Ride to work. Ride to breakfast/lunch/dinner. Ride to an event. Yes, all of these are possible, but only if you’ve been awakened to the fact that the bicycle in your garage can be so much more than a fitness device. Before my own awakening, back in the early part of 2008, I actually remember worrying about things like “how would [...]
“He walked in a nonchalant fashion, and his bicycle went with him as if it were a live thing.” — D.H. Lawrence, Sons & Lovers Bikes mean a lot to the folks that ride them. Some folks even give their bicycle a name. This is no surprise, of course, since bicycles play a variety of roles in people’s lives – [...]
Last Fall, my family and I took an Amtrak Train to Chicago. We decided against a rental car and chose to walk, use public transportation or flag a taxi when we needed to get around. Instead of stressing out about finding a parking space or paying parking fees, we explored quite a bit of Chicago on two feet…no, we experienced [...]
At the end of August, I successfully taught my first Traffic Skills 101 class to six enthusiastic San Antonio cyclists. This bicycle safety course is taught by League Cycling Instructors and is part of the League of American Bicyclists’ Smart Cycling program. It was a great experience on many levels: I got to spend a lot of time sharing my [...]
Goals, especially public ones that you share on social networking sites like Facebook & Twitter, are great. They set a clear target and are constantly staring back at you to keep you moving. They also constantly hold you accountable for an end result. You also get the encouragement of friends and family that can really make the difference when the [...]
To put things in perspective, Rutherford B. Hayes was President when the League of American Wheelmen was founded in 1880. Bicyclists, referred to simply as “wheelmen”, formed the League to advocate for for paved roads and to band together against antagonism from horsemen, wagon drivers and others. The Wright Brothers and John D. Rockefeller were members of the League. Last weekend [...]
May is National Bike Month and I’ve been busy supporting activities at work to educate and engage employees about riding their bikes and in particular, bicycle commuting. I decided that in honor of “Bike Month” I’d set a goal for myself — 400 miles in 30 days. I succeeded at 300 miles in one month last May, completing about 333 [...]
Rumors of my abduction by aliens were greatly exaggerated. In all seriousness, the lack of blog updates has been a combination of an aggressive work schedule with associated travel, a bout of “the crud” which seems to be a vicious cold virus and a decent number of inclement weather days. A “perfect storm” that has put a big dent in [...]
The sounds of my three cats meowing and a much needed reminder from my wife ensured that I’d be making a trip yesterday to grab a new bag of our favorite cat food, Science Diet Hairball Control Light. Two of our cats are very furry and one is notorious for eating things. The “hairball control” has been a life-saver…but that’s [...]
During my bicycle commute home on Thursday afternoon, I rolled past the 2,000 mile mark. 2,000 miles of bicycling back and forth to work since January 1st, 2009. As a result of this milestone, I thought I’d pause and reflect for a moment. My primary reason for bicycle commuting, as I’ve said on more than one occasion, is to maintain [...]
