Well things here at MassBike headquarters have been absolutely crazy these past few weeks and we have been a bit delayed in announcing our contest winners. We apologize for the delay and are also excited to finally be announcing our three winning stories.  So without further ado we are pleased to announce that the following three folks wrote stories that really rose above the rest.

1st Place – Jesse Cohn

2nd Place – Katie Harris

3rd Place – Sari Long

These three riders had stories that really encapsulated the personal importance riding a bicycle has for them. We all have had our personal biking moments, where the skies part and we realize just how awesome it is to be riding a bike, and these three stories really hit the nail on the head.  Congratulations to our winners and thank you to everyone who submitted their stories. With all of these great biking stories we will now have the examples we need to speak more passionately with our legislatures about important bicycle policies.

Below you will see, for your reading pleasure, our three winning stories, enjoy!

1^st Place

Jesse Cohn

It often baffles people when I tell them that I got into cycling by riding across the country, but it’s true. In 2008, albeit my little cycling experience, I rode from Providence, RI, to San Francisco, CA, with Bike & Build, a nonprofit that raises money and awareness for affordable housing. That summer changed my life. My own legs powered me coast-to-coast, and I felt like there was nothing I couldn’t do.

In 2009, a good friend from college, Paige Hicks, participated in a Bike & Build trip. She too had an amazing experience – one that was so good that she decided to ride across the country again in 2010, from Providence, RI, to Seattle, WA. Tragically, Paige was struck and killed that summer while riding in South Dakota.

After her passing, I realized that biking is not just empowering, but humbling. It reminds me to be aware of my vulnerability. In reaction to Paige’s death, some of my friends have chosen to stop riding. They don’t think that riding is worth the risk to their health and life. My reaction to Paige’s death was quite the opposite. I continue to ride, and completed my second cross-country trip in 2011. But now, in addition, I also educate and advocate on bicycle safety and the importance of sharing the road. I want every child and adult to have the opportunity to ride a bike, and to do so safely. I want others to feel the same joy and empowerment I derive from being on a bike.

But there’s only so much that my fellow riders and I can do. We need legislature and infrastructure to ensure the safety of all cyclists. We need to create a favorable setting where those interested, but cautious citizens are not afraid to ride.

2^nd Place

Katie Harris

There are a lot of people in Boston who think cyclists have a death wish. I can only imagine what they must think about cyclists who are deaf.

Indeed.

As I commute to work or school, I wear a helmet. I look both ways before moving into traffic. I stop for pedestrians and for every red light. I use blinkies at night and when it’s raining. I do everything I can to make sure that I’m traveling safely on the road, because I know that the following is true: My hearing? It doesn’t work so well. Other road users? They’re not always paying attention.

When I was a child, living in a quiet neighborhood in Maine, my parents had a “DEAF CHILD AREA” sign installed by our house. This was embarrassing, but I understood that they worried. As an adult, I’ve noticed that other parents put up portable signs by their driveways such as “KIDS AT PLAY.” If only we could trust people to be safer as they navigate through the city. To put down their cell phones, watch the road, and have patience with their surroundings.

I started riding my bicycle in Boston three years ago. For years, I observed Boston traffic’s (lack of) flow, and was too terrified to ride: I was convinced my hearing loss was an insurmountable obstacle. And then I happened to meet Amelia—also deaf—and she rode through Boston with such aplomb that I knew I had to try it for myself someday.

It’s so not hard to be aware of your surroundings and to act accordingly, so I guess it’s not so difficult to be a deaf cyclist after all.

3^rd Place

Sari Long

Love Song for Pancho

I was 18 when I first saw you

You shone and shone with your silver sheen and your Raleigh seal and I was in love

A mountain bike who was, inevitably, named Pancho

Seven days we rode from Minneapolis to Chicago, raising money for charity (four times)

I wore fairy wings, but you actually gave me wings

Laughing and crying through the hills of Wisconsin and the cornfields of Illinois,

Together

You came with me to college in Montreal

You carried me through snow and ice and wind and cold

The snowiest I had ever seen

Patient, stalwart, beautiful, strong

Pancho, the most constant figure in my life

I covered you lovingly in stickers

I rode you angrily home after the 2000 elections

You carried me uncomplaining

Then patiently you waited while I lived far away in a place where bikes like you were

