Exhibitors at Tour du Port

By Bruce Cohen - September 23, 2014

We are looking forward to having some fantastic exhibitors at Tour du Port on Sunday!

Many of these groups are the vital local partners that we work with year round and represent your advocates on the local level: Bikemore, Catonsville Rails to Trails, and the Bicycle Advocates for Annapolis and Anne Arundel (BikeAAA).  Please visit these groups to learn about the local initiatives in your area and learn how you can get involved fighting for better bicycling on your street, in your neighborhood, in your town.

Others are cycling clubs that organize regular rides around the state: the Baltimore Bicycling Club, Harford Velo, and the Annapolis Bicycle Club.  Please check out their ride calendars to find a new group and a new place to ride!  The safest thing for cyclists on the road is more cyclists on the road, so do your part and get a good ride out on some new roads!

A mixture of advocacy and rides, the Mid-Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts (MORE) will be at Tour du Port as well, marking the first time that a mountain biking centered organization will be represented.  As two regional groups, MORE and Bike Maryland will be partnering with greater frequency and with more depth as we collaborate to provide Maryland cyclists with the best representation that we can.

A new non-profit partner that we are working with is the Brain Injury Association of Maryland.  Cyclists may know this group from their Eat a Peach Challenge in August as well as their helmet fittings and giveaways for youth.  Their work extends outside of the cycling world into brain injury prevention, treatment, and life after injury.  At this year’s Tour du Port they will be performing helmet fit checks, so be sure that you get your helmet checked out!  If you’re going to be wearing a helmet (and you have to at Tour du Port) you might as well be wearing it correctly!  Riders who get a fit check will be entered into a raffle to win a cowbell courtesy of Cowbells.com!

Race Pace Bicycles will be at the start to pump up riders’ tires and make minor adjustments in order to make sure they are road ready.  Hill Killer, the jersey company that makes our new Bike Maryland jersey will also be exhibiting, so be sure to check out this local business.

Stop by the table for East Coast Greenway and learn more about the fantastic 2500 mile traffic-free path linking East Coast cities from Maine to Florida.

CF Cycle for Life Maryland will also be there, promoting their ride on October 19th which raises funds Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and awareness of the disease.  Last year, CF Cycle for Life raised nearly $4 million for CF research, quality care, and education.

Government organizations at Tour du Port will include the State Highway Administration and Visit Maryland.  Visit these tables to collect safe cycling resources and discover bicycle tourism destinations in Maryland.  We have many great places to ride in Maryland, so please take the time to find some hidden gems!

Of course, in order to provide you with the best service possible, we partner with compatible sponsors, some of which will be exhibiting at Tour du Port.  AAA Mid-Atlantic and Carefirst are not only sponsors of Tour du Port and Bike Maryland, they will also be on-site with information about their organizations.  The Baltimore Redline Project will also be at Tour du Port with information about the proposed light rail transit project that will travel from Woodlawn to east Baltimore.