Note that the weekly newspaper out in Luray, VA, the Page News & Courier, this week ran the story below, about an event Racing Union is co-promoting with Page Valley Cycling this summer.  You can see why this is a collaboration which makes sense - Page Valley Cycling, like Racing Union, promotes bicycling "as a means of transportation, fitness, recreation, and racing," and this will be a challenging race with a unique approach.  Rather then plopping a road race down in the middle of an area having little to do with the competitors, the organizers of this race hope to make connections, along the way promoting bicycling.

-- posted by Chris

Riding a bicycle on the streets in and around DC can be a dangerous task any time of year because, frankly, we're not visible to a lot of motorists.  Know what I'm talking about?  I think you do.  I think anybody who rides a bike has experienced this.

So why make it easy for them?  We're well into the second month of commuting in the dark.  A headlight is a good idea; and a blinky light is even better.

In an effort to educate and distribute blinky lights to those who may not have the recources to do so, some of us at Racing Union have picked up an idea with some of our friends at Evolution Cycling to distribute blinky lights to those who need them.  In Racing Union's case, we've been working with the Immigrant Advocacy Program, a program of the Legal Aid Justice Center (http://www.justice4all.org/programs/vjc/) to get blinky lights in the hands of day laborers in Northern Virginia.  These are some of the hardest-working people among us, and a good deal of them are fellow bike commuters who could use our help.  We stand in solidarity with them.  Virginia Justice Center began distributing the first 60 blinkies just prior to Thanksgiving.

If you're interested in contributing to this effort, let us know.  The first time around we got a sweet deal, with the blinky lights costing only around $2.50 a piece.  Send an email, post a message, or talk to one of us next time you see us - we'll make sure your contribution goes to finance the next set of blinkies.

-- posted by Chris