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Spin the Wheel at "Tryparkingit" and Win Your Choice of a Wristband or a Mousepad |
I like the Fort Worth “Bike to Work” event. It is very easy
for me to get there without even much of a detour from my usual commute. I
simply remember to go an extra half block and hop on the TRE commuter train at
Hurst Station. Two stops later I’m there. If it weren’t “part of the package,”
it’d be almost as easy to drop the bike off at work and go to the event on
foot. Back in the days of my v2 commute, it would have involved several added
hours to do it via bicycle. However, the event isn’t quite perfect. It is
scheduled according to what is sometimes called “banker’s hours.” As a result,
I mostly get to watch things getting set up – and then I have to depart for
work. While I like the idea of “Bike to Work,” I don’t like it enough to take a
half day of vacation. It makes me wonder if the event is really FOR bike
commuters or more ABOUT them. In that way, “Bike to Work” is like many other
events. Besides, simply GOING is a break in the routine.
Missing the main part of the hoopla isn’t all bad. You get
first shot at the “loot” that gets put out early, it isn’t crowded, and I
really don’t care about inspirational speeches. Some of the media get there
early as well, and they eagerly pounce on anyone that looks like a cyclist.
Some radio station even interviewed me. I don’t remember which one, but I
managed to sneak a “cycling is fun and safe” into the interview.
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Torrance Strong, Holding "Hissy" |
This year, I discovered another advantage of getting there
ahead of the crowds. I actually ran into someone I knew from cycling, and into
a REAL bike commuter I didn’t know. Torrance Strong was in my first LCI Classand is first-rate. He actually OWNS a messenger service and is teaching a TS101 course in Arlington tomorrow. In addition, a lady who commutes to school
came up as Torrance and I were talking. We discussed the advantages of shoulder
bags versus purses. I’m a “purse man” myself. My fellow commuter noted she
couldn’t hang around the “Bike to Work” event, either she had to get to work as
well. SOLIDARITY!
I
almost felt a little guilty about the photo where Torrance stood with
Buddy - AKA "Hissy." No, I STILL haven’t gotten around to patching that front tire. I can
almost hear it…
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"I've Got to Get to Work!" A REAL Bike Commuter Stops By. She Favors a Shoulder Bag to Carry Stuff |
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Torrance Strong and Bike Commuter |
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Richard Maxwell of "The T" Gets Things Set Up and Chats with Photographer |
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By Coincidence, a "T" Bus Sweeps by with a Bike on Board |
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At 7:30, the Bike Valet Area is Still Getting Set Up |
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On Display - a "Bike Share" Bike up from Austin |
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Bike Commuter Headed Away from the "Bike to Work" Shindig on the TRE Train |
2 comments:
At seven thirty they were setting up? Bankers hours indeed. We had to be set up and running by seven and even that was late for a lot of folks. I usually get to work around eight, so leaving an hour early gave me a chance to be out on the road when it was extremely peaceful.
Real indeed!
Paz :)
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No Need for Non-Robot proof here!