Save the date--Tweed Ride is Coming!

Save the date for the Triangle Tweed Ride! On November 6, 2016 throw on your old school duds (really old school... great depression style) and go on a leisurely cruise to the Rose Garden for a picnic. The format will be similar to previous years festivities. At the Rose Garden we will enjoy snacks, yard games, and revelry. Hopefully the stock market won't tank.

As long as you have your calendars out, go ahead and set aside November 20th for Cranksgiving, our annual Food Drive Bike Ride. Last year more than 100 participants rode their bikes around Raleigh to collect over 1400 lbs of food to donate to Raleigh Rescue Mission, more than double the amount collected in 2014! We hope you'll come out this year to help us beat last years record and provide meals for even more disadvantaged citizens. If you are interested in volunteering for this event or the Tweed Ride, please send us an email at info@oaksandspokes.com.

Congrats to the winners of our 2016 NC Bike Summit Scholarship!

In an effort to further our mission of promoting and sustaining bicycle culture in Raleigh, we've established a scholarship fund to assist local advocates in attending bike-related conferences. Allison Clonch and Nathaniel Seeskin, both students in City and Regional Planning at UNC-Chapel Hill, submitted applications and were selected for scholarships that cover registration fees for the North Carolina Bike Summit, which will be in Asheville on September 16th and 17th.

The annual Bike Summit is a gathering of bicycle advocates, engineers, planners, and elected officials who share stories about improving bicycling conditions in North Carolina and beyond. This year's program emphasizes bicycle advocacy, funding strategies, and the economic benefits of bicycling. Registration is still open if you're interested in taking part. Stay tuned for future opportunities to apply for and take advantage of scholarships sponsored by Oaks & Spokes!

Welcome Fall on two wheels at these events!

If you didn't get enough of scavenger hunts and street racing during last months Hepcat Race, here's another chance to get riding and win prizes. The WKNC Radio Ride, hosted by NC State University's student-run radio station, will take place on Saturday, September 24th. Register and find more information online, or tune in to 88.1 for updates and cool tunes. Oaks and Spokes will be there offering support and signing up members, so drop by and see us!

Attending Hopscotch Music Festival this year? Ride your bike downtown to your favorite shows this weekend for the chance to win an Oaks and Spokes t-shirt!

Oaks & Spokes is excited to be volunteering with Tour de Brew again, this time in Durham! Stops include Ponysaurus Brewing, Bull Durham Beer Company, and Growler Grlz, and 100% of the proceeds will go to Water for Good, a non-profit that focuses on providing clean water in Central Africa. If you are interested in volunteering, please send an email to info@oaksandspokes.com. We hope to see you out there on Saturday, October 8th.

As always, check out BikeRaleigh to stay updated on local social/road rides and other events.

On September 1st, Carl Jeffress Barnett, 59, passed away after several months battling cancer. Carl was a kind, creative, and joyful soul who could often be found on social rides and at cycling events, always with a smile on his face and a horn in his hand. He was a singular person, greatly valued and respected by the Raleigh cycling community, and he often volunteered his time to help out with Oaks & Spokes events. His family will hold a memorial gathering for him on September 17th at Mordecai Historic Park at 11am, which will be followed by a celebration of his life at Oak City Cycling Project at 4pm that afternoon. For more details visit our event page. Rest peacefully, Carl, we will miss you.

The Capitol Area Ride for Safety is back on and will take place Sunday, September 25th. Originally organized as a response to a collision on February 20th that resulted in the hospitalization of four area cyclists, the purpose of the event is to raise awareness of cyclists on the road and to promote positive interactions between cyclists and drivers. Registration is required to ride and involves a $10 fee to offset costs incurred by the ride planners. The ride will start and finish at Wakefield High School, with refreshments and speakers at Halifax Mall in Downtown Raleigh at the halfway point. Find more details and register here, and be sure to follow the CARS Facebook page for updates.

Cross is finally here! The first race of the 2016 Cross Central Series, sponsored by Berger Hardware Bikes, is this Saturday, September 10th. Cyclocross is a form of bicycle racing, typically off-road, that often involves obstacles or barriers that necessitate the riders hopping on and off their bikes. It is messy, fast-paced, challenging, and FUN! If think you'd like to get involved, check out the BHB website for information on signing up and race dates and locations too. There's also a Beginner CX Skills Session Wednesday, September 7th being hosted by the Oak City Race Team. Not ready to race yet? Spectators are always welcome! It's almost as fun to watch as it is to participate. :)