Although I’ve been commuting to my office in downtown Rochester regularly for some time now, my job sometimes requires me to attend meetings at the other campus of MCC (Monroe Community College, for non-Rochester readers). That campus is on E. Henrietta Rd., a clogged main artery leading to the land of malls, big grocery stores, empty big box stores, and continued building of new big box stores which will likely fall empty in a few years…and the road is currently under construction so it can handle even more car traffic.

Hence, I have not been anxious to ride my bike there. But then, a stroke of genius! I could ride the Genesee Riverway Trail to the Erie Canal, get off the canal path next to Monroe Community Hospital, and in keeping with Adam’s rules of riding on the sidewalk, take the sidewalk a short distance to campus.

Given that I’ve lived in Rochester for 18 years and been riding the trails for 12, one could say my stroke of genius was somewhat belated. Nonetheless, last week, I did it…I rode from my home (smack between the two campuses) to the Brighton campus of MCC, from there to downtown, and back to my home at the end of the day.

It was a beautiful day, I had little traffic to deal with, and I got in a decent amount of exercise. The only downside was the fact that I changed clothes three times in the middle of the work day. But it’s summer, which makes a change from shorts to a sleeveless dress pretty easy (I keep multiple pairs of shoes at work, as well as an all-purpose dress jacket, so that I don’t have to tote them). Having short hair makes this kind of commute a breeze as well.

Here are some of the highlights.

The path is unmarked next to Monroe Community Hospital.

I’d much rather be on this “roadway” than the one under construction at the top of the post.

This is near the University of Rochester and Genesee Valley Park, where three local trails converge.

The downtown library…a grand building.

Don’t you miss the days when buildings had inspirational quotes inscribed on them?

Home away from home.

But probably not the kind you think…

That is a cross-stitch pattern, which you can purchase from Radical Cross Stitch, to benefit the Austin Yellow Bike Project.

And check out the Power to the Pedal design competition. Here’s my favorite entry, which combines biking and music:

Imagine a bike rigged up with that along with the Down Low Glow, cruising along your daily commute!

That supremely well-lit bike welcomed me and my partner to the Sugar Maple Trailside Inn in Florence, Massachusetts on our luxuriously long summer vacation (well, not as long as those who summer on Nantucket, another one of our stops, but long for us). The inn is filled with bicycle decor and bike and rail-trail related reading materials, is right next to a rail trail, and has two cruisers available for guests to borrow. Not only that, one of the hosts is an experienced advocate for rail trails.

Jason recently wrote about plans for expanded trails in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, and rail trails do indeed abound in the parts of the state I’ve visited, which include the Berkshires, Pioneer Valley, Cape Cod, and Nantucket.

So if you’re looking for a good cycling destination, check out Massachusetts, and I recommend a stop at the Sugar Maple Inn!

Jason already posted the local news story about the Adore Your City bike ride. I finally got to meet regular commenter Keith, and was surprised by how many people I knew there, since this was my first group ride, outside of a few Critical Mass rides in the past (which are a totally different kind of experience!). There were people from my graduate classes, a former colleague, and Rochester’s Mayor Robert Duffy and his wife.

The first route (map here) was nice and easy, a pretty slow pace and some beautiful scenery along the Genesee River and Rochester’s Corn Hill neighborhood. It took a different kind of cycling with such a large group (about 60), but it didn’t take long to get the hang of it, and it was really fun to be such a large presence on the city streets. Since it was 9 am Sunday morning, we were pretty much the only presence on the streets.

Quite a few people (maybe 10-15?) just did the first route. By that time, I’m pretty sure I was the only one on a seriously heavy city bike, although there were also a couple of tandems there, including a recumbent tandem. Or at least I felt rather conspicuous. The first part of the second route was very familiar, covering ground I’d just ridden a few weeks ago. Once we turned to come down Old King’s Highway, through Durand Eastman park, I still felt strong, but definitely slower on those hills, and I was near the end arriving at the meeting place where everyone was waiting. I finished out the second route at the end with Kyle from Full Moon Vista, who was riding sweep.

At that point we were back at home base for lunch. Except there wasn’t anything really filling that I would choose to eat (I’m vegetarian). I’m not complaining, as I should have confirmed with the organizers whether there would be veggie options. But I needed re-fueling in a big way, and given that I’d already been lagging behind, I decided to call it a day. I headed home and inhaled two plates of pasta. The total? 39 miles for the day, at a considerably faster pace than my usual (and a considerably faster pace than the advertised 12-14 miles/hour).

