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    Bike OSU’s Winter Bike Show returns for fourth year

    Bike OSU's Winter Bike Show from 2012.

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    Anyone who loves bikes will want to check out the Fourth Annual Winter Bike Show at the Knowlton School of Architecture tomorrow evening.

    The Winter Bike Show is the showcase event for Bike OSU, a a student-run bicycle organization dedicated to creating a safe and fun cycling community for the university.

    Started in the Fall of 2007 by Meredith Joy, Bike OSU, formally The Commuter Cyclists of The Ohio State University, was formed to represent student cyclists and be a voice to the university, to be a resource to OSU cyclists, and to be a community for cyclists.

    The group has had several leadership changes since the beginning -with Collin Balsey currently serving as president- but it has been active in the community the entire life of the organization.

    A promotional poster from How We Roll's 2011 campaign.

    “Yay Bikes! developed a campaign called “How We Roll” targeted to university students,” said Joy in a past interview with Columbus Underground. “In the case of How We Roll, Yay Bikes! worked through Bike OSU to create a vibrant bicycling culture on campus where students become invested in being a cyclist and not just riding from class to class until they have better options.”

    A unique cyclist safety campaign, How We Roll takes participants on a twelve mile adventure and teaches them how to ride on city roads, understand bicycle traffic law, and maneuver a bicycle, with the main goal of reducing bike/car crashes on the streets near OSU’s campus.

    Yay Bikes has now expanded the How We Roll program to include instructional rides for kids, and last year, instructional classes based around using COGO, the Downtown Columbus bikeshare program.

    “The Winter Bike Show is really the one big event of the year that helps generate the little amount of funds the organization runs off of,” says Denis de Verteuil, the former face of How We Roll and president of the group in 2011. In that year, along with Austin Kocher, Verteuil built the organization back up after several active members graduated at the same time.

    “The students involved with Bike OSU are planning a fun filled night for attendees to exhibit their bike, learn safe riding skills and, of course, enjoy winter’s last stand,” says Bike OSU secretary John McDermott. “Last year, we had over 400 attendees and over 100 people exhibit bikes. This year, we will allow 60 bikes to enter the show, and we will allow many more bikes than that into the Knowlton School of Architecture so that they can get free, basic maintenance.”

    Bicycle registration will begin at 4pm, and the first 60 people to register their rides can enter to win prizes.

    Cycle Vets, a cycling group based in Franklinton, will receive a portion of the event’s proceeds. Members from Cycle Vets will be performing quick and simple fixes using Bike OSU’s Mobile Bike Clinic during the event.

    The Mobile Bike Clinic, a cargo bike loaded with bike tools that is biked around campus to repair students' bikes. A collaboration between James Franco and Denis de Verteuil.

    Photos courtesy Bike OSU.

    Visit the Fourth Annual Winter Bike Show at the Knowlton School of Architecture, 275 West Woodruff Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43210, Thursday, February 27, starting at 4pm. The show is free and open to the public. There is no cost for students to show their ride, but non-students are being asked to make a monetary donation. For more information, visit Bike OSU on Facebook.

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    Anne Evans
    Anne Evanshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-evans/
    Anne Evans is the Co-Founder and Director of Operations for The Metropreneur and Columbus Underground. She regularly contributes feature stories on both sites, as well as Mega Weekend each week. She has started and grown businesses, created experiences, forged community partnerships, and worked to create opportunities for others. She loves meeting new neighbors and those making an impact in our community. Want to connect?
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