Active Bike Clubs in South Carolina

Now that summer's here many people will be biking for pleasure and exercise. All over the country there are bike clubs or organizations for people who love the sport and the companionship of others in an activity that's both tremendous fun and promotes great health as well. There's no better place to ride than on some of the beautiful back roads along the Southeast coast. Some groups are just get-togethers with friends in the workplace, some are competitive, and some have regular rides planned at different levels of skill and speed. I found several in the Charleston area that would be worth joining, depending on one's free time or level of interest.

http://www.coastalcyclists.org/
The Coastal Cyclists Club was organized 35 years ago to promote cycling over the entire coastal South Carolina region. It is highly involved in efforts to bring safer and more accessible cycling opportunities and conditions to bikers in the region. The Charleston group is very active, with meetings and many rides going on every month. The Club has produced a route book that is on sale for $20 through mail order on the web site or $15 from any one of 5 Charleston bike shops. It shows all the best Charleston bike routes that have been assessed by the Club. In April alone there are 5 different events planned, including a 3-day members' ride out of Edenton, NC which features riding along the coast, entertainment and stop offs for delicious food. They have a tips section on the site that reminds readers of safety tips and gives a checklist of what to do or take with you on any ride. If you want to get involved in an online discussion group they've set up one at Yahoo Groups for suggestions and comments. All the rides have certain rules but they are always open to everyone--even non-members. A full schedule of all rides is listed on the web site with departure points and short descriptions, plus some contact links for more information.

http://www.charlestonmoves.org/
Charleston Moves is a non-profit organization that exists solely to promote biking for utility, pleasure and health. It also promotes public transportation and walking, strange as that may seem. Unlike the Coastal Cyclists, this organization is promoting "Complete Streets," a push to create alterations to streets to make them more amenable to cyclists, pedestrians, public transportation and the disabled. Because of their efforts and those of other groups, Charleston's 1/2-cent sales tax for transportation would make streets be retrofitted to more friendly conditions for bikers, walkers and public transportation. As of Jan. 2006, two advisory boards were working on submission of their plans to Charleston County for the adoption of a Complete Streets Ordinance. One of their successes has been to move the SCDOT to replace the Cooper St. Bridge with one that would accommodate bikers with their own riding lane, clear marking and signage. They were helped in their efforts from many other groups, such as the Sierra Club. Charleston Moves has been recognized countrywide for their tremendous advocacy for biking and pedestrians.

http://www.pccsc.net/
The Palmetto Cycling Club is another advocacy group that has been very strong in its efforts to promote safe cycling in South Carolina. They have created a training certification program to teach a League Cycling Instructor (LCI) course, which trains instructors to teach safe cycling and biking rules to all cyclers. There's a link on their web site that gives people access to influence their South Carolina House legislators to reform the state cycling laws. They even have their own Bicycle and Pedestrian Caucus active in the state's General Assembly. This is a very important group to join if you really want to make the entire state more bicycle and pedestrian friendly.

http://www.lowcountryvwracing.com/
One last biking group that needs a mention is the Low Country VW Racing Team. This bunch is all about racing. They are serious competitors who enter races with sponsorship endorsements from many businesses and organizations. They offer training and plan races all over the state and beyond. Teams like this, all over the country, provide support, training and skills that go into making potential Olympic-level competitors!