I have been made aware that May is National Bike Month. This is an actual event sponsored by the
League of American Bicyclists, about whom I knew nothing (despite being married to a cyclist for 37 years), but the internet is an awesome place for learning new things.
In fact, last week was Bike to Work Week, but I doubt that many folks around here were participating, unless they were wearing water wings. Come to think of it, you just don't see too many people cycling for transportation in Jamestown, ever. Kids have bikes (and I've seen lots of scooters), and there are the recreational cyclists.
But biking to work, to school, to the store? Not so much. The terrain around here can be a bit challenging, but there are routes that just about anybody can handle.
Rising gasoline prices and greater awareness of the environmental impact of fossil fuel use may be starting to change things.In crunchy, environmentally aware areas of the country like Portland, Oregon, they have
bike trains--where kids and their parents participate in a group ride to school one morning a week along a pre-planned route. What a refreshingly healthy idea!
And if handling the hills is an issue, there are electric bikes to give you a little extra zip. Available in both throttle and pedal assist versions, there are models ranging in price from several hundred to several thousand dollars. The eZip bike pictured retails for $499 and has a real rack-mounted rechargeable battery with a range of 15-20 miles. I have to tell you, this is looking pretty darned good to me.
Holly Loft has 4 basic group rides (depending on your riding ability) every Tuesday at 6 pm. They even have a racing team. I understand that there are also Saturday 9 am rides that leave from Ryder's Cup coffee in Lakewood, but I don't know anything about the abilities of these riders, so if you're interested, you should probably inquire before you set out. Just about all of them would leave me in the dust, I'm afraid. Unless I go electric.
Next time: REcycling.
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