About Us

General information: info@velopalooza.ca or info@velolove.bc.ca
Calendar & forum crew: calendar@velopalooza.ca or calendar@velolove.bc.ca
Sponsor requests: sponsor@velopalooza.ca or sponsor@velolove.bc.ca
Volunteer offers: volunteer@velopalooza.ca or volunteer@velolove.bc.ca
Donations: donate@velopalooza.ca or donate@velolove.bc.ca
Website comments: webadmin@velopalooza.ca or webadmin@velolove.bc.ca

About

Velolove is a new volunteer-directed, community-based, entity focused on promoting cycling culture, events, and fun! It formed out of the Velolove email community, a Vancouver-based online bike hub and discussion group.

Inspired by Portland's Pedalpalooza, Velolove's first major project is Velopalooza – 18 days of bike events and fun that occurs June 2 to June 19, during Bike Month.

History

The Velolove community came together in 2001 when Vancouver hosted Bikesummer – a month long festival that for each year moved from city to city promoting and celebrating bicycle culture. The following year, the Velolove web domain was acquired to continue the spirit of Bikesummer as an on-line community.

Since then, many movements have grown out of that community. Many in that community promoted and participated in Critical Mass – a celebration of traveling by bicycle that occurs the last Friday of every month. From its humble beginnings, Critical Mass in Vancouver can now attract thousands of enthusiastic cyclists for its larger summer rides.

Vancouver's fixie, cruiser, and "chopper bike" afficianados found a home at Velolove before creating on-line communities in their own right. Other events and movements, such as the Wholesome Undie Ride (in response to Vancouver's Molson Indy race), the World Naked Bike Ride, Vancouver's Car Free Festival, and Momentum Magazine (now a North America-wide publication), were founded by people using the Velolove email lists.

Vancouver's Bikesummer, whose motto was the summer of velolove, itself originated out of groups such as The Bicycle People – a loose association of bicycle activists who in 1991 formed Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (BEST) – a Vancouver based not-for-profit organization to promote the use of environmentally responsible alternatives to the private automobile, and who formed the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition (VACC). BEST and the VACC are two of the region's most active and clear voices for sustainable transportation choices.

Today, the Vancouver tradition of fun activism creating communities and culture continues with Velolove and Velopalooza.

Friends

Velolove would like to acknowledge and thank the following friends who have helped Velolove!