It was a good ride, for a good cause. But as with any first-time event, there were a few snags. We were scheduled to complete the second route by 11:30. We completed it by about 1:15. I’m told that those remaining did one additional route, for three, rather than the originally planned four, completed routes. It went slow partly because of traffic (there was more on the second route than the first) and because it was a no-drop ride. There were a few flat tires along the way, and the riders were at various speed levels. Also, there weren’t enough restrooms for all of us at Full Moon, so the potty line was loooonngg, meaning we were just standing around waiting for a long time before heading back out for the second route.

I think some of the more advanced cyclists were frustrated by having to wait for the slower. At the same time, we were cycling at a faster rate than advertised, and the intention seemed to be that all levels would be accommodated. I really liked the fact that it was designed to be accessible to a wide variety of levels. While I like riding for recreation and physical challenge, my primary purpose is still transportation (the fact that I also love being on a bike is just icing on the cake).

I’d like to see more people cycling for transportation, and thus the more people that are encouraged to bike, the better, at whatever level. There are quite a few events that promote cycling solely as a sport for those with the time and money to participate. Let’s have an event that doesn’t exclude that part of the community, but that DOES include other portions…those who cycle because it’s the most affordable form of transportation, those who just love being on a bike, those who are committed to cycling as a sustainable form of transportation. Let’s promote cycling for people at all levels…to improve our roads, our air, and our community’s health and vitality.

So, if you’re listening, Adore Your City organizers, first of all, THANK YOU! I know it was a lot of work, and I am really appreciative of the chance to participate. I am sure that everyone has advice for you for next time…here’s mine. Please don’t make the next ride less accessible to slower, less experienced cyclists. Maybe you could have two levels of routes…one faster and more advanced, and one slower and shorter. How about a short training ride beforehand, not for the physical training, but to help people learn about the fine art of riding in a group? And please, pretty please, more potties and some carb-rich veggie food next time?

When one of my students found out that I had decided to bike 45 miles (in one day, a point I had to clarify) before my 45th birthday, she said, “Couldn’t you have just done a mile a day?” At one point I would have said the same thing.

I am distinctly NOT of the “no pain, no gain” mind set. I rather think that life brings plenty of unwanted pain all by itself, and there is no need to bring more upon myself. I’m more of the, “If it’s not fun, why do it?” mind set.

Strangely, and quite surprisingly, I found my 45-miler a complete pleasure. I started out looking like this, at about 10 am:

In between, at 2 pm, I looked like this:

I ended up looking like this, at 5 pm:

See what I mean…happy in the beginning, middle, and end. I won’t describe the route itself, as portions of it have been well-described here and here. I rode from near the University of Rochester on the Genesee Riverway Trail, all the way up to Lake Ontario, back to the U of R, through Genesee Valley Park, and to Perinton, just past Schoen Place in Pittsford, on the Canal Trail, then back home to the South Wedge of the city. I highly recommend it. Varied and beautiful scenery, and lots of places to stop, use the facilities, fill the water bottle, and grab a bite to eat.

Go to my flickr set for more pictures.

I will, however, share a few things I learned in the process of preparing for this ride.

1—Ride the route in advance! This was the mistake I made back in November, and I was determined not to make it again. I’d ridden from home to the lake two or three times before the big day, and from home to Pittsford/Perinton many times. I knew what to expect, how to pace myself, and when my next stop would be.

2—Although contrary to my nature, some amount of training was necessary. Throughout the icy winter I stayed in shape by taking spinning classes. I always thought that biking inside was rather silly and pointless. Maybe, but it’s a great workout, and I doubt I could have done the 45 miles so painlessly otherwise. Then, as soon as the weather got nice, I got back outside and made sure to get in some longer rides than usual.

3—Make it public. I am not so sure I would have actually done this, by my birthday, had I not posted my personal challenge here and at My 45th Year. May is a crazy time for someone so integrally connected and committed to the educational system through my children, my work, and graduate school. Normally I would have been writing rather than riding on a day off from work in May, and it would have been very easy to just say, “I’ll do it later,” if I hadn’t made a public commitment.

4—Rest and stretch along the way. There is a picture, from which I’ve spared myself the public humiliation, of me on the ground in a rather unflattering yoga pose. But the stretching helped keep me going and minimized next-day soreness. We stopped about every 10 miles, took some pictures, got some water, had a snack, and stretched. And we stopped at about 30 miles for a nice lunch. At that point I really needed the fuel. We also stopped in at Towpath Bike in Schoen Place, where they had this sign that says it all.

(Just for Jason…now HERE’s a packet boat:)

5—Find a buddy. It really helped to have my partner Tanya along for the ride. She’s been cheering me on all year, getting me to take spinning classes, making sure I remember to get out and ride, and her company on the big day was invaluable.

6—Use your mind to help you along. After lunch, we biked out to the turn-around point . At that point, it was only 15 miles back home. I decided to think of it as a separate ride. Just a little 15-miler. No big deal, I do it all the time.

