Meet Brian Shields of Kansas City.  He is a new poster-guy for “Go by Bike.” 

 Back in March we cooked up a promotion to challenge non bike riders to take up the bike again.   The “we” is 1world2wheels and Jay Thomas, owner of the Trek Store of Kansas City.  Jay was willing to pilot the promotion and with the help of the City of Kansas City staff, the “Go By Bike Challenge” was launched.  

 The contest was open to non-bike-riders and entrants had to explain how they would “go by bike” for short trips in the month of May.   The winners got a bike to use and had to write about the experience.    The contest ran in Kansas City, Omaha and St. Louis with two winners in each city, one male and one female.

Within days of posting the contest rules we had 250 entrants.   Reading the short essays brought a few things to light.

First, we heard that a lot of people want to ride but need some help getting started.  Second, a lot of people who are willing to ride now don’t have a place to put their bike at work or wherever they are going.  Third, a lot of people want their communities to be more bike-friendly.

Besides these consistent themes we learned from our 250 entrants that each could readily name 4 or 5 destinations they could bike to that were under two miles.  I was surprised to see so many people list “work” as a destination option.  I was not surprised that “habit” was cited as the most common reason for taking a car instead of a bike for short trips.

When asked why the person wanted to take the challenge, almost all of them cited “concern for the environment” and “wanting to improve personal health” as reasons.  

 We read through all 250 essays and picked six people for the Go By Bike Challenge.    You can find all the entries from the winners at www.trekbicyclestores.com.  And for fun, below you’ll find the blog posts of Brian Shields, our Go By Bike Guy from Kansas City.

Post #1,   Thursday, May 8, 2008 The big day finally arrived.  About two months ago I entered a contest designed to challenge people to take short trips by bike.  To my amazement I was one of the lucky few chosen to receive a new Trek bike and see if I was up to the challenge.  So today I went to the local Trek store in Kansas City and picked up my new alternative mode of transportation.  The folks at the store were just incredibly nice and very customer oriented.  I bought a few ‘extras’ and they added on the equipment while I waited.  The main thing I wanted was some type of carrier on the back in case I needed to haul something (like a sack of groceries from the store or a basketball when I go to the community center nearby). It’s been a long time since I actually owned a bike.  When I got married 22 years ago my wife and I bought bikes as our wedding gifts to each other (how romantic, you’re probably thinking!).  For the day, they were really nice Schwinn 12 speeds (my wife still has hers by the way … I wonder if that qualifies as an antique yet?).  Mine, on the other hand, ended up being stolen one night when we lived in

California.  So, for the last 18 years it’s pretty much been just me using a car for transportation. I’m looking forward to the first ride.  We’ll see how easy it is for an old dog to change!  

Post #2  Ridin’ to Church

Today we had beautiful weather for Mother’s Day.  In the evening I had to go to church because I teach Sunday school for the fifth grade class.  This made for another perfect opportunity to go by bike so once again I convinced my daughter to tag along with me.  I’m thinking if I can instill in her ever more deeply at this early age the importance of taking care of our planet and making smart choices when it comes to life, at least she’ll be headed in the right direction.  One thing I have come to realize is that there are not a lot of bike racks near most places I go (other than at schools).  Such is the case at our church.  I understand a couple of weeks ago they borrowed a bike rack from a nearby school for Earth Day but they didn’t really see a need for one other than that one time.  With that being the case, we decided to lock our bikes on the handrail where everyone entering and exiting would see them … kind of a reminder that there is more than one way to go places. I received a couple of comments from folks at church … one of the staff members couldn’t believe that I rode 2.5 miles to church (wonder what she was implying … it’s not like Dr. Kevorkian is going to be paying me a visit anytime soon!).  I made sure she knew all about National Bike Week (she thought I was kidding that we actually have such an event).  Later when I was leaving one of my fifth graders saw me with my bike helmet and started asking questions.  I told him it was a great way to be healthy and eco-friendly.  Who knows, maybe I’ll start seeing more people riding in the near future. I have been trying to promote Bike Week activities at work … we’ll see how it goes this week (which, by the way, is National Transportation Week too). 

