Two Wheeling

Getting Ready for Ice Biking

It's time to start pulling out the ice biking gear in anticipation of cycling through my 5th winter. One of my shifters wore out, so my bike's parked at Baer Wheels awaiting delivery of a replacement part. In the meantime, I'm riding Brandon's mountain bike and Corey's road bike. On the mountain bike I feel like I work twice as hard to go half as fast--other than that I like it.

We'll be looking to do another "closing day" ride soon to celebrate the close of the 2010 fair weather riding season. I'll post the details soon.  This has become something of a tradition, so I hope you can join us.

If you have a chance, please stop by the offices of Consider Biking (4041 N. High) tomorrow night between 5 and 7 pm for the public launch of our "2 by 2012" program.  25 companies have signed up as "early adopters" and we hope to have 10 times that number by this time next year. We'll be demoing our new Ridenet software and explaining all the resources Consider Biking has to help folks overcome the obstacles to biking to work. (We'll also have plenty of refreshments.) Hope to see you there!

You're Invited to be an "Early Adopter" of 2 By 2012

We (Consider Biking) received a significant grant from the Columbus Foundation to fund our bold "2 by 2012" initiative. Our measurable goal is to increase the bike commutes in CBus from the current 0.7% to 2.0% by the City's bicentennial in 2012--almost a 3-fold increase.

On an individual level, we are encouraging our fellow citizens, adults and children, to bike to work and school at least two days per month. (If we could achieve this, it would equate to a 10% mode shift and we'd leapfrog over Portland and Minneapolis to claim the title of "Bicycle Capital of the U.S.")

We have lots of grassroots support for 2 by 2012 and now we're aiming to engage the corporate and non-profit community in the cause. We have developed a terrific program, with great tools and resources, to help companies encourage, educate and facilitate employees who wish to bike to work on occasion. We have a cutting edge software tool, called RideNet, that enables a company to creat a commuting team and each member of the team can log his/her commutes, see how much CO2 is being avoided, how many calories are being burned, etc. It also permits the team to engage with other commuters to exchange useful information and to keep their fingers on the pulse of the pedaling revolution in CBus. It's fun and easy to use and will help us build a sense of community. It will also enable us to extract data so we can track our progress toward our goal and respond to needs in the twowheeling community.

We also have a very sophisticated tool developed by a Fisher Business School MBA class on sustainability that enables a company to determine the impact (savings) on the bottom line by achieving a specified level of bike commutes by employees. The bike commuting "calculator" is very sophisticated, yet fast and easy to use. Companies will be amazed at the bottom line impact of achieving just a 3-5% mode shift. For a company with 1,000 employees, the savings is in excess of $500,000.

We will be doing the public launch of 2 by 2012 on September 30 from 6-8 pm at the offices of Consider Biking at 4041 N. High St in Clintonville. We hope to announce that evening that 30-40 local companies and non-profits have already signed up as "early adopters," so that we have some serious momentum to energize and get the community "rolling." We have 6 companies already signed up, with a dozen more in the queue, and 20-30 more asks in the works.

If your company or organization would like to be an early adopter, please contact me at dmorgan@hahnlaw.com and I'll explain the program and send you the Pledge to sign. It doesn't cost anything to participate (thanks to the generosity of the Columbus Foundation)--you just need to be willing to sign the Pledge and work with Consider Biking to take advantage of all the programs and resources we have to help your employees begin to safely bike to work a couple days per month.

We are convinced that active transportation will help us achieve personal, environmental and community health. It will also help us attract and retain new economy workers and the companies that wish to employ them.

C'mon and get on board 2 by 2012! We're changing our community for the better..........two wheels at a time.

Made a New Friend on High St

One of the best things about biking to work is getting to meet people along the way. I've made  hundreds of friends during the 8 years I've been commuting to work on two wheels. Compare that to the folks I met during the 20+ years I commuted in a car..............zero.

As I pulled up to the light at Lane Ave yesterday I saw a young woman standing on her pedals waiting for the light to change. A motorist also waiting at the light rolled down her window to ask the young cyclist for directions. It's not easy to stand on your pedals at a dead stop--it takes 100% focus. The young woman almost fell as she tried to help the motorist--she was unfamiliar with the motorist's destination so couldn't help her, so she asked me as I pulled up and fortunately I was able to direct her.

By the time I finished directing the motorist, the light had changed and the young woman had sped off on her hybrid bike at a pretty good clip. My road bike is faster than a hybrid, so I caught her after a block or so. "You're moving pretty well on that hybrid," I commented as I passed her. She just smiled.

A few blocks further I caught a red light and was disappointed to see the young woman run the light. I waited for it to change and when I caught up to her again, I gently chided her and told her that it's that type of thing that enrages motorists and gives the cycling community a bad name. She said she was late for class at CCAD.

I rode the rest of the way downtown with "Cole" (short for Nicole) and learned she's been commuting from Worthington to CCAD this year and loves it. She said she feels healthier and has lost a bit of weight due to her bike commuting. She is a computer design major and really enjoys CCAD. She's wondering how long she'll be able to keep biking as the weather changes, so I gave her a couple of tips for riding through the winter. She likes the sharrows that were installed on High Street this year.

And we stopped at all the red lights for the remainder of our commute.

Way to go Cole! Keep twowheeling! I hope to run into you again on the streets of CBus.

 

You CAN get around CBus on a bike!

After a long holiday weekend, I was happy to be back on my bike Tuesday. I had another physical therapy session in Dublin, so biked up there first thing to get poked and prodded and then headed downtown. My normal commute is 16-20 miles round trip, so doing an extra 10-15 miles for errands, appointments, etc. on a nice day is no problem. Actually, I enjoy it.

