On Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 2:00pm at the
Finish line of Amgen Tour of California on Cabrillo Blvd, across from Fess Parker
Santa Barbara Hotel, Santa Barbara, the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition will be
honoring three inspirational Santa Barbara Women with the second annual Velo
Wings Award for making cycling safer and more of an option for our community.
The three awardees are
Christine Bourgeois for her steadfastly promoting safe bicycling for transportation and recreation in Santa Barbara County,
Denise Clark for twenty years of inspiring women to cycle and encouraging the next generation of riders in Santa Barbara County and
Jill Glass for being an advocate for women’s cycling and raising awareness of the sport of women’s bike racing.
Bourgeois is a certified League Cycling Instructor. Serving as the Education Director
for the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition she has been leading the development and
implementation of a countywide education campaign to promote safe bicycling for
transportation and recreation for children and adults. She has been expanding
successful after-school youth Earn-A-Bike programs and offering bilingual adult
bike clinics for workplaces. Through these efforts, riders of all ages learn safe
riding techniques and basic bike mechanics, gaining confidence, bike skills and life
skills.Clark, a native Santa Barbaran and an accountant has been training and
competitively road (bike) racing for the last 21 years including the successful
completion of the arduous Race Across America relay. She is a member of B4T9
Cycling and Echelon Santa Barbara, currently serving on their board. For the past
twelve years Clark has organized a group of dedicated riders that gather twice a
week to ride, train, socialize and mentor new riders. Clark inspires fellow cyclists
and helps others to ride strong and safe.
Glass, a champion bike racer, started coaching cyclists over 25 years ago and has
shared her passion for cycling with athletes of all levels. Many women cyclists in
Santa Barbara area have benefited from the inspiration and encouragement that
Glass has provided. Fifteen years ago, she created a weekly "no-drop" bike ride
specifically for women to encourage them to experience riding on the road in a safe,
fun environment and to promote the positive experience of women's bike racing.
Through the supportive group ride and with her coaching, many have gained the
skills necessary to become confident road cyclists.
These efforts are increasing the health and safety of members of our community by
providing education, training, and confidence building, making safe transportation
available to all in our community. Ed France, Executive Director of the Santa
Barbara Bicycle Coalition says: “These women are incredible. Each one commits
countless hours to our community combining their passions for cycling with a desire
to empower others. They are an inspiration to all of us.”
The Velo Wings Awards honor extraordinary Santa Barbara women cyclists who are
leaders in our community. The best ideas often come from conversations while
cycling. Last year, while enjoying a no-drop ride, a group of ladies talked about the
lack of recognition for women cyclists. The first Velo Wings Awards were presented
in 2012 with support from Whole Foods Market, the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition,
B4T9 Women's Cycling Team & the Facebook group "Neon Girls Cycling".CycleMAYnia
CycleMAYnia is a month long celebration reaching thousands of Santa Barbara
Cyclists and community members with wide-ranging bike events for all created by a
collaboration of community members and organizations joining together to
organize awesome bike events throughout the county. CycleMAYnia is a
partnership between Traffic Solutions and Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition.
For
more information and more events to www.CycleMaynia.org
For more information on the Velo Wings Award please contact
Diane Wondolowski
(805) 284-5404 or diane@alum.berkeley.edu
For more information on CycleMAYnia please contact
Lori La Riva, Project Coordinator, Traffic Solutions, SBCAG
(805) 961-8919 or llariva@sbcag.org
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