Winter bike to work in the news

I spotted a couple of “Bike to Work” news items this morning. What’s especially nice is this article in US News and World Report, which doesn’t portray cycling to work during the winter as an activity only for the diehard enthusiasts, but as something anybody can do:

On a freezing november morning in Chicago, Megan Mason puts on leggings, several polyester tops and a fleece, a windbreaker, four pairs of gloves, and silk sock liners. She ties a bandana over her head, dons earmuffs, snaps on a helmet, safety-pins a scarf into a cocoon around her head, and gets on her bright green Schwinn for a 1/2-mile ride to work.

Surely anyone who braves Windy City cold must be a hardcore biker. But Mason, a 27-year-old curriculum analyst at the Northwestern University School of Law, is new to the ranks of cycle commuters-one of thousands of Americans who this year have switched to pedal power.

A little further west, the city of Fort Collins, Colorado had their annual Winter Bike To Work Day Wednesday morning.

“The things the bicycling community offers are exciting, but sometimes people need encouragement to get involved,” Rolling Spokes co-founder Molly North said. “A side effect of Rolling Spokes and other organizations is to connect people to the biking community.”

The city of Fort Collins achieved “Gold” status as a Bicycle Friendly Community last September. The cyclists in Fort Collins are working to go Platinum as a Bicycle Friendly Community. My question: Can any city that bans bikes from its main thoroughfare actually be considered “bicycle friendly” in any way?

See also Chicago Bike Winter.

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