I got to my downtown office about 10 am and asked my assistant, Lisa, "So, what's on the schedule today?" I detected a bit of a smirk as she announced, "You have lunch in Worthington at 11:45."

Yikes-- 30+ miles in a day is fine, but 50-60 is another thing. Fortunately, I was able to get a few things done before I saddled back up and headed north. I left my office at State and Third at 11:15 and headed straight up High Street for an 11:45 lunch at the Worthington Inn. Fortunately there was a nice tailwind which allowed me to get there at 11:47. I don't think I would have gotten there too much faster in a car.

By the end of the day, I was pretty whipped. I called Beth to see if she wanted to meet me for dinner at Dirty Frank's (which would have enabled me to throw my bike in her Volvo and bum a ride home). Unfortunately, she had made other plans, so I hopped on the bike and rode the 8 miles home. It was a beautiful evening and a very enjoyable ride.

I don't really expect many folks to use a bike like this on a daily basis, but it demonstrates that you actually CAN get around CBus and its surrounding suburbs on two wheels if you don't mind the exercise. Using a car would save some time, but not as much as you think.

And it makes me wonder why some folks think it's so odd that I would use a bike to ride 16 miles to and from work, or even 50+ miles on a day like Tuesday--when it would never occur to them to question the wisdom of running 26+ mile marathons, biking 100+ mile "centuries" or swimming, running and biking 200+ mile triathalons with no purpose beyond the event itself (and sometimes raising money for charity). 

I Wonder if Mr. Wexner Minded I Was Wearing Spandex

I biked out Broad Street after work this evening to the Columbus Foundation for their annual community meeting. My good friends, Doug Kridler and Lisa Courtice, work there and have been very supportive of the cycling community. Earlier this year the Columbus Foundation awarded a $300,000 grant to Consider Biking to support our "2 by 2012" program which aims to get CBus citizens biking to work and school at least 2 days per month by the city's bicentennial in 2012. We're well on our way to this goal thanks to the Foundation's support.

The place was packed. They gave me my nametag and pointed me to the bar. I walked awkwardly down the hall in my biking shoes and asked the bartender for water--I downed 2 glasses and grabbed a third and headed to the main hall for the program.

I have biked to the Columbus Foundation on many occasions and they have always made me feel welcome even though I'm in my biking clothes--spandex shorts and biking jersey. Tonight I ran into several friends who know that I bike everywhere and they came up to razz me. Wearing spandex to a coat and tie affair is always a good ice breaker. I met a woman who told me her husband had recently met me and as a result of my haranguing had started biking and had already lost 12 pounds. Wow! I'm sure there are folks that don't approve of my informality, but in 8 years of showing up in spandex no one has ever said anything to me to make me feel uncomfortable or unwelcome.

During the short program we learned about the cutting edge programs that recently have been initiated by the Foundation. Many folks would be surprised to know that the Columbus Foundation is one of the largest community foundations in the world. Turns out ours is a community of world class philanthropists. And the base is very broad. The average gift to the Foundation last year was $19,000--this was bigger than New York City and most other American cities.

There were well over 100 people in attendance and not quite enough chairs for everyone, so I stood in the back of the room with some of the Foundation staff. Then came the time for the awards. Mid Ohio Food Bank won the award for the non-profit of the year. My friend, Matt Habash, who has run the foodbank for 26 years accepted the award and gave a nice speech--he is a really wonderful person who has made a huge difference in our community.

LImited Brands and the Limited Brands Foundation received the Foundation's philanthropy award and Les and Abigail Wexner were there to accept the award. Before they presented the award, the microphone was passed among the audience and over 25 people, mostly heads of local non-profits and cultural arts institutions that have received significant support from Limited Brands and the Wexners, personally thanked the Wexners on behalf of the thousands of people, particularly children, who have been touched by their generosity. Les and Abigale were visibly moved and wiped several tears from their eyes.

Then Mr. Wexner gave an amazing speech. Amazing in its "down to earthiness" and humbleness. He spoke for at least 15 minutes and spoke mainly about the generosity of the community and certain individuals who helped him when he was young and didn't have two dimes to rub together. He was profoundly influenced by John G. McCoy, the former president and ceo of Bank One, who mentored him and urged him to give back to the community in a significant way. Mr. Wexner fully subscribes to the philosophy that "we pass this way but once" and we must make the most of this one pass to make a difference. I grew up in Columbus and have lived here most of my 54 years. We are blessed with many community leaders who are passionate in their support of our community. But I can't think of anyone who has had any bolder impact than Mr. Wexner.

I was mesmerized by his speech. As he finished, there was a long pause then the crowd gave him a rousing ovation. I thanked him under my breath for all he's done and then slipped out the back door and onto my bike.

As I rode west on Broad, I remembered the story my friend Dave Baer, the proprietor of Baer Wheels bike shop in Clintonville, told me last year. Dave runs a small independent bike shop at Weber and High and works on my bikes, since it's on my way home. Dave is known as a great bike mechanic/engineer, but is a bit curmudgeonly. Last year, Dave volunteered to help on Pelotonia. He didn't expect to get any business out of it, but just wanted to support the new cycling event to benefit the James Cancer Hospital. Limited Brands was a significant sponsor last year. Dave told me that Les Wexner walked into his little "hole in the wall" bike shop last year and bought 2 bikes--Dave was flabergasted. (Mr. Wexner was going to ride, but broke his toe two days before the event.) My guess is he bought bikes from every shop that supported Pelotonia. I think that says a lot about the man--and our community.