The other day I was complimented on my sneakers.
(Too bad we don’t have a “style” category.)
Over at The Best American Poetry blog, Stacey Harwood recounts her rekindled appreciation for the bicycle as transportation..
And on the same blog, Gabrielle Calvocoressi talks about bike racing terminology and the Italian scene.
Why are these posts on a poetry site? Why not?
Be there at 5:30! More information here.
I was photographed and interviewed for a Times Union article, which you can read here.
Today’s Times Union newspaper contains a great article about Bike To Work day that features not one, but two members of Team RocBike — Ethan Georgi and Bob Anderson. Congrats, guys, and thanks for making riding your bike to work look like a perfectly normal thing to do. Way to go!
Photo of Ethan Georgi by Skip Dickstein / Times Union
Cyclists save by pedaling to work
Wheeling commuters combine savings with health benefitsBy TIM O’BRIEN, Staff writer
First published in print: Saturday, May 22, 2010For Ethan Georgi, every day is Ride Your Bike to Work day.
The Web developer for Zone 5, an Albany public relations firm, rides his bicycle a little over three miles to his job.
“It’s fun to ride a bike instead of sitting in traffic,” he said. “I don’t care about gas prices. I like exploring the city.”
Friday was National Ride Your Bike to Work day, an effort to try to get people to cut down on gas-guzzling cars and take a more leisurely way to get to work. To support the effort, CDTA offered free rides to bicyclists who put their bikes on racks on the buses.
Georgi said he originally began riding to his office two years ago. He used to come home to get out his bike for a ride after work. One day it dawned on him he could combine his commute and his daily exercise.
I was having a conversation with someone yesterday, and talk turned to my love of bicycling.
“Road or mountain?” the person asked.
“Urban,” I said.
Their reaction was much the same as if I’d said “jello” or “anti-gravity.” The idea of bicycling as something I do to get around, rather than something I need to plan for as a sporting outing, still seems foreign to a lot of people. And, of course, the best way to change that is for me to keep riding around the city. Consider it done.
It’s a rainy day in Rochester, and except for a quick trip to the UU church for services today, I haven’t braved the gray day.
I’m a new contributer, though I’ve been around for a while. I moved to Rochester about 18 months ago and have been riding full time for about a year. I have to say, I love Rochester, and I love seeing more folks out on their bikes again. Winter is a tough time for year-rounders, and I’m happy that spring is finally here.
This past week, I went to a fantastic Earth Day talk about Transition Towns at First Unitarian. Transition Town is a UK movement that has made its way to the US. With an emphasis on eliminating our oil dependency, the movement encourages communities to work together on innovative alternatives to non-reusable energy sources, as well as creating more connected relationships within those communities. The Transition focuses on several areas of sustainability, including food, water, and transport, to inspire communities to come together and create systems that are sustainable and conducive to a healthy environment. It really is an inspiring model, and one that I hope Rochestarians will soon adopt.
To say that this movement relates to cycling communities is a severe understatement. I think that the more we do to encourage bike-friendly community structures and discourage the use of motor vehicles, the better prepared we will be for this pending oil apocalypse. At the very least, eliminating your personal dependence on oil reduces your financial vulnerability to the waves of price hikes and, presumably, gas shortages and/or rationing. I’m very interested in learning more about this movement. And also, I was so happy to see so many groups congregated together to learn more and to share their work with one another. Coalition-building is an important step towards effective change.
I’m so glad to be a part of a small group of folks who believe in the future of bicycles. Whether you use it to commute to work, grab a bite to eat with your best friend, or run out to the grocery store, your bike is a revolutionary tool, and it is creating change each time you hop on. So thanks for riding. And thanks for writing…
i rode through the park
/ morning sun on dew on grass
/ / things motorists miss
Wish I could hold the images and sounds from this morning’s ride
The Canada geese honking on the Genesee River
The statue in front of Bausch & Lomb as I turned the corner
St. Mary’s Church to my left
The dead pigeon on the side of the road, only partially flattened
The throng of people at the bus stop at Main and Clinton
Everyone in line for coffee and donuts as I wheel into the building
Got a lot of laughs out of this, this morning.
We’re looking at some wonderful weather this week. Be nice, ride your bike, ring your bell.
