Posts Tagged ‘sustainable transportation’

My latest and probably, biggest discovery while commuting. Yes, that’s weed!

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I, and a few friends, rode our bikes to the Grizzlies game this past Friday. This activity was planned as part of NBA ‘Green Week’. While I definitely appreciate the Grizzlies using resources to support this ride, I definitely feel there could be some green, and other, improvements made to the ride.

We (the riders) met at the First Congressional Church in Cooper-Young. Most of the riders arrived from somewhere outside of Memphis in undesirable vehicles. The ride to the game was also supported by the Grizzlies van and six large Memphis Police motorcycles. Does it sound green yet?

The ride started with the roar of the motorcycle escort followed by the cyclists rolling out in a long stream. It was clear from the start that the cops hadn’t supported a fun ride previously. The pace out of the gate was clearly too fast. I’ll always be completely confused at why people show up to a fun ride with $5000 road bikes in full lycra and push the pace at the front. This seemed to be the case with this ride. A Memphis Farmer’s Market-ride couple was quickly left behind and abandoned the ride.

Although wildly strung out, the ride to the FedEx Forum was enjoyable. Only one undesirable vehicle locked up its brakes trying to avoid one of our police escorts.

The game was fun and I enjoyed my buddies’ company. The Grizzlies managed the Mavericks in a tight game until the end when they prevailed by a decent margin.

The ride home after the game was enjoyable as well. It was definitely cool to see so many riders with all of the different lighting systems moving down the road in a long string. I’m sure we looked like a rolling Christmas tree. Of course, on the way home we were also escorted – this time by two V-8 powered undesirable vehicles. The escorts seemed to thoroughly enjoy gunning their engines and racing to stop traffic at the next light. We all probably smoked the equivalent of two packs of cigarettes on the way home.

Despite the undeniably ‘ungreen’ aspects of the ride, I really do appreciate the efforts of the Grizzlies, The Peddler, other cycling clubs and Jason Potter, the ride organizer. The south, and the Midwest where I’m from, are not the greenest minded and I think rides like these funded by prominent organizations are a step in the right direction. I just hope in future rides we can further ‘green’ our green rides. I also feel that we would do well to conduct the ride without any sort of police escort. These rides are opportunities for new riders to learn from more experienced riders how to ride safely on the road, how to ride in close proximity to other riders, how to communicate with other riders and how to obey traffic laws.

I get depressed about the automobile culture in which I live.  I’ve ridden my bike in Memphis for almost two years now and it seems I’ve had virtually no impact on the transportation choices people make.  A lot of people, mostly at work, have said they admire that I ride my bike.  Yet, I’ve had no one join me or even said, “I’m now carpooling with a friend because I agree cars have a negative impact on the environment.”  Even my friend who rode with me to work several times last fall hasn’t expressed any interest in bike commuting again (I’ll give him that he has been having some knee problems).

I wonder when we stopped thinking that undesirable vehicle exhaust was not pollution.  I wonder when we stopped caring about the clothes we wear and how much we weighed, because if we have enough money we’ll just wrap a nice car around us.  I wonder when we stopped caring about our communities.  I wonder when was the last time we could step outside and not hear the sound of an undesirable vehicle.  I wonder when was it we last looked at the stars without them being blurred or dimmed by air and light pollution.  I wonder if people really realize how violent an undesirable vehicle feels and sounds when passing only a few feet from you.  I wonder if we’ll ever go forward enough to allow us to go back.  I wonder if anyone thinks about anything at all.

I feel like I’m doing the right thing by riding my bike almost everywhere I go.  I wonder what Memphis and other cities would be like if even 20% of others rode their bike or took sustainable transportation.  I don’t think that will ever happen in my lifetime.  I guess change takes time.  All I can do is hope.  Besides, I can’t bear the thought of driving an undesirable vehicle everywhere.

I’m not your typical bike commuter, if there is actually such a thing. I unfortunately do not live close enough to work to make my commute door to door. Instead, I drive part way to a local mall and climb out of the valley it is in for a nice little 700 feet of climbing in just under 8 miles one way. Until this year, the same bike I raced in crits and road races was the same I used for my commutes. I don’t have fenders, nor any of the commuter-specific gear. I wear my team kits/gear, and take my hilly commutes as way to force training into an otherwise hectic and busy day, finding sprint points on the rolling hills of Raleigh, North Carolina.

But for me, bike commuting has a lot more value than simply the health and daily training benefits. Obviously, it’s a great way to burn less fuel and save some wear and tear on your vehicle. But even that is a secondary perk for me. The days I bike to and from work are just a little better than those in my car. Cycling into the office is a completely refreshing and almost cleansing way for me to start and end the day. It clears the mind a bit and washes the stresses and annoyances away for the day.

Every road and mountain biker alike will recognize how routes look different by bike versus by a four-wheeled vehicle. I bike some of the same roads I drive in on, but you get to see things from a different perspective – partially because you’re moving at a slower pace (usually, but not always) and are at a different height, but being in the open air of a pedal-powered transport also allows you to literally smell the roses, notice homes, landscapes and some really scenic sunrises and sunsets. You notice and experience things that you’re totally oblivious to enclosed in your car.

While bike commuting isn’t feasible for everyone, I really think everyone should at least try to give it a shot once. Granted, some are too far from home to do a complete route to and from work, but there are plenty of park and ride lots and safe public parking to leave a vehicle behind, like I do. Bike commuting is different than your group rides with its own unique goal — getting from here to there, and then back again. Everyone is different, but for me, the combination of sights, sounds and smells coupled with the physical aspects of starting and ending the work day spinning on my road bikes is a completely rewarding daily ritual.

I don’t believe in calling the wifey to come and pick me up in our undesirable vehicle when I have a mechanical on the commute.  While most of the stuff I carry is rarely used, I don’t leave home without them.  Here they are:

1)       Park Tool multi-purpose tool  – all the hex wrenches, tire levers, chain tool, etc.

2)      Spare tube – you never know when you might have a puncture in an un-reparable location.  Plus, I don’t like repairing tubes on the road as I am too impatient and I usually bungle the job.

3)      Permanent patch kit

4)      Temporary patch kit – it bailed me out last week when I bungled two permanent patches.  I don’t like these kits (See my review of Slime Skabs) but they can be handy sometimes.

5)      MTB pump – because I ride MTB tires to work

6)      Cell phone – it’s nice to have as backup in case you do have a mechanical that is not possibly repaired on the road.  I’ve only had to use my phone once but despite being home my wife didn’t answer her telephone and thus was no help at all.  A friend saw me walking my bike and pulled over.  Reason I called:  Had a flat, changed it, started pumping only to realize my pump was broken.  Since I ride Presta valves, the gas station pump was no help either.

7)      Spoke wrench

8)   Aluminum tire lever – I don’t like to take the Park Tool apart and I always seem to break plastic levers, like the park tool levers.  I only carry one because I’ve lost (or my kids have lost) all of my others and I never need more than one anyway.