Worst Cities – Birmingham, Alabama

“It turns out Alabama’s largerst city has a hip bike community: alley cats, cyclocross races and nice singletrack.  There’s a road scene, too.  The problem is Birmingham has built only 10 miles of bike lanes over the past two decades while allowing multilane highways and shoulderless suburban streets to dominate the sprawl.  Less than 1.3 percent of Greater Birmingham bikes or walks regularly, a lower rate than any other larger metro area in the country, according to 2000 census data (the latest available, but in our experience, not much has changed). ‘We have a lot of motorists who think cyclists belong on the sidewalk,’ says Tom Maxwell, a senior planner there.  The appetite for change exists, but with no strong bike-minded leadership – in City Hall or the advocacy community – progress has been negligible.”

If you’ve been following us for a while then you know how aggrivated we sometimes get riding in the ‘ham.  With Bici, I’ve lately been feeling more and more upset about the apathy among cyclists and the lack of commitment we’re coming up against as rabble-rousers.  Reading about how Birmingham is the lowest of the low in a nationally recognized magazine makes me even more depressed.  It would be so easy just to give up.

At least they gave us a pseudo shout out.  The hip bicycle community that is putting on alleycats and doing cyclocross races?  That would be us.

From here on out I think that Fall will forever be knows instead as Cross Season.  Today I spent a sunny day drinking beer, hanging out and watching CYCLOCROSS! at Sloss Furnace.  Sloss is the only publicly held industrial site in the world, as well as a killer spot for a cross race.   I, unlike Anna, was not racing so I came out ready to take in all the glory that is a bike race. Glorious it was.

Bici Coop team did very well, with Sam (took 2nd!), Alan (flatted out 2nd lap and had to run it in), Jesse Heath, Heath, Aaron Lane and Sean Malone in the mens 4-5 class and Anna (got 4th, maybe 3rd…jury is still out!) for the ladies.

The course wasn’t too muddy but had it’s share of gravel, hills, switchbacks and obstacles.  The site of bikes kicking up dirt in front of the huge foundry was beautiful.  Add beer and some good friends and I had a Sunday to write home about.  Oh and lots of bloody knees and elbow.  I am weird, sue me.

Anna will be writing about her experiences during her first cross race in Part 2.  Thanks to everyone at Bamacross for putting this together.  Besides the beer situation (Blackwell’s I am looking at you for your no show!), everything seemed to go off without a hitch.

How was your weekend?