Bicycle Bash Festival 2010

A day to celebrate bicycling in Tampa Bay!

SWFBUD (South West Florida Bicycle United Dealers) is holding the fifth Bicycle Bash festival in scenic Flatwoods County Park on Morris Bridge Road off Interstate 75 – a scenic venue that is perfect to showcase the many forms of bicycling in the Tampa Bay region.
This year, the Bicycle Bash is being held against the tragic backdrop of seven bicyclists who have been killed by motorists in the Tampa Bay area since July 29. All Children’s Hospital will be present to hand out and fit helmets for children and bike safety will be a theme. Reflective gear with bike safety messages will be on display and for sale.   The Bicycle Bash is also playing host to the Cure on Wheels charity bike ride, which will raise money for local cancer projects at Moffitt Cancer Center and All Children’s Hospital.

Cure on Wheels is the presenting sponsor of the Bicycle Bash and Hillsborough County is a co-sponsor. HART, tbt* and Polar Bottle are also sponsors.

Besides being the scene for the Cure on Wheels rides at Flatwoods, the Bicycle Bash invites bicyclists to enjoy cycling the Flatwoods seven-mile loop that’s closed to cars, biking the off-road trails and pedaling longer distances from the park to scenic roads in south Pasco County .

Bicycle Bash visitors are asked to ride a bicycle to the Bicycle Bash. Visitors who come by car must park in a remote parking lot at Branchton Park on Morris Bridge Road near the Cross Creak Blvd. intersection. Hillsborough County will provide bus shuttles to take people to the Bicycle Bash who don’t have bicycles.

Activities include bicycle stores showing bikes, the SWAMP Club holding mountain bike demos, exhibitors showing all types of bike equipment, a swap meet, music and food. SWFBUD will also give awards to local people who have taken steps to improve bicycling in Tampa Bay .

“We’re taking the Bicycle Bash to the next level by having an exhibitor village and surrounding it with multiple bicycle activities at a terrific and beautiful county park,” said Alan Snel, director of SWFBUD.

SWFBUD is an award-winning alliance of 10 Tampa Bay bicycle shops and two lawyers committed to growing bicycling as a healthy lifestyle and effective mode of transportation. Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, the national trade publication that covers the bicycle industry, gave SWFBUD its national retail advocacy award in 2009. SWFBUD also won the leadership advocacy award from Trek Bicycle Company for its advocacy work this year. And the Florida Bicycle Association gave its Florida Event of the Year Award to SWFBUD in 2007 for holding the Bicycle Bash.

SWFBUD’s stores are Bicycle Outfitters in Seminole; Carrollwood Bicycle Emporium, Chainwheel Drive in Clearwater and Palm Harbor; Just Ride Bicycles in Riverview; Oliver’s Cycle Sports in new Tampa; Street Fit 360 in south Tampa, Suncoast Trailside Bicycles in Odessa; The Trek Store in Clearwater and south Tampa; University Bicycle Center in north Tampa and The Ironman Store in new Tampa.

For more information, contact SWFBUD Director Alan Snel at 813-468-0064 or alansnel@yahoo.comWebsite: www.bicyclebash.comVideo of last year’s Bicycle Bash: http://animoto.com/play/vtQYgyjplWMLoUXHwb99qw

Flatwoods County Park
off Morris Brown Ridge Road & Bruce B. Downs, east of I-75
For directions, go here.