Aliens

Thinking about you every day and dreaming of our reunion

On to Boston, along the river, over the cobblestones, in dizzying traffic and horns

We were united and fearless and bold

You, unjealous when Rojito entered my life

A quick muscular little racing number to make the heart beat faster

You knew with quiet certainty where you stood

And today, you, Pancho, my daily companion still – 13 years later

You are there every morning, like the sunrise

Your bell gleams proudly, your bar-ends like horns await my hands

When nothing else seems to fit, when the rain whips sideways and the clouds are black

When tears stream either because of icy wind or overwhelming

You are there for me

And I am again renewed, inspired…made brave.

A big part of advocacy is explaining to our elected officials why biking and walking is important in our communities. The numbers are easy to come up with – just look at this slick infographic created by Bikes Belong. What we need, though, are the personal stories about the difference that biking has made in your life here in Massachusetts. We made a good start with our “And I Ride” series, but we need more. Whether it’s a childhood memory, thoughts on the importance of particular pieces of infrastructure, or anything in between we want to hear what you have to say!

Once we’ve collected the personal stories, the MassBike staff is going to choose the top three winners. The stories will be used during the upcoming Massachusetts Bike/Walk Summit to help communicate the importance of active transportation to our state legislators. We are also planning on starting a database with these stories for future use when we talk to elected officials across the state and in congress.

The best story will win a $50 gift certificate to the Cambridge Brewing Company, second place will win a Nite Rider Mako 3.0 light set, and third place will win a Resource Revival bottle opener, and the top three stories will be featured on MassBike’s website.

If you have a story you want to share, please do the following:

1. Make sure the story is no longer than 300 words.
2. Make sure it focuses on biking or walking and the impact it has had on your life. The stronger the emotional appeal, the better!
3. Include the name of your state representative and senator (found at this site)
4. Attach a photo of yourself or related to the story if possible.
5. Please send it in to annie@massbike.org no later than Friday, April 27th.

Thanks so much, and happy storytelling!

The greatest injustice the Herald and other haters are perpetrating is that they dehumanize us. We end up nameless, faceless “bicyclists” – not who we really are, like mothers on bikes, grandfathers on bikes, or neighbors on bikes. When motorists are driving next to that nameless bicyclist, it’s easier not to pay attention to or care about that bicyclist’s safety. Last year, we did a campaign called “And I Ride” to put a human face on people who ride bikes. It’s worth taking another look and sending to your non-bicycling friends.

There is also lack of perspective in all this reporting. Yes, there are bicyclists who don’t follow the law or who act like jerks, but you can say the same of many motorists and pedestrians. Motorists routinely speed, fail to stop, and make illegal turns, and many pedestrians cross mid-block and against the light. We’ve got a cultural problem on our streets, where some people have given up on being considerate to others. These recent stories on bicyclists ignore the fact that bicyclists make up a tiny percentage of road users, along with a tiny percentage of users breaking the law.

But the truth is, bicyclists are being noticed because our numbers are growing. More bicyclists are out on the streets than ever before and that is a great thing. More and more people are finding out that bicycling is good for the environment, good for their own health, good for their wallet, and it’s fun, too. It’s no wonder that bicyclists are getting more attention.

So what can we, the bicycling community, do to end the vitriol? We’re doing our best at MassBike to foster change in our transportation culture, to educate motorists how to share space with us, and to get more police enforcement against dangerous motorists. Bicyclists can do their part, too. That means speaking up at public meetings, being a good bicycling ambassador wherever you go, and yes, following bicycling laws, too. MassBike strongly advocates that bicyclists should follow the rules of the road (see Same Roads, Same Rules, also urging motorists to respect bicyclists). Whether you agree with us or not, please consider how your actions might affect public perception of bicyclists and the safety of others on roads, paths, and sidewalks.

As more stories about bicycling make headlines, the media needs to be reminded of its responsibility to report fairly on issues of public safety. Bicyclists can do their part, but unless the media reports more responsibly, the negative perception of bicyclists won’t change.

We are still accepting entries, so be sure to read below to find out how to send in your story.

Our next story comes from John.

