I didn’t have plans to become a cycling enthusiast when I moved to Portland from Eau Claire four years ago, but here I find myself, a bona fide bike commuter. I’ve gone from an uninformed snickerer of the spandex to the lady who always has chain grease on her calves and can switch out a tube in six minutes.

I wish I could say that I made a conscious choice to reduce my carbon footprint, but the truth is I was broke and having trouble getting into my jeans. In a move designed to reduce my dependence on elastic waistbands and super-unleaded, I picked up a refurbished road bike, and we’ve been joined at the seat ever since.

If you’re looking to make your two-wheeler a bigger part of your life, you can do worse than to find yourself in the Rose City. Some neighborhoods boast a percentage of bike commuters as high as 9 percent, and it’s no wonder – there are over 200 miles of bikeways (bike lanes, routes, or pedestrian paths) within the city limits alone, with more promised.

There are tons of city sponsored events that encourage cycling, like the Providence Bridge Pedal, an annual ride that for one morning closes bridges and even sections of I-5 to cars and allows bikers free reign over all of Portland’s water-crossing glory. This year there were 18,000 riders. EIGHTEEN THOUSAND. Do you know how many Clif bars that takes? (Approximately eighteen thousand.)

A newer event called Sunday Parkways closes seven to eight miles of streets to automobile traffic once a month in rotating neighborhoods, creating “temporary parks” that you can bike, skate, or crabwalk down without fear of being pummeled by something powered by an engine.
I’m not telling you all of this to brag, (OK, maybe a little bit). But if I may, I’d like to offer some insight. Word on the street is that Eau Claire has got a healthy bike culture brewing and after a couple years of participating in a fairly developed cycling community, I’ve nominated myself to share some ideas.

    Biking is for everyone – it’s not red, or blue, fuchsia, whatever. Create cycling opportunities for all those in your community, not just the able-bodied skinny-jeans-wearing crowd. Try not to assign the activity a political affiliation. Everyone is susceptible to the infectious glee that biking induces; they maybe just don’t know it yet.

Extend the olive branch. Roads are not a good place to exercise aggression, no matter what your mode of transportation. Just because it’s within your legal rights to bike two wide to a lane, doesn’t mean that’s the best way to behave. Be courteous. It will get you where you want to be, faster. Set a good example, and hope you’re the one who sticks in the memory of potential naysayers, not that jerk who blew the stop sign and almost ran over the old lady with the groceries. The best way to get the same respect as a car is to follow the same rules. Should I preach more? I’ll stop. For now.

If you build it, they will come. Look how successful you made watching movies in an alley, or music in the park, or chalk on the sidewalk. If you find a way to host cycling events where everyone feels welcome, the members of your bike community will multiply like fruit flies. If there are bike lanes, people will use them. Just like if there is cheesy popcorn, people will eat it.
Drivers, I realize some of you are apprehensive, but there are ways you’ll benefit from a strong cycling community even if you’re not interested in climbing on the saddle yourself. More bikes equal more parking, less traffic, cleaner air, and hell, who knows, maybe even lower health insurance premiums. Not to mention good-looking neighbors.

And most important of all, cyclists: be safe. Even if you’re right, you’re not going to win against a car. Helmets are sexy. I know that you already know these things. Humor me.

And remember, there’s no such thing as a cycling utopia. It’s a continuous work in progress, even here in hippy-dippy Oregon. There will be setbacks and conflicts. But try not to get discouraged. You’ll get there, Eau Claire. It will happen. It’s happening. You’re doing it. Just keep getting back on the bike.