And speaking of mind games, watch out for self-imposed limits. I was one of those kids picked last in gym, scrawny, and nerdy and brainy on top of it. Notice that “athletic” is not on that list. At some times during this year I had to remind myself that I can do this. I still don’t think I’m athletic, but I am fit, strong, and healthy.

Now, I should say that I was not totally pain-free after the ride. About two hours after, I crashed and I slept very soundly. That night and until about mid-day the next day, my body was a little stiff and pretty tired. But considering that I expected to be dragging myself to the 45th mile, a little soreness after the fact seemed like a victory.

The next big event for me will be the Adore Your City bike ride. I’m not sure if I’ll do all 4 routes, though. I suspect that me and my clunky hybrid may be struggling to keep up with the group speed, so it depends on how that goes. Will I see any Rocbike readers there?

After a powerful Earth Day sermon that echoed many of the themes in Michael Pollan’s recent call to each individual to do something about climate change, and included a mention of the Rochester Chicken Club (of which I am a proud member–watch my personal blog for more on that topic), I came out to find this on my parked bike.

And this week, on my ride to yoga class, where I met my daughter, my new Ortlieb panniers managed the task of carrying our two yoga mats admirably.

I splurged on the panniers after I decided that an XtraCycle is not right for me, at this point. (Sorry, Jason!) An XtraCycle is great if you want to be able to give someone else a ride, but my 17 and 19-year olds aren’t likely to want to be seen on the back of their mom’s bike. And everyone else I might be traveling with would likely ride their own! So, I got the panniers instead; they hold plenty of groceries and are very easy to use. I recommend them if you’re in the market.

Bikes, chickens, and yoga…together here on RocBike.

Well, in a little behind-the-scenes conversation at Team RocBike, Jason actually accused us of having become…motorists (due to the paucity of posting here of late). Jack, as is his right, responded with righteous indignation.

I, however, did not. Sad to say, my winter months were full of more driving than cycling. My excuses? I took on an extra teaching gig in the ‘burbs, necessitating several 13 hour days with no way to be everywhere I needed to by bike (or bus) commute; I have a 17-year old daughter who required (until she recently got her license) rides for herself, her trumpet, and her 20 pound backpack to various musical performances and events throughout the 7-county area; and, well…I don’t like to bike on ice, which is mostly what we had throughout January and February. (p.s. if you think I’m exaggerating about the length of my days, the weight of DD’s backpack, or the locations of her performances…I’m not.)

So now I atone for my sins (and you get to help!). I’m participating in the Adore Your City bike ride and community service project to raise funds (and do some physical labor) for Rochester’s “Clean Sweep” project. I have to raise at least $180! Please consider sponsoring me through PayPal, at my45thyear@yahoo.com.

Our friends over at Full Moon Vista are organizing the ride. Registration deadline was April 1…I don’t know if they’re still taking riders or not, but give them a call if you’re interested in riding yourself!

Here’s to much more riding in April!

Not THAT kind of sex!

In a recent round-up of “Links of the Day,” Gordon Price at planetizen.com quotes columnist Thomas Friedman:

“Being green, focusing the nation on greater energy efficiency and conservation, is not some girlie-man issue. It is actually the most tough-minded, geostrategic, pro-growth and patriotic thing we can do….”

Friedman goes on to comment about our current leaders: “when it comes … to making ourselves energy efficient and independent, and environmentally green - they ridicule it as something only liberals, tree-huggers and sissies believe is possible or necessary.” In Price’s words, the underlying message is,” Real men don’t ride bikes.”

Does environmental sustainability have to be justified in terms of its supposed masculinity? Conservation is only okay as long as it’s “pro-growth,” “patriotic,” and “tough-minded”?

Of course, not all who ride bikes are doing it for environmental sustainability. For some, it’s simply an athletic exercise, a sport; it’s about competition, equipment, gear, speed, duration, and length (oops, my mind drifted to the other meaning of sex for a moment).

Anyway, I imagine for many RocBike readers, some level of commitment to reducing our contribution to environmental degradation is also a factor in our cycling.

This all reminds me of a conversation I had with media critic and anti-violence activist Jackson Katz (who will be speaking at the MCC Damon City Campus on April 30–email me for details) during the 2004 presidential election, who spoke of the role of gender in that campaign. He has a new lecture, in which he analyzes “images like George Bush in the flight suit, Kerry as a war hero, Michael Dukakis in the tank, Reagan on horseback and Clinton as a good ol’ boy … and shows how male voters are powerfully influenced by cultural constructs of presidential masculinity.” Listen to the language of the current campaign for how stereotypically “masculine” characteristics are spoken of, and, in a new twist, how the view of those characteristics changes based on the sex of the candidate.

