Hug an Advocate 

(but ask first..)

I’ve been a bike advocate for more years than I’d care to admit. It started in the normal way—riding bikes, thinking it was nifty. Someone must have flattered me into writing letters, going to meetings, joining the board of something-or-other. 

“Ya know, you are just the kind of person we are looking for at X, Y, Z organization. With your expert-ness and your overall amazing personality, we could really do X, Y, Z.” 

Beware these words and their ilk. This flattery is how they getcha. It’s how they got me. That and a viscous and unfounded attack on my motives when I inquired with a local “environmental organization” regarding their opposition to bike access on my local mountain. I was earnestly seeking information. They accused me of working for the KGB (essentially). 

Well, it was on. I joined that board that flattered me with a quickness. It’s amazing what a little unmitigated, incensed rage will do. I then got recruited to another board, then another, and another…infinity. I promised myself that when I started spending more time talking about riding bikes than actually riding bikes, it was time to reassess. 

That happened quickly. The projects we advocated for did not. But when they did finally happen, after years—sometimes decades—and you saw that bridge, that tunnel, that trail finally finally open? Seeing kids from 8 to 80 able to ride a new stretch that connects them to their park, their community, school, downtown? Ah, now that’s the reason. 

Cities, towns, counties and the communities they serve are becoming ever more enlightened to the benefits of bicycling and walking, whether these are paved paths serving as alternatives to driving, or mountain bike trail systems close to home for fitness, fun, time in nature. 

Funding for such infrastructure has not kept pace with the newfound demand—funding never does. But it’s getting better, and the more people who want it, the more communities and neighborhoods will get it. The nerdy-hippie-weirdo bike advocate of days gone by (bless your weird nerdy heart!) who showed up to the city council meeting in a bike helmet and a chainring tattoo (the grease kind) so everyone knew they were The Bike Advocate has been replaced (mostly). 

Striding up to the podium today is the lawyer/mom/teacher/student/mechanic/doctor who wants better bike access in their town, on their trails.  The high school mountain bike team who needs a place to ride so they can train for races instead of TikTok and Fortnite. 

These are my reasons for a life of advocacy. It’s not for everyone and that’s okay. But if you like the trails, the paths, the lanes that “suddenly appeared,” give a think on how that happened. Maybe write a letter. Go to a council meeting. Donate to your local bike organization. Or volunteer for their board? Come to think of it, you are just the kind of person they are looking for—smart, charming….