Where I Ride: Newton to points south and west
How Often I Ride: 5 times per week

My Story:
I am a trial lawyer in Boston. I ride in the early mornings with a group called the Crack O’ Dawn. The people in the Crack O’ Dawn come from all walks of life and include pediatricians, nurses, school teachers and medical researchers. We meet up at 5:45 a.m. in Newton, and depending on the day we either head west or south. I also race with a masters team called 545 Velo, and we target different races around New England. This spring I plan to race at Battenkill, which is a 62 mile race in upstate New York. About 15 miles of the race goes over dirt roads. I can’t say I’m a very talented bike racer, but I do have fun doing it. I have dedicated part of my law practice to advocating for bicyclists’ rights, and I chronicle legal issues relating to cyclists on my blog.

If you would like to follow John and his work on his blog please Click Here.

Thanks John!

We still want to hear your story. Tell us about yourself and how bicycling is a part of your life. Just copy and paste the form below into an email, fill it in, and send it to shane@massbike.org.

• Name:
• Email:
• Where You Ride:
• How Often You Ride:
• Your Profession/Relation/Title (lawyer, nurse, Grandma, son, etc):
• A picture of you on your bicycle, or you in your daily life (be sure we can see your face):
• A paragraph or two about your life and your bicycle:

We are still accepting entries, so be sure to read below to find out how to send in your story.

Our next story comes from Tim.

Where I Ride: Western Mass: Northampton, Easthampton, Amherst area
How Often I Ride: When there is no snow- almost every day

My Story:
I ride mostly to work and back. It is 15 miles each way. I try to ride at least 3 days a week. This is my first season commuting, as I used to be a purely recreational rider. It took a bit of training to be able to achieve that- I started with shorter rides and jogging. My main motivation for commuting by bicycle is to avoid the traffic hassles. The Rte 9 bridge between Northampton and Hadley can be a bottleneck on Thursdays and Fridays, and I just love pedaling past the traffic. Of course a great benefit is the exercise- I have lost weight and feel great. Additionally I feel I am helping the environment by reducing the emissions from car.

The Norwattuck trail between Northampton and Amherst provides me with a beautiful, quiet commute, combined with the flexibility of my professional and personal life, I plan to commute for as long as the weather allows. The only thing that will stop me will be the snow. I have been through rain and thunderstorms, and that has not deterred me. My ultimate goal is to commute on the bike every day of the week, and even do some more errands on the bike (I already go through the bank drive-through on the bike!).

My hope is that I can encourage more folks to get out and commute to work. I think that I am a great example for distance- I may be 15 miles away, but that does not mean one can’t commute on the bike. I’d like to get groups together so I am not riding alone. And hopefully by this fall the Manhan trail will be completed to link up to Northampton.

The more people we can get on a bike the better, and the more funding we can get for trails, evenbetter!

We can’t agree more Tim, Thanks!

We still want to hear your story. Tell us about yourself and how bicycling is a part of your life. Just copy and paste the form below into an email, fill it in, and send it to shane@massbike.org.

• Name:
• Email:
• Where You Ride:
• How Often You Ride:
• Your Profession/Relation/Title (lawyer, nurse, Grandma, son, etc):
• A picture of you on your bicycle, or you in your daily life (be sure we can see your face):
• A paragraph or two about your life and your bicycle:

We are still accepting entries, so be sure to read below to find out how to send in your story.

Our next story comes from Josh.

Where I Ride: I commute from Arlington to South Boston and back most days. I also Mtn Bike at the Fellsway, Harlod Parker State Forest, Vietnam, Lynn, Woods, and various places throughout New England.
How Often I Ride: Several times a week, multiple times a day.

My Story:
I am a husband and a stepfather that lives in Arlington, MA. I have a basement full of bicycles for our our family. I generally ride a single speed road bike back and forth to the photography studio in South Boston’s Fort Point neighborhood. I dig the bike paths and bike lanes that help make the experience safer for me. I ride a full suspension mountain bike as much as I can. After work rides are usually at the Middlesex Fellsway and weekend rides somewhere else. I also appreciate the access to the trails on both public and private land throughout our state.

Thanks Josh!

