Today finds me flying to Park City, Utah to participate in the International Mountain Bicycling Association’s (IMBA) 2008 World Summit. It’s going to be a full three days of networking, attending training sessions, and hitting the trails.

I’m hoping to provide updates on this site as the Summit progresses.

On Thursday I’m presenting a session with IMBA board member John Bliss. John and are will be discussing Developing Effective Club Leadership and Boards.

Royal Oak is tops in Oakland County, but this time it’s not a good thing.

For 2007, Royal Oak had the most reported bicycle and pedestrian crashes in Oakland County. For bicycle crashes, it wasn’t even close. We had 50% more than second-place Troy. For pedestrian crashes, we were second to Pontiac.

m-bike provided copies of these crash data charts to Royal Oak’s City Commission yesterday. After a couple failed previous attempts, we’re hoping this time there’s enough resolve and momentum to pursue our recommended first step: a non-motorized transportation plan for Royal Oak.

I just received these photos from Michael Boettcher, the Executive Director for the East Dearborn Downtown Development Authority. We had a small group which was perhaps due to it being the Friday before Memorial Day Weekend. Still, it was a great ride from Dearborn to Campus Martius.

Bicycle Retailer magazine is reporting a recent “historic” meeting with presidential nominee Barack Obama.

Barack Obama, in a private 20-minute meeting with members of the Bikes Belong board of directors, told them if he were elected president he would increase funding for cycling and pedestrian projects. And the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee also said he would support Safe Routes to Schools programs.

He also told them he seldom makes promises on what he would do if elected president, but that this was a promise he would keep. Tim Blumenthal, executive director of Bikes Belong, laid out the industry’s position on boosting funding for cycling-related projects and for Safe Routes to Schools at the meeting.

Stan Day, SRAM’s president, said that Obama “gets it.” He pointed out that Obama understands that bicycles can be part of a solution to issues as diverse as health care, obesity, energy and environmental policy.

On a less serious note, Obama recently went biking with his kids in Chicago. He commented that he looked like Urkel (see photo) in the media’s photographs. On the bright side, he’s apparently better at biking than bowling, but has a ways to go to catch up with President Bush.

The bike industry is hoping to set up a similar meeting with Republican candidate John McCain.

Today’s Detroit News has an article on road users switching modes from cars and trucks to cycles — both motorized and not.

Local shops say customers also are dusting off the bikes and cycles they own, fueling a significant increase in demand for tune-ups and repairs.

“We’re seeing bikes that haven’t seen the light of day in years,” said Liz Szewczyk, an employee at Continental Bicycle Shop in Hazel Park. Not only is the maintenance and repair business booming, she said, but also the sale of commuter bikes — those that come with fenders, lights and other safety features for longer commutes.

“When gas was $3.50 (a gallon), customers started trickling in,” Szewczyk said. “Then it hit $4 and (business) went poof.”

The Detroit Free Press also ran a similar piece yesterday.  It includes an interview with Andy Staub from Beat the Train:

Andy Staub, 42, also relies more on his bike, but for commuting 12 miles from his Dearborn Heights home to his job as a slitter operator at Olympic Steel in Detroit.

He used to bike mainly for sport a couple of days a week. But due to gas prices, he’s added a third day and is considering a fourth.

The commute takes him about 50 minutes by bike, compared with 25 minutes when he drives his 1998 Jeep Cherokee.