Post #3 I have not been able to ride for two days, but this morning I was ready to go for my first try at a weekday commute to work.  I hopped on the trail near our house so I could head over to Fire Station #3 where Overland Park was sponsoring an energizing station for morning bike commuters.  I got about a mile from home when my carrying bag became dislodged from the back of the bike and started dragging on the ground.  I stopped and fixed it real quick but when I got back on something else had happened.  Apparently during my shifting to come to a stop the chain had become kinked between the front gears and the bike frame.  I quickly found there was no easy fix to this problem (at least for me).  So I headed back home pushing my bike along the trail (luckily I had not gone too far) so it was only about a 10 to 15 minute walk back home.  On my way back home I was thinking about the whole notion of riding a bike for short trips or to work.  Was this an omen of things to come?  But then I started thinking about something that had happened with my old Toyota one afternoon.  I was about two miles from home when a belt broke in the engine and similarly, I was out of commission.  The difference was that I had to wait for a tow truck (for an hour) and then spend several hundred dollars to get the car fixed.  At least I was under my own power right now, got to avoid the cost of a tow, and figured that any repair cost would be minimal. Once home I called one of the bike experts that I work with (Lisa actually was the one that got me to enter the Go By Bike Challenge) and I described what had happened.  She gave me the technical term for it … it’s called ‘chain suck’.  So later in the day I made a visit to the Trek store.  Dean was the person that helped me and it seemed to take him no time at all (having the proper tools sure is a big help … probably something I’ll need to invest in soon … maybe for Father’s Day, hint, hint).  Anyway, Dean also explained that I shouldn’t be using the smallest gears on the bike very often since that puts a lot of wear on the chain (so that’s my tip for the day for the rest of you novices in case you’ve read this far).  I especially liked it when Dean said ‘No charge’ for his time!  They definitely know how to keep a customer wanting to come back to their store. Well, I’m all ready now for tomorrow when I’ll once again try this commuter bike challenge.  For what it’s worth, I hear there was a good turnout at the fire

 station. 

Post #4 Great Ending to National Bike Week  After my chain suck problem on Wednesday, I’ve had three straight days of great biking.  On Thursday and Friday I rode my bike to work (about 8.5 miles one way).  Along the way I stopped at the Tomahawk

Ridge

Community Center on 19th Street and then the Matt

Ross

Community Center in Historic Downtown OP (Friday) where the city was sponsoring energizing stations.  It was great to see other riders there and also to check the sign in sheet to see how many had already stopped by.  It’s interesting to see what’s happening at work this year … a couple of my employees car pooled this week, another rode the bus and another rode his bike to work.  That’s a lot of change since last year (when we did nothing), and I hope we all will be able to keep it going.  My trips to work are north-south oriented from where I live.  That means crossing over or under I-435 (which means there are a limited number of crossing points).  I opted to go up Antioch the first day and Metcalf the second day.  Now I’m not crazy enough (yet) to actually ride on either of these streets since they carry about 40,000 vehicles per day so I stayed on the sidewalks (I have to confess that I had to ride in the travel lanes across the bridge just north of 103rd and Metcalf since it is under construction and there is no sidewalk yet … try that in the morning rush hour to get your heart pumping).  I have developed a mental shortlist of things to watch for … broken glass, people jogging with their ipods and not paying attention, drivers exiting driveways or turning right … I’ve also developed a shortlist of irritations like people that plant bushes that encroach into the sidewalk and people that don’t keep their trees pruned up high enough so I can ride under  them.  One other thing of interest has been the continuity of the sidewalk system … it looks great 95% of the time and then in the blink of an eye there will be a short piece missing.  Both days I had to be home rather quickly after work so I rode part way and caught the JO for the remainder.  It was only $1.25 to ride on Thursday and free on Friday.  I was mildly surprised to actually see 20 other people riding the bus (that’s actually a pretty amazing number for the burbs). This morning my daughter and I rode to have breakfast … what a beautiful morning … nothing like a little fresh air to build up your appetite.  After chowing down on pancakes, we headed back home with a brief stop along the way to see a friend who had just had surgery and was home recuperating.  If next week is anything like this week, I think I will be well on my way to a permanent change in my car only lifestyle.  Post #5: Now that’s something I didn’t know … Recently the folks from Trek were in Kansas City to help promote becoming a Bicycle Friendly Community.  I had a chance to meet Rebecca Anderson, Trek’s Director of Advocacy who was hired to lead the OneWorld, Two Wheels effort.  She brought along a group of folks from