We still want to hear your story. Tell us about yourself and how bicycling is a part of your life. Just copy and paste the form below into an email, fill it in, and send it to shane@massbike.org.

• Name:
• Email:
• Where You Ride:
• How Often You Ride:
• Your Profession/Relation/Title (lawyer, nurse, Grandma, son, etc):
• A picture of you on your bicycle, or you in your daily life (be sure we can see your face):
• A paragraph or two about your life and your bicycle:

We are still accepting entries, so be sure to read below to find out how to send in your story.

Our next story comes from Evan.

Where I Ride: Cambridge, Somerville, Brookline, Longwood/Mission Hill,South End, Jamaica Plain, Allston
How Often I Ride: I ride every day, rain/shine/snowfest/100 degrees/1 degree/whatever.

My Story:
I spent a couple years in Boston taking the T and walking everywhere, and
thought that was fine. Sometimes it was really cold, or really hot, or
really crowded, or i had to wait a long time but it got me there. Then i
brought my old bike up from my parents’ house and started cycling once and a
while instead. I’d ridden a bunch when i was younger- mostly mountain biking
and BMX (and i was bad at both), and urban cycling was completely new to me.
It was nerve-wracking. But it didn’t take me long to get used to it, and it
was only a few more months before i canceled my monthly T pass and never
looked back. I got hooked on the freedom of movement, the exercise, the fun
and camaraderie, and by experiencing the city in a completely new way.

My bikes have become a huge and very natural part of my life. I ride to
work, to rugby practice, to play softball, to band practice, to the store,
to restaurants and bars. I go on random rides just for fun. Just about
everything i do involves riding my bike. People think i’m nuts for turning
down a ride because i’d rather bike it, but they think twice when i beat
them to wherever we’re going. I can’t imagine life without riding my bike!

Thanks Evan!

We still want to hear your story. Tell us about yourself and how bicycling is a part of your life. Just copy and paste the form below into an email, fill it in, and send it to shane@massbike.org.

• Name:
• Email:
• Where You Ride:
• How Often You Ride:
• Your Profession/Relation/Title (lawyer, nurse, Grandma, son, etc):
• A picture of you on your bicycle, or you in your daily life (be sure we can see your face):
• A paragraph or two about your life and your bicycle:

We are still accepting entries, so be sure to read below to find out how to send in your story.

Our next story comes from Doug.

Where I Ride: Mansfield to Natick, Sharon, Attleboro, Walpole, Canton, Milton, Sherborn, Dover, Foxboro, Wrentham, Easton, Plainville, Rhode Island

How Often I Ride: 3 to 7 days a week.

My Story:

I am a husband and father, and have been a foster father for 3 children. I’ve also have been riding bikes for nearly 40 years. Cycling is part of who I am, like Lance Armstrong’s book, It’s not about the bike. Cycling has been the catalyst for many wonderful experiences that I have been fortunate enough to have. Sometimes it’s the little things, like a helpful push from a fellow competitor while struggling up a steep hill in a bike race, just enough of a push to get over the top. Or catching a glimpse of a Fisher Cat sneaking across the road on a quiet morning in the back roads in Norfolk. Other times it is the opportunity to help others, once I came upon a woman with at least 3 whining kids in her broken down car on an empty country road, (long before the advent of cell phones). Being a mechanic, I made a small repair to her car and sent her on her way.

The sheer efficiency of cycling to work is a kick; I am really doing several things at once, staying fit, reducing my carbon footprint, reducing traffic, and saving my gas money. Just to name a few. I have to temper my religious like advocacy for cycling because for so many it just does not click, and the only reason that I can come up with is that non-cyclist’s perspective is a bit different from mine. This must be true because I don’t know how many times I have witnessed others doing things with apparently equal enthusiasm that I can see that might be enjoyable but cannot imagine doing, (scratching lottery tickets, ice fishing, riding loud motorcycles…).