And while you’re at it, pay attention to the culture of cycling. What characteristics are valued? What voices are heard? And, if we’re being honest, do we sometimes work to present ourselves in the “butchest” way possible, even when it might be a bit of a stretch?

I’ve been writing quite a bit lately at my blog about issues that affect women. Here’s one I hadn’t gotten to. The message I take from the kind of rhetoric by Friedman: Ladies, we may as well take our overly sensitive, on-the-rag, crybaby selves somewhere else, because we’re just in the way of the real men getting on with the geostrategic work of saving our planet. Nothing we need to worry our pretty little heads about.

Oh, and you girlie-men, tree-huggers, liberals, and sissies? Come on over to our little corner. You may not be women, but in the political rhetoric, you’re a little too much like us, and therefore just as easily dismissed.

So, I was driving along listening to holiday music on WARM 101.3, and on comes John Tesh. (Okay, that’s a sentence you won’t often hear from me.) Anyway, he does these little segments on the radio called “Music and Intelligence for Your Life.” Maybe you all knew about this? Me, if it’s not on NPR or in the Utne Reader, I pretty much don’t know about it. (Well, just so you don’t think I’m a total stereotypical liberal The Socialist Worker makes its way into our household occasionally as well.)

To my surprise, he gave a plug for a book called How to Live Well without Owning a Car by Chris Balish. If you’re reading RocBike, you probably don’t need this book. But if you’re looking to give a nudge to someone in your life who’s looking to make some changes, this is a good book. Recognizing that not everyone is able and/or ready to go completely car-free, he also gives good tips and examples of going “car-lite.”

There are also some interesting factoids, to wit:

–40% of car trips are two miles or less.

–80% are within eight miles of home.

–49% of Americans live within one mile of a transit stop.

–Every time a cyclist makes a four-mile round trip commute by bike rather than car, she prevents 15 pounds of toxic tailpipe emissions from entering the air.

Good talking points for more sane commuting options.

I also read The Art of Urban Cycling: Lessons from the Street, which is linked over there in the sidebar. Our local library only has one copy in all of its branches, and it took me 2 months to get it. Right now 4 people have it on hold.

It was well worth the wait. A former bike messenger, the author contrasts the vehicular-cycling principle (bike as though you’re operating a motor vehicle) with the invisible cyclist principle (assume that no one sees you but acknowledge that you are vulnerable). The first advice I got on commuting was “bike like a vehicle.” But that never sat quite right with me. Most of the time I bike like a vehicle, but there are times when there’s no way I’m gonna share the road with hundreds of people in SUV’s who just got off work and have one thing on their mind…get on 490 and get the hell home. This book made me feel more confident in my urban cycling “style,” and also presented a lot of situations I hadn’t considered that I should be prepared to deal with.

One caveat–this book is not for the new, faint-of-heart cyclist. Had I read it right after my daughter’s accident, I may never have gotten back on a bike. There’s a whole section on injuries, which basically says…you’re gonna get hurt, get ready for it. While that may be a badge of honor to some, I prefer to stay as much in one piece as possible.

He skillfully weaves in cycling history, research about cities and what makes communities work (and how bikes contribute to that), and effective cycling strategies, with a realistic attitude (don’t expect car drivers to change,the modern city isn’t going anywhere fast, deal with it and take responsibility for keeping yourself as safe as possible).

These quotes encapsulate his philosophy: “Bicycling is better. Life is too precious to spend it in a car,” and his last admonition to readers, “Be considerate to other road users, especially the noncyclists, poor fellows. Ride with fear and joy.”

All in all, you should read it…me, I’m going to pay the out-of-print price to have my very own copy.

p.s. What’s up with bicycle tag? Was my picture too blurry? Have you all given up? Has the cold gotten to you? Have I really stumped you?

Although I have many reasons not to move away from Rochester, if I do ever move, it will be to Toronto. I took a brief trip there over the holidays and it has tons of resources for both crafting and cycling. I’ll stick to the cycling aspects here.

First of all, bike lanes, lots of them.

Second, community-based resources for bicycling.

Third, cool cycling art.

There were also bike racks everywhere, and in every store, there were people who were clearly using their bikes as their primary form of transportation. On top of that, electricity-powered streetcars, a bus system, AND a subway.

And to top it all off, a a 10-year Bike Plan. They’re having a Coldest Day of the Year ride on January 30, their statistically coldest day of the year.

With a burgeoning bike culture here, and steps to reduce climate change, including “Curb Your Car Week” coming from Brighton, dare I hope for such amenities here in Rochester?

What do you think?

Those of you who are experienced racers, cyclo-tourists, or intermediate-long distance cyclists, you may want to move along, unless you enjoy feeling superior to us neophytes (in which case, go right ahead!). For those of you who, like me, are re-discovering cycling, bike mostly for transportation, and are looking forward to more and more cycling, perhaps you will learn from my experience today.

