Teaser to the upcoming Project Bikeway Showcase

In Raleigh, North Carolina - a small group of advocates and cycling fashionistas are crossing"the intersection of sustainability, clothing technology and transportation."

What started as a few Triangle Area ladies with bicycling dreams last winter has materialized into two events focusing on hybrid bicycle attire that are occurring this weekend in Raleigh - Project Bikeway and the Raffish Ride. These events both demonstrate that riding a bicycle can be simple, stylish and fun.

Project Bikeway was born in November of 2010 at a joint meeting between some motivated individuals with common goals to encourage a modal shift in cycling to work as a more sustainable mode of transportation:

• Katherine Carroll (NCSU College of Textiles)
• Ann Hartell (Center for Transportation and the Environment)
• Kristy Jackson (Institute for Transportation Research and Education)
• Alison Carpenter (NCSU Transportation)
• Lauren Ramsey (NCSU Wolftrails)

The group was interested in supporting and celebrating people who currently cycle to work and offering designs that make them look and feel better when they travel by bike. Six designers were chosen and given $100 to create fashions that focus on functionality, safety, and style. A showcase that highlights this years fashions will occur this Saturday at City Plaza. In addition to the showcase, there will be a fashionable organized bike ride to the event at City Plaza.

The Raffish Ride, which leaves from the NCSU Belltower at 11AM on Saturday, encourages cyclists to use their creativity to wear dressy clothes while riding. The point is to leave the spandex at home and wear something fun and flashy on your bike. Women, who are underrepresented in the cycling community, are especially encouraged to join the ride.

---- warning - spoilers ----

In the Spring of 2011, the Project Bikeway team met at City Plaza to discuss how the showcase would be laid out in the public space. We wanted to have space for our models to walk and model their outfits on the bike as well as area for the public to interact with the designers. At City Plaza there was plenty of room for our needs, provided we could deal with all of the permitting required for the street closure, vendors, and sound requirements. Here Lauren Ramsey and Kate Carroll, two of the key organizers for Project Bikeway, discuss logistics for the Project Bikeway set up.After scouting out locations, Lauren and I decided on doing the photo shoot for the Project Bikeway press release on the Boylan Street Bridge adjacent to the Boylan Brewpub. Although our shoot didn't directly conflict with his business operation, we got the go-ahead from Andrew Leager at the Boylan Brewpub to do the photo shoot at this location. We also selected an alternative location with a different orientation to the sun and contrasting backdrop of concrete near Rebus WorksBetween scouting locations and the date of the actual photo shoot for the Project Bikeway press release, some local graffiti artists gave us some additional backdrop material to work with.

Nate Zellmer joined the Project Bikeway team in early spring and signed on as our lead photographer. As you can see, the weather turned out to be gorgeous for the shoot and Nate got great shots of our models against the Raleigh, NC skyline. I especially love the use of breathable materials in the clothing designs and the ability to show or hide reflective materials near the seam-line depending on the situation. In order to see the full array of fashions and technology, you'll have to come to the show.

Finally, here are a few additional teaser shots that I took while we were lingering on the Boylan Bridge. See you at the Raffish Ride and Project Bikeway on Saturday May 7!