homewood, Lincoln, Larimer, Lemington, Belmar, East Hills, Wilkinsburg, and beyond.

The Major Taylor Bike Club is a group of individuals committed to promoting cycling for health, recreation and socialization. In partnership with the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Minority Health, the group is particularly “committed to encouraging people from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds, including African Americans, to explore the landscapes and history of America by bicycle.” The Pittsburgh Major Taylor Cycling Club is not a cycling team.

Venture Outdoors, a local non profit organization, seeks to transform the Pittsburgh region into a place where the outdoors is an integral part of our culture, our identity and our lifestyle. VO does this by increasing participation in outdoor recreational activity. In turn, this creates a sense of community among participants, an increased awareness of the region’s excellent quality of life and a better understanding of and deeper appreciation for the environment and wilderness among the residents of and visitors to Western Pennsylvania.

For more information, visit www.ventureoutdoors.org or call 412.255.0564.
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