A re-cap: when I turned 44 this past May, I set myself a few goals, one of which is to complete a 45-mile bike ride before my 45th birthday. There have been many benefits to setting this goal, beyond the achievement of the goal itself, which I have written about before here at RocBike. Still, once I set a goal, I don’t let go of it. I ‘ve wanted to do it before the cold winter months of Rochester, because I know it will be harder to get out on my bike as the winter progresses.

So, I set out today with high hopes, planning to bike from Fairport to Newark along the Erie Canalway Trail. I even emailed Jack for a recommendation for a good diner along the way for our midway break. My partner Tanya, also a cyclist, came with me, and a fellow cyclist shot our starting photo at the Canal Park in Fairport.

I’ll cut right to the chase. I didn’t get to 45 miles. I did, however, learn a few things which I’m passing along to you.

Lesson One: When setting out with a specific goal in mind, be familiar with the route. I’ve ridden various sections of the Erie Canalway Trail, but not this one. The terrain was not what I expected…(wet) crushed cinders. (Actually, my book Cycling the Erie Canal describes it as “stone dust.”) I expected the cinders, but hadn’t considered the effect of the recent wet weather on the surface. At times it felt like I was biking in sand. You can see the mud that’s splashed up on my bike (along with the remnants of Thanksgiving’s snow).

Lesson Two: Park midway, not at the beginning/end. Tanya’s a faster cyclist than me, and I caught up with her munching on her apple at Palmyra’s Aqueduct Park.

When I told her that we were 1/4 of the way done, she uttered some words from which I will spare you. She hated biking on the surface we were on. What’s more, when we did the math, we realized that we were going quite a bit slower than usual (I was biking about 60-75% of my usual MPH), and that there was no way we could get to Newark and back to the car before nightfall. Not wanting to bike after dark on the unlighted canal, since we both have headlights more useful for being seen by others than illuminating darkness, we came up with Plan B. Bike back to Fairport, have lunch there, then bike on to Genesee Valley Park, on a paved portion of the trail, and BACK to Fairport to the 45-mile mark.

Lesson Three: Give yourself plenty of time. While our new plan seemed reasonable, there was another thing we hadn’t considered…the wind. The weather forecast had predicted gusts 15-20 MPH. I didn’t think it would be too bad, but we were biking right into it. The last 6 miles to Fairport felt like twice that.

The clock was ticking as I got to Fairport Village Coffee…

T. was already ensconced with a cup of coffee. We ordered some veggie chili and a portabella panini, plus I got myself a ginger soy decaf latte (all were excellent, by the way). And then we both agreed that we were done for the day. We would have had to really push it to finish before dark. It made me feel a little better that she, the stronger and faster athlete, was achy and tired, too. She had just biked her usual 20-mile route yesterday and had felt fine. We could only guess that the combination of the terrain and wind, quite frankly, were just more than we were ready for, given the time we had given ourselves to complete the ride.

Lesson Four: When at first you don’t succeed…you know the rest. I was disappointed at first that I didn’t make it. But really, I have 6 months to make it happen. It will be incentive to keep in shape and keep biking! Considering that, until I set myself this challenge, biking 8 miles was about as much as I was willing to push myself, and then only in warm weather, I feel okay about it. It will happen! Can’t you tell by the look on my face, at 24.24 miles?

On the RocBike podcasts, Jason refers to me as the “knitting cyclist.” Actually, I should write that as the “Knitting cyclist.” Note the capital “K.” There are knitters who knit more than me, knit better than me, have knit for longer than me. But that doesn’t mean they are a Knitter. Knitting with a capital “K” means you have a Knitting Identity. Inevitably, you have gone through the painful stages of:

–questioning (will my family still accept me as a Knitter?);

–isolation and reaching out to community (where can I meet other Knitters like me?);

–acceptance (okay, I’m a Knitter, now what?);

–coming out and proud (I knit wherever and whenever I please, damn it, and you will just have to deal with it! This phase also often includes the procurement and display of various knitting-related tools, jewelry, and bumper stickers); and

–identity synthesis (yes, I’m a Knitter, but I’m also many other things…don’t fence me in).

Today it occurred to me that I may be in the process of becoming a Commuting Cyclist. I needed to run some errands, which could have been done quite easily by bike. But it was a bit rainy, I was tired and pressed for time, and I thought, “Oh, what the heck. I do my part to save the planet. Today I want to drive!”

Wouldn’t you know, while in Abundance Co-op, I ran into Jack, still with his helmet on. Oh, the shame!

But it was more than shame that sparked this realization of a newly-forming identity. On the drive home, I really did wish that I had biked. It would have been so easy, it wasn’t raining that hard, and the fresh air would have helped me wake up.

