Valley Report - August 2024
Credit: @izdawggg
Hi y’all!
Here is the Valley Report for August 2024
Color The Alleycat
Credit: @caseygreenleaf
This weekend our local friends (@rarchamplainvalley) and regional RAR groups are going to be at RAR NAR in Topsham, VT. The theme for the event is Bike Liberation which is something we can always get behind. We hope the event goes great and we appreciate the effort of everyone involved to make something like this happen!
To help raise funds, we worked with the local RAR chapter to put on an alleycat. We are always glad to find chances to partner on things especially when it comes to raising money for causes we care about. Thanks to all volunteers and organizers!
Building out a gear library
A few months ago we applied for the Bikepacking Roots BIPOC Bike Adventure Grant to help build a gear library here in Burlington in partnership with RAR Champlain Valley. The program is working to reduce the barriers to bike adventure for BIPOC people so it seemed like a no brainer for us. We are excited to announce we were one of 13 recipients of the grant this year! Everyone in the cohort is doing amazing work already and we can’t wait to see all of the projects come together. We hope to reach out to anyone who is somewhat close to see if there is a way for us to collaborate or partner together!
Building out a gear library in the Burlington area is something we’ve wanted to do since the beginning! As of right now that is going to look like us being able to outfit folks with some combination of panniers, racks and bags that can be used to carry gear on their bikes. Luckily, the gear we received can be used with different types of bikes in different combinations which allows us to make it work with most bikes.
The next step for us is to continue growing our gear library by adding tents, sleeping bags, mats, bikes to help people get fully equipped for their adventures. If you know of any organizations, companies or folks looking to donate/support the gear library please let us know and we'd love to chat!
We are currently building out the website to allow people to check out gear, see pictures of what’s available and plan to make it available in the next month for people to start using. If you have any adventures planned before it’s available, don’t hesitate to let us know and we can get you taken care of.
Thanks again to Bikepacking Roots and all the below sponsors of the grant!
We only wanted sponsors who started with the letter O! :)
Color The Valley expanding to Boston…and adding carpentry to our skillset?
For those that know or don’t know, we’ve expanded to the Boston area and by expanded we mean Izzy has moved to Boston to pursue their passion for carpentry at one of the oldest trade schools in the United States. Izzy had an opportunity to attend prior to moving to Vermont and has always been interested in seeing where it could lead to. Please make sure to congratulate Izzy on the move and wish her the best of luck in the program for the next two years!
Izzy will continue to ride bikes (mountain biking when she can!), work on making the outdoors more inclusive and help with Color The Valley but in a reduced capacity. Izzy needs time to get settled, get in a groove and find space to focus on things other than school. We are figuring it out as we go and this is a large part of why we believe community is so important when it comes to building things!
What comes next?
Riding our damn bikes before winter!
Here is our current and most up to date list of what we plan to do before the end of the year. If you’d like to support, have ideas or any feedback then we would love to hear from you!
Bikepacking trips
Rescheduled BIPOC Bikepacking Trip!
October
Intro to Bikepacking Clinics
One open to all
One that is BIPOC specific
Group Bike rides (Themes)
BRB (Be Right Back) Rides (Hoping to get at least one if not two in before the end of the year)
Enter the bike time bubble
Bikees, swimees, creemees
Our picks
Now is our favorite part of the report…telling you what’s making us happy!
Izzy:
With the recent move I’m now officially a Boston bike commuter! That means waking up early, hitting the pavement and making my way to school. I’ve recently realized that the Midnight Special I built up for Burlington may need some adjustments to accommodate the Boston terrain. If anyone has any leads on a Steamroller, I’m all ears :)
Training for the trail running half marathon has started and we (my mom, my partner and myself) decided to do something a little closer to home called the TARC Stone Cat! If you’re in the area or want an accountability partner let us know!
Mike:
Ska and punk! I’ve recently refound my love for Reel Big Fish and my favorite punk cover artist Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. Did you know that they performed at a quinceanera last year in Las Vegas? Did you also know that their last two records have been live albums including performing at a bar mitzvah? Me neither. I’ll leave you with their cover of Dancing Queen by ABBA.
Also watch grass grow online here. It updates every second!
Thanks for reading!
This is brought to you with love and care from Izzy Johnson and Mike Ripley. Make sure to subscribe below so you don't miss out on the Valley Report.