Fred Heaven
 

So I'm going in to work on my once or twice/week 44 mile round trip commute and I can't help but notice how many more bikes are on the road. Usually I'll see two or three other cyclists and that's in the city. This morning I'm passing moms on cruisers during rush hour traffic on country roads. At one particularly bad intersection, where I'm usually trapped between a bus and a dump truck, I'm sitting at the light behind four other cyclists. I drafted the last mile behind a hipster fixie. Then, after a shower and changing, I walked into Harvard Square and was greeted by a crowd of Freds scooping up free swag, coffee and bagels. I asked another cyclist what the heck was going on and he says "Bike to Work Week, free breakfast for bike commuters."
Sometimes Massachusetts is just so cool.
p.s. I know, I'm clueless.

It's Bike to Work Week in a lot of places, not just MA.

See http://www.baystatebikeweek.org/ I'm doing the Boston breakfast ride on Friday (the "Green Line" route from Allston).

I'm looking to get something going here for next year - getting a couple of LBS's together on that. Just got contacted by a reporter doing a piece on commuting.

Yes, I know. It's just that it seems to be working here. Has anyone else noticed more people on the road?

Hey, I'm a Rochester native! There's some great riding on the shores of Lake Ontario. And now there's racing too, right? I hoping to be in town for that. Good luck with your efforts.

I think there are more cyclists, but it's hard to tell how much is due to spring and how many are actually new to commuting.

A couple of places were offering free breakfast along my commute this morning in honor of bike to work week. It took me a bit longer to get into work than usual ;-). There were also a lot of commuters around even though I got a late start and missed most of rush hour.

Rumor has it the mayor was at one of those places earlier. I'm getting a free lunch too, and my guess is I'll catch him there.

I didn't see a single other commuter on my almost 12mi ride today.

Several times this year I've seen more bikes on the road in one trip home than I saw all of last year. I would have bet money against it a month ago; around here bikes are tolerated pretty well, but I had never talked to anyone who would consider riding one in traffic even a mile.

I've seen quite a few more riders lately, and quite a few that are obviously new riders, but I also don't know if it's because of BTW or gas prices or what. I do know that I went to a LBS last weekend that was having a big sale in their parking lot and the place was a real ZOO! Dozens of people trying out all kinds of rides.

I've even seen some people in my neighborhood, where I don't think I've ever encountered another commuter. One guy was riding a commuting-set up mountain style, and the other a very expensive Rans crank-forward. The lady riding the RANS said that she had just started commuting.

Bike to Work Week makes a LOT more sense in May than the way they did it here - the first week in April, when it's usually still pretty cold and often actually snowing!

Your fair city was featured in this month's Bicycling magazine, as a Future Best City for Cycling. Looks like the mayor is doing some good there.

On a side note: This was supposed to be my last issue, but the feature article, plus one about cycling in Holland, may have changed my mind.

I've seen one other bike commuter all week, but that's the first one I've seen in months. All of our local events are on Friday, which has been designated Bike to Work Day here. Of course, the forecasters are predicting rain on Friday, and I've got an out-of-town meeting all day so I won't be able to participate. I've ridden every day this week, however, and plan to ride tomorrow.

I haven't seen more people commuting, but my company interviewed me for Bike to Work week. Maybe, the piece will raise awareness and help to get a few others motivated to ride to work and leave their cars at home...

Wow, I've seen no more people on the road, and I've been biking both ways this week instead of just home, like usual. Wait, that makes me the extra person on the road.

But seriously, I see a disappointing lack of new commuters during this Bike To Work Week. But then I work on a college campus. Graduation was last weekend, and summer classes start next week, so I guess there's few people going my way this week.

Great report, antimatt. This is fab news! You know what happens next - those newb bicycle commuters are going to love it.

... and there ain't no turnin' back once you fall in love with bicycling.

I saw a guy today on a shiny new mountain bike, which -- I kid you not -- still had the price tag on it -- $139! I talked to him at a red light. He looked my bike over and guessed that it cost $1000 (actual cost $850), so I guess he shopped around before buying his new bike.

I'm quite happy to have more bikes on the road.

Amen, brother. Amen.

Translation Please

یار دیرینه ایم و حیف که نیست
یار ما یار یار دیرینه

We have bike to work week in Albany too, but no free breakfast! Bah!

Thanks for that. Menino has been making a lot of noise but we've yet to see results. Cambridge, on the other hand, seems to reshaping the entire town around bike paths. Very encouraging and about time.

very awkwardly:
"We are old friends but, alas,
our friendship is not as it was in the past"

Mir Sayyid Ali Moshtaq, 18 c.

Not that many, outside of this week (which is also our bike to work week). There were a ton yesterday because the weather was fantastic after last week's monsoon.

I've seen a few new faces, but by and large I'm seeing a lot of the same guys I've seen all winter, and a handful I remember from last fall.

There's a convoy to City Hall Plaza from Mumbles' hood tomorrow AM -- if he doesn't bike to work tomorrow, he's totally weak and worthless!!!