I see some more bumper stickers in my future. Do you think they make any that say “Knitting Cyclist”?

–Biking with others makes you feel more empowered on the road and gets you more respect from drivers.

–Wind Chill isn’t just a stat that the TV meteorologists (who take an approach to weather that can only be described as “weather as horror flick”) came up with to scare us into watching their forecasts (and accompanying ads).

I left the house this afternoon in 50 degree weather, with only Lycra tights (yes, I do own Lycra, but in my defense it was purchased in the 1980’s…and although in perfectly good shape, is in the fashion of the 80’s), a tank top, and a cycling jacket. When I stepped outside it was downright temperate. When I started biking, I realized it was a bit windy. My uncovered ears and fingertips were FREEZING! Next time, I’ll make sure the extremities are well-protected.

–Give the bike a good once-over every time you ride.

That would be a picture of my rear reflector caught between my back tire and my frame. It came off during today’s ride. I was in a rocky area, and I thought maybe I had a rock caught in the spokes. All of a sudden I couldn’t move AT ALL. Had that happened in traffic or going downhill…yikes. Major wipeout.

–It’s all about the gear.

I finally got some Power Grips (and new pedals) put on my bike by the good people at Full Moon Vista, along with a new helmet, which is much more comfortable and lightweight. So much more comfortable for head and toe.

–Brighton has a new park! I accessed it off the Erie Canalway Trail, just east of Clinton Avenue.

I took my kids to many soccer games at Meridian Centre Park, back in the day. They’ve recently added a trail and boardwalk system (still under construction, I believe) through wetlands adjacent to the fields. Note to soccer and baseball parents: This would be a great place to explore in between games.

–I can’t get enough of nature this fall…I find the colors intensely inspiring. I think someone famous already said this, but it seems to me that art is just our inadequate way of trying to capture the inherent beauty (including the starkness of decay and death, soon to come) of the natural world around us.

–Crows start their pre-roosting activity as early as 3:45 pm this time of the year. (That’s when they start to gather to fly to their roosting site, where they will sleep for the night.) There’s a reason that Halloween decorations always conjure images of crows. This is the time of year, after families have been raised, that they begin gathering in flocks at night. Pay attention the next time you notice a bunch of crows gathering. The noise coming from a large group of crows is quite impressive.

Not that I need any more reasons to bike, but it’s worth remembering that I wouldn’t have learned any of these from inside a motor vehicle.

I’ve been cycling off and on since forever, but when I started working within two miles of my home, two years ago, I began to bike more frequently. It seemed ridiculous to get in my car and contribute to the melting ice caps, all to go a distance that I could get to just as quickly on bike as by car. That led to running errands, visiting friends, going food shopping, all on bike. Since my 45th year challenge, I’ve stepped up the cycling even more. It all started when Pat from the Rochester Bicycling Club wished me a happy birthday, and suggested that I should bike my age in miles.

I thought, I can do that…in fact, I probably could have done it that day (which was my 44th birthday), but it undoubtedly would have hurt. I’m going for the low-pain ride…so, in addition to the daily cycling, I’m going for longer and longer rides on the weekends. My goal is to do the 45-miler over Thanksgiving weekend.

But there are other reasons that keep me biking, beyond the first motivation of cutting my carbon footprint and the second of celebrating this turning point year, in which I can finally feel myself relaxing into the sheer unpredictability of life.

I keep biking because it connects me to my neighborhood, my community. For example, I take night classes at the University of Rochester, also only two miles from my home. Most of my classmates (like me) are full-time employees and part-time students. They say that they don’t really feel that connected to the graduate program, because they drive in and drive out, often in darkness…straight from the parking lot to the classroom, and back again.

On the other hand, I bike up Mt. Hope Avenue, alongside the Genesee River, past the UR tennis courts and apartments, past the library, and behind the academic quad to my classroom. On this ride I think often of my former father-in-law, now gone for fifteen years, who worked at UR for many years. When I first met him, he gave me a tour of the campus and told me its history. I’ve forgotten most of it, but I do remember that where the campus stands was once a golf course. I often picture that golf course and think fondly of him, one of the most loving and ethical people I have ever met.

On Halloween, I saw undergrads in costume heading out for the night on the UR bus, graduate students in the library (probably oblivious to the fact that it was Halloween), and on the way back, I biked parallel with another student heading from campus to our neighborhood. (Actually, I passed her going up the hill on McLean, and since she was half my age, this made me quite pleased with myself.)

It really does make me feel connected to be on my bike, instead of ensconced and climate-controlled in a car. And to be perfectly honest, there’s nothing like bike commuting to give you that slight, “I’m so cool AND I’m doing the right thing” tinge of self-righteousness. I might be overtaken by the self-righteousness if I weren’t having so much fun noticing the changing of the seasons and feeling the strength in my body that comes from propelling yourself rather than letting a motor do it.