Omaha … what an amazing group!  The folks from Omaha told me how they had raised $600,000 in private donations to get the city started on creating a better bicycling environment in

Omaha.  That is quite impressive …way to go

Omaha!  With employees like that being active in the community Trek can certainly be proud of their accomplishment. The same night I met Rebecca and the gang from

Nebraska, we also heard from the League of American Bicyclists about their awards program thatrecognizes communities that actively support bicycling(www.bicyclefriendlycommunity.org).  As they went through the presentation, they talked about how the awards program had changed since it’s inception.  For a community to be recognized (at either the Bronze,Silver, Gold or Platinum levels), various criteria are evaluatedcovering the five “E’s” … engineering, education, encouragement,evaluation and enforcement.  There are only two cities at the platinum level … Davis, CA and Portland, OR.   Post #6: That was a long ride … Another week has passed and I am still at it (bicycling, that is).  On Saturday I decided to bike to my daughter’s soccer game (10 miles one way).  My wife and daughter would still have to drive out there, but I would have a chance to test out my bike on the open country roads …well, at least part of the way.  We have some pretty good bike paths that I was able to use except for the final three miles. On my way there I passed near a site currently under construction where our city is building a new outdoor youth soccer complex.  Next year when it opens my ride will be about half as long (and maybe I can have my daughter ride there too).  I made the mistake of going down one of the few roads that leads directly to the current soccer park … no shoulder and lots of soccer parents eager to get their kids to the tournament on time.  Luckily, no close calls. Once I got there, I had an easy time finding parking … right next to the field as a matter of fact.  After the game was over, I took a different route back home.  The two main roads I used had fairly wide shoulders (five feet on one and probably three feet on the other) so I didn’t feel like cars were ready to run me over everytime they went by.  The real killer was the wind, however.  Somehow it blew in my face almost the whole way home (first from the east, then from the north),and fairly strong, I might add.  At least I got to take in some new scenery.  By the way, for you long time bikers, have you ever tried to pass the time while biking solo? After awhile I decided to start keeping count of all the dead animals on the side of the road … 18 by journey’s end (better them than me, I guess).  Maybe you can let me know what works for you!  Post #7: The family the rides together, stays together. Finally, I got down my wife’s old bicycle from the top of the garage. For 22 years old (the bike), she’s in great shape (my wife looks great too).  We went on a short ride together which seemed to be uphill most of the way (coming home was a lot more fun).  I am finding out that my new Trek bicycle is very easy to ride up hills of all sizes.  In a previous post I mentioned that my wife’s bike only has 12 speeds … my daughter’s bike has 21 and my bike has 24 (my wife may need a new bike soon if we really embrace this bicycle commuting lifestyle).  She did spot a place near our destination that actually had bike racks out in front of their business (Winstead’s near 135th and Roe … kind of like a throwback diner).  I’ve started to mentally track things like this more closely.  If anyone out there wants to start a list of places in the KC area that support bike riders with bike racks or discounts, leave a message.  Post #8 Joel’s Ride … Today I had an opportunity to participate in the first annual Joel’s Ride for Social Justice.  Joel Winston was a local bicycle enthusiast that died from stomach cancer in June 2006.  He biked to work on a regular basis and was known to take his bike along on vacations (disassembled in a special suitcase).  He even went to his chemotherapy by bike.  To honor his memory and love for bicycling, his family held a 25-mile charity bike ride and a bike safety rodeo.   The event drew a lot of people for both the ride and the rodeo.  The local NBC affiliate was also there to cover the start.  The weather was great for the ride, but somehow I went through all of my water before I got back … guess I need a bigger bottle or a second one.  It was nice being out among other riders for a common cause.  I am quite sure if Joel were alive today he would be a strong advocate for the One World, Two Wheels campaign.  If you want to read about his life, you can google the Kansas City Star for an article that appeared in the Saturday, May 31st edition.