No article came out yesterday, but that’s because I was so busy preparing for the ETSU Elevates pitch competition. And it’s a good thing I spent so much time preparing! Bike Layne won third place and has received $1000 in additional funding. I am so excited for the future of Bike Layne and thank you to everyone who has supported this project!

You can watch the full pitch competition below. The Bike Layne segment is from 1:02:30 until 1:12:45. The awards begin at 2:15:35. I recommend watching the whole competition, though, as all of the projects are worthy endeavors. I am so happy for all of the Elevates students. All of us have worked so hard on our respective projects and I hope that each of us continues to make a difference in the community.

With the extra funding, I intend to work with local businesses to install bike parking at their storefronts. I am willing to fund up to 50% of the new bike rack as well as provide a list of which bike racks are best designed to be safe, usable, and comfortable. If you have any ideas on where some good places for bike racks are or what types of racks to use, please let me know here. If you are a business owner or know one who may be interested, feel free to reach out to me at layne.bike@gmail.com or at my Instagram or Facebook.

Even though the pitch competition has finished, Bike Layne is far from over. I will continue to improve this project and extend its reach to make a positive impact on the bikeability of Johnson City and the surrounding areas.

Together, we can make this area a better place for bikes!