And speaking of strength, I’m also noticing a huge leap in my strength and endurance. My 20-mile bike ride last weekend felt like nothing, even without padded bike shorts! (For more on the significance of that last detail, see Hubris.)

As the weather turns cold, I’m wondering if I can maintain this level of cycling throughout the winter. For one thing, I have to dress “professionally” for my job, and carrying the layers of clothing needed to change into, along with the layers I’ll need to wear, feels like a bit much. For another, money put into the current bike to outfit it for winter is money that can’t go towards an XtraCycle next year! I’m counting on the RocBike community to give me the right tips and help me keep the motivation to keep it up!

Speak up in the comments–why do YOU bike?

While I was browsing today on my lunch hour at Greenwood Books, I got a chance to hear Mayor Duffy on our local NPR affiliate, WXXI. He was on the talk show, 1370 Connection.

A caller complained about there being too many cyclists on downtown sidewalks. Mayor Duffy agreed, and said, “I’m really interested in creating bike lanes downtown for bicyclists.” Okay, that quote may not be his exact words, but you get the gist.

So, let’s hold the Mayor accountable to his words…emails, letters, phone calls…maybe a more organized effort, particularly in light of Jack’s comments about the Midtown Plaza site.

This essay is part of RocBike.com’s contribution to Blog Action Day

According to The Consumer’s Guide to Effective Environmental Choices from the Union of Concerned Scientists, the 3 priority areas for consumers in reducing environmental impact are: transportation, food, and household operations. These are the 3 areas in which individual consumers can have the most impact, with transportation being numero uno.

The 5 specific recommended actions to reduce your transportation impact are:

1. Choose a place to live that reduces the need to drive.

2. Think twice before purchasing another car.

3. Choose a fuel-efficient, low-polluting car.

5. Whenever practical, walk, BICYCLE, or take public transportation.

I admire people who are completely car-free, and aspire to be one some day. But I haven’t quite figured out how to make that happen. I have been able to figure out how to: live less than 2 miles from my place of work, drive a 12-year old car that’s well-maintained (at least as far as keeping it running clean; don’t talk to me about the rust), bike, walk, or bus whenever feasible (inconvenience is not allowed as an excuse, but needing to go to off-campus meetings, pick up and deliver offspring, carry very heavy loads, are allowed reasons for driving).

If you ask me, a much more environmentally significant question than paper or plastic is: Do you absolutely have to drive? Put another way: Bike, walk, or bus?

p.s. Another reason why paper or plastic is the wrong question–your own re-usable cloth bag is a better answer.

“You just couldn’t wait for one more car, could you, cutie?” Those were the words thrust at me by a man in a passing car on Route 9 outside Provincetown, Massachusetts. My daughter, in sweet naivete, said, “Weren’t you a little bit flattered?” Oh my, no. First of all, I am 44 years old…I have not been “a cutie” for at least 30, and possibly 40 years. And even if it were some other term that I thought more accurately captured my uniqueness (incredibly sexy, brilliant, and charming come to mind), it still wouldn’t have been flattering.

Here’s the scenario: I was exiting to the right out of our campground, and I needed to get immediately into the left turn lane to go into P-town. I waited on the shoulder for the passing cars, and pulled out when there was an appropriate distance between me and the next car, but apparently, this particular man felt that I should have waited for him individually before deigning to proceed onto the highway.

His comment to me was meant not as a compliment, but as a way to remind me of his dominance, both as a man and as a car-driver. He was communicating to me that in his view, my right to take up space was contingent upon not being in HIS way.

I had a similar experience biking to work on a recent Saturday. I was biking on a nearly vacant Clinton Avenue, heading north towards Main St., when a man driving a truck flew by me, honking, again as though to communicate that I didn’t belong on the roads.

However, I would be remiss if I suggested that only male drivers are capable of such aggression towards cyclists. A car nearly clipped me the other day, because the driver felt she had to get as close to me as possible so that she could be on her way without a nanosecond of delay.

All this has caused me to reflect on the amount of aggression people have as they go about their daily commuting and errands. All you have to do is watch an SUV commercial to get a sense of the connection between aggression and driving,–the bigger the car, the more of a bully, it seems to me.

Of course, there are aggressive cyclists as well, but for the most part, the only people they risk injuring are themselves. Not so with drivers. And what’s ironic to me is that cycling is such a huge stress reliever (except for the aforementioned incidents). Spending time in the natural world is a proven stress-reliever, as is moving your body a farther distance than your house to your garage to your workplace parking lot to your desk (and back again). Perhaps if those drivers would spend more time outside, take a walk, hike, or bike ride, they would have less aggression to direct at us cyclists!

p.s. for a more scenic and less cynical perspective on my cycling in Cape Cod, see my blog.

