Disaster Relief Trials: Boulder

Quick update, as this little passion of mine seems to be taking off, thanks to the help of Portland's Transportland and their Disaster Relief Trials.
In June, there will be a Cargo Bike event, sponsored by Community Cycles as part of Boulder's Walk & Bike Month.
However, the Disaster Relief Trials will be a separate, much more challenging event, most likely late Summer/early Fall. The idea, is that this will be a series so DRT events in multiple cities will be similar in the rules, challenges, distances, etc. Since last year's inaugural event was held in Portland during Pedalpalooza, a lot of the thoughts are being shared from their planning. Here are some of the details that will most likely be a part of DRTs in at least 4 cities this year, and hopefully many more to come:

• Obstacle - one meter barrier (Which a rider would have to lift their bike/trailer/cargo over.)
• Obstacle - 6+" water crossing (Which a rider would have to ride through with cargo.)
• Obstacle - 400 meter+ section of rough terrain (read: mountain-bikey)
• Cargo -100lb accumulated payload (including something fragile to simulate medicine, and something oversized like a pallet, rescue sled, etc)
• Length - 3+ hour duration for the fastest competitors (Portland's was about a 30 mile route)
• Communication - any level of checkpoint monitoring and event info dispatching by local ham radio operators
• Communication - event-proof, annotated checkpoint map, given to competitors
• Rules - Le Mans style start (running start to parked bikes), ALL traffic rules, no predefined route. 

I'll be using this blog as Boulder's DRT site for now, though we may move to a Google+ page in the near future. That way, I can share info on the other cities participating, and document our planning processes for future events. 

p.s. If you're in Boulder, and want to volunteer, donate, participate, or learn more, leave a comment, or contact me through Gmail or Google+ (DRTBldr or rorowe).

Charity and a Bicycle

I rarely give money to charities...not because I don't believe in it or want to, but because I rarely have enough for myself and my partner. What I do have, however, is:

TIME. 

Now, while planning Boulder's Disaster Relief Trials, and watching and learning from Transportland like a sponge, I have a few interim plans for cargo bikes in the People's Republic.

My bike & trailer at Naropa University donating some "free stuff".

Boulder Food Rescue:
Ever since meeting them at my first Boulder Transportation Connections meeting, I've been curious and anxious to participate. Doing morning and weekend runs with my trailer, rescuing food that would otherwise be thrown out, sounds like exactly the type of thing I've been looking for.

The Boulder Cruisers at the end of "Cranksgiving" last November. 

Boulder Shelter for the Homeless:
They have this list, which makes it incredibly simple for people wanting to donate in-kind (instead of money) items. So, I've decided that once a month, I'm going to pull my trailer along on our Boulder Thursday Night Cruiser Rides, gathering any donations I can get. Following the ride, I'm going to ride up Broadway, and drop off everything at the shelter for their use.

Picnics:
Okay, okay, I realize this isn't charity, but it is community-building, which I believe is just as important. The plan is to have some more picnics, inviting anyone with a bike and a few hours on a weekend to feast, play, and interact with the community. Cargo bikes and trailers provide the food, drink, games, tunes, and the bikes bring the people. The first big one is going to happen on the Nature Conservancy's "Picnic for the Earth" on Sunday, April 21st (the day before Earth Day).

So, maybe money isn't everything. Maybe time is money. Maybe time is more valuable than money. All I know, is Boulder needs this, and so do I.

Disaster! -Taking the Lane, volume 9

Last week, I received my copy of "Disaster" - Taking the Lane, volume 9 from Elly Blue. I was previously unaware of how cool these little zines were until Richard Masoner, of the Cycleicious blog shared a note about a Kickstarter for volume 9's printing/publishing. The zine is a collection of stories about how bicycles have, or should have a role in disaster relief, emergency preparedness, and all-around survival.
Obviously, this is something that has sparked my passion recently, thanks to Portland's Disaster Relief Trials and my newly acquired trailer. So, I chipped in $5 to get a copy, and spent my past few nights reading each of the stories before bed. There was nothing remarkably new, but that's because I've been devouring anything and everything I can find on bicycles and disaster relief, however, it has confirmed the most important detail for me: That the world is currently blind to the role of bicycles in disaster relief and emergency preparedness. We need to continue to educate people on the simplicity and power of the bicycle, and it's benefits in versatility over a car in times of distress and emergency. Hopefully, when Boulder hosts it's inaugural Disaster Relief Trials (hopefully this June), it will be enough of an interest to get everyone thinking about it more.

Disaster Relief Trials - Transportland

Disaster Relief Trials Trailer from Cantankerous Titles on Vimeo.

I realize this trailer is a little dated, but as I'm in the beginning stages of planning Boulder's own version of the Disaster Relief Trials, I thought it would be appropriate to share. As it stands, I'm brainstorming types of disasters Boulder should be prepared for, possible checkpoints, cargo, etc. I'm also researching and starting to reach out to organizations who I believe should be involved in the event to make it as authentic as possible. Over the next few weeks, I'll be blogging more about the steps being taken to make Boulder's "DRT" a reality.