Community Corner

This Year, Newport Father's Day Ride Puts Spotlight on Safer Cycling

Plus, what better way to spend time with the family?

What better way to celebrate dads and summer than a sweet morning bike ride along Newport’s Ocean Drive? With a range of riding and walking options, there's something for everyone in the family.  And the morning ride is a perfect prelude to Dad’s Day!

The 2nd annual Elliot Kaminitz Father's Day Ride honors Elliot Kaminitz - a local and much-loved dentist who was fatally hit on his bicycle just two years ago this week. The event turns the anniversary positive – bringing the community together to raise funds in support of Elliot’s dream of more, better and safer cycling. Funds raised directly support safe cycling education, as well as outreach to cyclists, motorists and pedestrians about how to safely share the road. In the wake of tragedy, the Father’s Day Ride is a promising and encouraging community event in support of improvement. The Father’s Day Ride is produced by Bike Newport and the Kaminitz Family.

Last year, more than 200 cyclists of all ages met at Fort Adams to participate in the inaugural Father’s Day Ride. This year, the tradition continues with 6, 10 and 25-mile route options, a 2-mile Bay Walk, a Kids’ “Tour de Fort" inside the walls of Fort Adams, and “There in Spirit” virtual participation for out-of-towners. The 6-mile loop will cater to the less-experienced rider and will include cones and police escort. Riders on the 10- and 25-mile loops should know how to ride on the road with traffic. Helmets are required of all riders. Registration and event details are available online at www.fathersdayride.org.

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This year, the Father’s Day Ride is supported by new and exciting Title Sponsor partners – RIPTA and NuRide. Together RIPTA and NuRide are providing incentives for everyone to get active and green up our collective transportation habits – including walking, biking, telecommuting, carpooling, working a compressed week, and taking the train, subway, or bus.  Participants register for free at www.nuride.com/RIPTA and receive the first 1000 points just for signing up. National and local sponsors provide special rewards to participants who track their trips. The goal – more Rhode Islanders walking and biking to work, school, and other destinations.

Visit www.nuride.com/RIPTA and join for free. Registered users will receive 1,000 points for signing up.  This free service is supported by national and local sponsors who provide special offers to NuRide members who register on the NuRide website and track their trips.

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Dan Bannister, RIPTA’s Marketing and Outreach Manager explained, “The Father’s Day Ride brings together family members of all ages to experience cycling as a healthy and enjoyable transportation option. RIPTA is deeply committed to getting more people walking and biking, and connecting their active transportation with transit to help decrease car dependency. We partner with the online incentive program  NuRide.com to encourage more people to increase and track their biking and walking – so it feels like a great fit. We are very excited about partnering with the Father’s Day Ride, with Bike Newport, and with all of the cyclists who participate.”

“Heros!”, remarked Bari Freeman, Bike Newport’s Executive Director, about RIPTA’s 11th hour sponsorship. “RIPTA entered at just the right moment to bring all the pieces together. It’s been an amazing year of progress, and RIPTA is jumping in with both feet to help us pull off this important event with the ‘bang’ it deserves.  At Bike Newport, we promote connecting with transit. RIPTA and NuRide.com promote connecting with biking and walking. And the Father’s Day Ride puts it all in the context of community, safety and education. This partnership helps with our golden goal – more people more safely on bikes.”

US Congressman David Cicilline is returning to join the ride this year, after participating in the 2013 inaugural ride. "I am delighted to participate again in the annual Elliot Kaminitz Father’s Day Ride to honor one of Rhode Island’s finest advocates for safe cycling and to help promote this important safety awareness project. Importantly, this is also a wonderful opportunity for parents and children to share a meaningful day together,” said Cicilline. “This ride helps educate cyclists and commuters about the proper safety precautions we can all take to make our roads more safe, and also helps to advance a mode of transportation that promotes environmental sustainability and healthy living.  I want to thank RIPTA and NuRide for helping to sponsor this year’s ride and I look forward to participating in this great event.”

“The Father’s Day Ride continues to deliver on Elliot’s dream of safer cycling,” shared Renee Kaminitz, Elliot’s wife and now a member of the Bike Newport Board of Directors. “This year has been a whirlwind of biking improvements in and around Newport. We see more people biking, and we have Bike Newport reaching more people with safe cycling information, through the schools, media, and community efforts. The Father’s Day Ride is the chance to come together in support of these efforts. RIPTA and NuRide bring the message full circle – ride more, walk more, be proud of your efforts, and encourage others to do the same.”

RIPTA will also provide a demonstration model of the bus bike rack, so riders can try for themselves, and take the mystery out of the easy loading of a bike onto the front of a RIPTA bus.

Online registration and event information: www.fathersdayride.org.  Participants can check in from 3-6pm on Saturday, June 14th at Bike Newport headquarters, 437 Broadway in Newport, or starting at 7:00am at Fort Adams on June 15th.  At 7:30am, instructors from Thames Street Yoga will lead a yoga stretch. Welcome and ride review will take place at 7:45am. The ride will start promptly at 8:00am. Following the ride, massage therapists will be on hand from Spa Terre / Viking Hotel. There will be lots of safe cycling information on hand, and the Kids’ Tour de Fort will include skills training and loop riding to achieve mileage goals.  Activities will continue until 12 noon.


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