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Come join the Wednesday ride!

It’s Wednesday, and so it’s time for another installment of the Wednesday Ride. There’s still a chance of more thunderstorms this evening, so use your best judgment when deciding whether or not to ride. I’ll plan on being present at the start no matter what. Otherwise, it’s the usual details for today.

We meet at 5:30 by the Flagpole, roll out at ~5:45, and if you’re running late let me know (before 5:20, e-mail rebeccmeister@gmail.com, otherwise my cell number is 480 734 fifty-five, thirty-five).

We’re still an intermediate-paced ride, structured as a series of sprints, averaging around 16 mph for 32 miles total (that will take 2 hours and change).  We regroup at the end of each section to make sure no one gets lost or left behind, and there’s a stop at a gas station partway in to refuel (ha!).  If you’re feeling frisky and reach regroup points fast, you can always add bonus miles by U-turning and doing additional laps.  Why not?

Route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4665389
 
Bring water (2 bottles recommended), strap on your helment, fire up your bike lights, check to make sure you’ve got a snack and your toolbag, and join us!

Biking basics for folks who’ve always wanted to ride, but didn’t dare [VIDEO] | Grist

Check out the fun ‘getting started’ video from our friends at Grist:

By Daniel Penner

You say you want to get around the city without spending the $9,000 to maintain and operate a car each year, and maybe get some exercise while you’re at it? You don’t have that kind of cash. And you know, the planet. But those bike lanes can look pretty intimidating, with all the mustachioed hipsters on their superbad fixies, the spandex-clad adrenaline junkies, and the cars whizzing by.

What you need is a video that squeezes basic bicycle skills into four action-packed minutes, replete with a sick sound track and just maybe a crazy stunt or two.

Well, you’re in luck:

Daniel Penner is Grist’s intern.

via Biking basics for folks who’ve always wanted to ride, but didn’t dare [VIDEO] | Grist.

Cycling for all

Here’s a recent article about reaching out to lower-income riders, based on survey data collected in two lower-income neighborhoods in Washington, D.C.. The writers conclude that

Cycling just isn’t popular among the urban poor (yet). In 2012, respondents ranked cycling seventh out of nine transport modes, ahead of only taxis and bike sharing. Cycling barriers included poor road safety, poor or lacking infrastructure (e.g. bike lanes, racks, or storage), distance, and physical exertion. In 2013, respondents reported more than 30 barriers to cycling or walking. Physical safety (32.6 percent), distance (30 percent) and comfort/cold/sweating (25.4 percent) were the most common objections. Other barriers included the difficulty of carrying bulky items, work attire, not knowing how to ride, theft risk, poor health or disability, the slower speed, “laziness,” and a lack of desire. One respondent said, simply, “I just want a car.”

The article continues with some thoughtful approaches to addressing the different transportation priorities of people of different socioeconomic status as well. What do you think this could all mean for the sake of promoting bicycling and other forms of alternative transportation in places like College Station and Bryan?