I'm such a lightweight

I suppose there have been days when I thought of myself as some sort of overachiever as I rode my bike to work. No more. This dude gets the Bike to Work Medal of Valor. 43 mile commute ... that's three hours. My 2 1/2 mile ride is basically the equivalent of a light cough to this guy's Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis.

I love how his wife has the huge smile on her face due to their savings of $400/month. Evidently she's not too distraught over NEVER seeing her husband anymore.

The Saturday Guthrie Coffee Ride

A handful of us are going to start a weekly family friendly ride this Saturday morning. We'll meet at Winans at 9 a.m. and depending on what folks want to do, we'll either drink some coffee, chat a bit, then ride around Guthrie, or we'll ride around Guthrie, drink some coffee, and chat a bit. Caffeine will definitely be a participant, and the ride will be more about having fun and enjoying our fair city than real "exercise" ... oh what an evil word. We'll probably just ride around downtown and some corresponding neighborhoods. Kids are welcome, as long as they belong to an adult who's riding as well. Our speed will be leisurely.

a pictorial Bike to Work retrospective

Even though my camera batteries decided to spite me by laying down on the job, I managed to take a few pics of our 2008 journey in all its glory ...
















Oh, the anticipation. Holding everyone back as the start time approached was a challenge, even for someone with such an imposing demeanor as myself.
















I'm so proud of my son. He's already riding his bike to work. Now if he can just convince the sweatshop owner to install a bike rack.















"For god's sake, Fortney, let's start this ride!!!" I had no idea people on highwheelers were in such a hurry to get places. Only kidding!!!! Folks were actually extremely patient. We're a very pacifistic group of cyclists here in Guthrie.















Are you diggin' my artsy weird angle shot? I smell Pulitzer. Don't they have a Bike to Work Day Pulitzer category?

As our 2008 retrospective draws to a close, we can look forward to next year with the hope of adding more riders, increasing cycling awareness in our community, and the invention of longer lasting camera batteries. Cue the music from Chariots of Fire.

Bike to Work Day is this Friday!!!

A year has come and gone, and it's time for another Bike to Work Day here in Guthrie. Last year was loads of fun! Mayor Chuck has the bike bug this year and has really been spreading the word, so I think we'll probably have a bigger group ... unless the weather gets stupid and tornados on us (yes, I just used tornado as a verb ... for those "drinking game" folks, you're welcome).

Okay, here's the lowdown on Bike to Work Day, or BWD for those who love acronyms .... Let's all ride our bikes to work!!! If you want, you can meet up with the group ride starting at Highland Park at 8:30. We'll swing by the Masonic Temple about 8:35 and cruise down Oklahoma Avenue, ending the group ride at the Apothecary Garden with coffee, etc. Saw some folks planting flowers at the garden this morning, so I bet it looks super duper for BWD.

I think I'm more excited about bicycling than I've ever been. Gas costs about a gazillion bucks a gallon. Riding a bike costs me about $50 a year for repairs.



Speaking of repairs, that's Kent in the picture above. He's the local bike shop owner here in Guthrie.
This was probably the most interesting bike in last year's BWD group ride. Amazing what a bit of welding can accomplish.


Bicycle Safety 101 ... don't take pictures while you're riding. I came pretty close to becoming the lone BWD casualty trying to take some pics while enjoying the perfect morning ride.