Jason’s note: I’ve asked a number of people to contribute essays to RocBike.com. Today’s essay is from one of Rochester’s busiest Action Moms. She’s an educator, activist, knitter of yarns, spinner of tales, and blogger of blogs. Ladies and gentleman … Julie White.

Several recent posts in the bike-o-sphere (#1, #2) argue that bicycling is an extremely safe form of transportation, backed by facts such as recent data indicating that bike-car accidents account for only 2% of traffic accidents.

I can‘t argue with the data. But safety is first and foremost an emotional issue. Intense emotions like fear don’t respond to facts. Just think back to the days after 9/11 when fear drove our political decisions. We ignored these facts (among others): Osama bin Laden not connected to Iraq. No evidence of weapons of mass destruction. Why? Because “we can’t let the terrorists take away our way of life … homeland security, etc., etc.” Stay with me … that’s the end of my anti-war rant. But the point is … fear is a powerful emotion and it takes an equally powerful counterforce to deal with it.

Back to the relatively more solvable issue of bike safety. Everything in life brings an element of risk, and to deny that is counter-productive. In fact, bring up the issue of safety with any seasoned cyclist, and they’ll tell you any number of near misses they’ve had, while simultaneously touting the safety of cycling. (For an example of this, go to Ken Kifer’s page here. His accounts of the many crashes he’s narrowly missed are enough to make a novice question if cycling is really worth it.)

Yet we … those of us reading RocBike.com … continue cycling. Why? Because of the experience of cycling itself. Experience is far more persuasive than raw data any day.
When I was twelve years old, my family moved to a new town, and I had my first experience of cycling, exploring the town on my bike, helmet- and care-free. Since then, experience has led me to be more careful and always helmeted.

First, I knew a guy in college who missed an entire year while recuperating from a cycling accident. He was without brain trauma only because he had been wearing a helmet. Then, another college friend was killed while bicycling, hit by an eighteen-wheeler in her small Ohio hometown, who didn’t see her as he turned right.

Finally, my ten-year-old daughter was clipped by a hit-and-run driver, a half-block from home. (The police found the sixteen-year old driver a few blocks away, unlicensed and driving an uninsured and unregistered car.) I was biking with her at the time, and told her that it was safe to turn left. I didn’t see the driver, probably due to a combination of a jog in the road and the speed at which she was traveling. It was literally as though she came out of nowhere. My daughter was thrown off the bike. She was wearing a helmet, and after a few hours in the emergency room and a couple of days of R and R, she was fine.

I, on the other hand, was not. While I know intellectually that life, including cycling, is inherently full of dangers, the risk of cycling just didn‘t seem worth it after that. I used to get panicky just approaching the intersection of the accident.

Obviously, I did finally get back out on my bike, propelled solely by the memory of how much fun it was. I started by going out on trails, then eventually on roads on slow traffic days, then finally to fairly normal urban biking habits. I now commute to work and on errands whenever possible and ride recreationally on a regular basis.

In the end, you could give me statistics out the wazoo about bike safety, but the only thing that really made a difference was getting some positive cycling experiences to overshadow the one surreal and terrifying memory of my daughter on the pavement.

So, if you want to convince someone, say — just for the sake of argument — a mother, that cycling is safe, don’t tell her that only 662 people die in cycling accidents each year. She knows that those 662 people each had mothers, and the fact that they accounted for only 2% of traffic accidents is of absolutely no consolation.

No, just make it easy for mom to get out on her bike. Start before she’s a mom by providing lots of opportunities for bicycling and bike safety education in public schools. Make wearing a helmet when biking as natural as wearing a winter coat when it’s cold out. After she’s grown up, make sure there’s a bike path nearby, so she can take her bike somewhere she feels safe and remember the girlhood freedom her bike brought her. Provide a public education campaign for motor vehicle drivers about co-existing safely with bike traffic, so she knows there’s not only education but also social support for bicycling. Put bike lanes in, so that when she takes to the road, she feels as safe as possible.

Whatever you do, don’t minimize her fears. She’ll only think you couldn’t possibly understand and dig her heels in even more.

Of course, not all mothers would have developed the same level of fear as me. And certainly the fear of losing a beloved child or family member is by no means the sole terrain of mothers.

I can only speak to what I know. I know that the health and safety of my children are gut-wrenchingly important to me. And I know that cycling benefits the environment and my health. All I needed was a reminder that cycling is fun, that it makes me feel connected to the natural world and to my neighborhood, and that it’s a great way to begin and end my day. Those are things we can all share in.

If you want to be an advocate for bicycling, my recommendation is this — leave the data for the pundits. Get on your bike, and take someone cycling with you. The rest of it will follow.