For the past 6 years or so I have ridden almost 10,000 miles each year, mostly commuting to work. I have commuted to work by bike for over 14 years, my only disappointment is not being able to recruit others to do the same, I’d really like to see and ride with more people riding their bikes to work. What I have done is get noticed and built a reputation. On more than one occasion, a coworker has told me that I am their hero as I leave to ride home, on another occasion, a stranger stopped me in a store (I was in street clothes, not my cycling gear) and asked if I was the cyclist they see every AM in all kinds of weather on their way to work. The stranger told me that he thought it was very cool that I got out there and rode to work in all weather. While the attention is nice, it means that riding a bike to work is still seen as unusual. Changing minds and behavior can be difficult. Cycling is an adventure, and I have a thousand stories about my experiences, experiences that I would have missed had I been sitting in a car.

Thanks Doug!

We want to hear your story. Tell us about yourself and how bicycling is a part of your life. Just copy and paste the form below into an email, fill it in, and send it to shane@massbike.org.

• Name:
• Email:
• Where You Ride:
• How Often You Ride:
• Your Profession/Relation/Title (lawyer, nurse, Grandma, son, etc):
• A picture of you on your bicycle, or you in your daily life (be sure we can see your face):
• A paragraph or two about your life and your bicycle:

We are still accepting entries, so be sure to read below to find out how to send in your story.

Our next story comes from Chris.

Where I Ride: All over the Boston area
How Often I Ride: Daily

My Story:
I ride a bike. I have punk rock tattoos. I am an anarchist. I usually
dress in all black. When people first meet me they often think I am a bike
messenger. I am not. I am an attorney. This often seems to invoke
judgment from both others bikers, and lawyers. Many seem to think that
people who ride bikes (especially in the winter) are too poor to own a car,
have had their license suspended from OUIs, are Lance Armstrong or “hipster”
wannabes, are environmental fanatics, or are otherwise some sort of social
anomaly.

I ride a bike for many reasons, but for none of the ones listed
above. First, and most important, I ride because it is just plain fun. I
don’t think any adult can ride a bike without some flashback to the
childhood enjoyment of a first bicycle. That fun is still available to
everyone in their adult life. One just needs to start pedaling again.
Second, I ride because 90% of the time it is faster than driving, or taking
public transportation. Third, I ride because it is great way to keep
healthy. Forth, I ride because it is far cheaper than gasoline. Fifth, I
ride because I never have to drive around looking for that all-elusive
parking spot. Biking is a faster, a cheaper, and a more enjoyable way to
get around the city, while keeping healthy. What more could you ask for?

Thanks Chris!

We still want to hear your story. Tell us about yourself and how bicycling is a part of your life. Just copy and paste the form below into an email, fill it in, and send it to shane@massbike.org.

• Name:
• Email:
• Where You Ride:
• How Often You Ride:
• Your Profession/Relation/Title (lawyer, nurse, Grandma, son, etc):
• A picture of you on your bicycle, or you in your daily life (be sure we can see your face):
• A paragraph or two about your life and your bicycle:

We are still accepting entries, so be sure to read below to find out how to send in your story.

Our next story comes from Bert.



Photo shows me a few years ago in Brookline, MA, with the Breezer bike that I won in an online Massbike raffle, to my complete surprise. A great city bike.

Where I Ride: Boston area, New Hampshire, France
How Often I Ride: Every day

My Story:
I started biking in New York City some 60 years ago, mainly commuting to City College in Manhattan. For more than 50 years now, I’ve been commuting by bike first from Cambridge to Northeastern and then from Brookline–a beautiful ride along the Muddy River and through the Fenway. I also bike a lot near Marseille, France, where I’ve been working and living part of each year for the past 30 years. There, I do most of my errands by bike and do also a lot of recreational biking on the steep hills in this area by the sea. At 79, I’m still able to make it up these hills mainly, I firmly believe, because I’ve stayed in shape by biking practically all my life.

My son commutes half the year to his job in Montpelier, VT, and his whole family does a great deal of mountain biking. My daughter and her family all commute to school and work in Bern, Switzerland. Only my wife does not bike.

Thanks Bert!

We still want to hear your story. Tell us about yourself and how bicycling is a part of your life. Just copy and paste the form below into an email, fill it in, and send it to shane@massbike.org.

• Name:
• Email:
• Where You Ride:
• How Often You Ride:
• Your Profession/Relation/Title (lawyer, nurse, Grandma, son, etc):
• A picture of you on your bicycle, or you in your daily life (be sure we can see your face):
• A paragraph or two about your life and your bicycle: