Dare or Dare (and that's the truth)

Ever since the National Road Championships, I have wanted to try and yet been completely intimidated by the climb up to Rattlesnake Point - the road that is the wallpaper for my blogspot (the climb starts at 10% gradient!). I like hills, and I am a sucker for any man who can climb on a bike, but I've never actually ridden on anything so steep it had to have switch backs and even then cars strained to go up it. In moments of pure stupid bravado, I have said I'd sell my bike before I walked it up a climb, but never had *really* climbed. 

When the challenge, and a partner in riding crime presented themselves, I had to finally see what I was made of. My original intention was to do the climb once and take photos as my riding partner did hill repeats. We hit the bottom of the climb and I was a little nervous that I might not be able to climb it (many have not on their first attempts - and I love my bike, I'm not ready to sell it), but I pedaled on..and up, and up, and twist, and up, crested and then I knew I had to try it again. I did stop after two to take the promised photos, but then I just had to try it one last time. 3 loops in all, almost following the national course, certainly not the 10 that the elite women did or the 14 that the elite men did, but enough to boost my confidence and send my self doubt packing.

Today I was at a barbeque (yes, that's how we spell it here) and there were a number of women asking me about karate and spin classes, and telling me all the reasons why they couldn't do either. When I asked if they've ever tried a class they quietly said no. It amazes me the things people talk themselves out of without ever giving it a chance. How much they miss out on because they have already decided that they will fail. I think that's the main reason I teach kids, they don't make excuses or talk themselves out of things, they just try, until adults start holding them back and saying "you can't expect much out of them, their just kids"....Kids aren't too small, adults' minds are.

The view from above

Friendly and Accessible, Is That Too Much To Ask?

This morning was my first time witnessing the huge production that is getting a wheelchair on the "accessible" GO Bus. After 10 minutes, the passenger was finally on the bus and felt it necessary to apologize to the other passengers. This upset me. She did not do anything wrong by wanting to take public transit, what did she have to apologize for. I took the opportunity to move up a few seats and speak with her regarding her experiences and barriers getting around the region. She was very eloquent on the subject, speaking with humour and thoughtfulness. I gave her my email address and look forward to having an ongoing dialogue with her about this and many other subjects. 

After the equally large production to get her off the bus, which made her miss her connecting train, I was left with an even stronger conviction that I must broaden the scope of my aims to make Durham Region bicycle friendly. It must become people friendly, community friendly and accessible on all levels. Urban planning for the convenience of vehicles at the cost of the mobility of people is short-sighted, exclusionary and wrong.

A Card, A Joke and a Date With Destiny

I know, I know, I told you July would be all about cycling and it’s August now, so you figured it was safe to take a peek at the old blog – well , I lied.  This isn’t about racing; this is about the public’s right to enjoy the simple pleasure of riding a bike without fear.  It’s also about how, as a friend recently put it, “a joke went bad in a good way.”

I work for 3 municipalities. The nature of the fitness business is very transient, so instructors and trainers tend to work in many facilities. It’s nomadic but we like it that way, at least I do. At one municipality in particular, there is an excellent relationship between City Hall and the Recreation Complex and many staffers from “the hall” use the rec facility (you’d be surprised by how uncommon that is).  The CAO for the City was a regular in my 6:30 am spin classes before he was promoted to the post and for a bit afterward, but then work and life got in the way. He has a great sense of humour and the best intentions so I felt comfortable giving him a little nudge to get him back on track, but how to say “get your butt in gear” in just the right way? So, I bought a sympathy card, wrote “so sorry to hear about the loss of your motivation. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help during this difficult time”, signed it and stealthily left it on his desk while he was out. A week went by and I heard nothing. I was a little disappointed (and a little nervous). Midweek the following week he hunted me down, promised to be in class Friday and asked how things were. This question led to a conversation about the slowness of the industry in summer, cycling in the region and the problems therein. I was given a business card. I sent an email enquiring about bike to work week. He put me in touch with the Sustainability Program office at city hall. I met with an enthusiastic and thoughtful woman who matched my passion and my optimism. Our discussion went from “bike to work week” to a bike friendly region and that progressed to her suggestion that I be introduced to the staff in Clean Air Initiative at the Regional level. The wheels started turning (pun unapologetically intended) in my mind. I knew I needed feedback from the community, so I created a “group” on facebook for people to voice concerns, comments and suggestions for improvement. I invited friends and crossed my fingers. Within 13 hours on a July long weekend my little group had 44 members, friends jumping in and offering me their expertise and services and the cycling community in Durham began approaching me with offers to help in any way they could. I am still overwhelmed at how fast things are moving and how many people are willing to help a stranger in a cause they have already exhausted themselves fighting for and I am absolutely ecstatic, grateful, hopeful and every positive emotional offshoot!

I am fully aware that change is a long, slow and very hard process, but someone has to start it, why not me? I may not be the one to finish it, it may not even come to fruition, but I’d rather tilt at windmills than sit on the couch and whine.

Follow our quixotic efforts on facebook  http://www.facebook.com/groups/265156826833494/ and twitter http://twitter.com/#!/CycleDurham or send an email to cycledurham@yahoo.ca