Very close to a year ago, I purchased a mountain bike from a friend for fifty dollars. What a beauty. All right, she needed a little work and a lot of love, but boy did she get it. Today, with an upgrade in the form of a swell road bike and plenty of miles under my belt, I am one of the proud Angelenos who rides her bike to work every day via the Orange Line pathway in the San Fernando Valley.
During the course of our nation’s economic struggle, I have seen more people taking their bikes to work, to the store, to a friend’s house, or on a big adventure. Maybe it’s always been a big thing and I’m just now joining the party, but imagine my surprise and delight upon arrival at Griffith Park Sunday morning at 7:00 am: 2,000 helmeted riders, 2,000 bicycles, of all different colors and sizes. A people-watcher’s dream. The circumference of some riders’ calves was enough for me to wonder why I was there, but I knew why - to ride, and more importantly, to support the rejuvenation process of Los Angeles County.
The Los Angeles River Ride is an yearly event helmed by the Los Angeles Bicycle Coalition (and its very good friends), “a membership based advocacy organization working to improve the bicycling environment and quality of life in Los Angeles County.” Ever catch yourself thinking how we can improve the environment and cut down on pollution? Well, the Coalition makes steps to take action outside of mere notion, and has been able to make progress by way of volunteers, donations, and rides such as this. Admirable, no?
The rides of the day were as follows: a kids’ ride, a 10-mile family ride, a 50-mile (half-century) ride, a 70-mile ride, and a 100-mile (century) ride. Each ride started at its respective times so that all bicyclists would roughly finish together, to relax and partake of various goodies and food afterwards. As for myself and my comrades, we chose to half-century it at 8:00 am. There were plenty of hydration stops (as I like to call them) from Griffith Park to the city of Paramount, and back. Good-natured folks volunteered to keep us motivated physically - with water, fruit, and protein-based snacks - and mentally - with pumpin’ beats and big smiles. Somewhere around mile 25 or 30 I was insanely grateful for these guys and their Bob Marley tracks.
On our way to Paramount, we found ourselves with the 710 freeway on one side, and the LA river on the other. Now as I recall, in most places the LA river looks more like something out of a dark chapter of a Quentin Tarantino film than a serene panoramic shot from a Discovery Channel special. Color me ecstatic when I actually saw - gasp! - plants and - what? - birds swimming in water that is - OMG - neither murky nor brown. The fact that we had not stumbled into some alternate universe pleased me from the top of my silver helmet to the bottom of my Champion socks. Environmental improvement is one of the many causes the Los Angeles Bicycle Coalition strives to find a solution for, along with the building and maintenance of safe and adequate pathways for cyclists. (Click here for a list of current projects and accomplishments.)
We returned to Griffith Park upon noon’s eve, and let me tell you - one of the greatest feelings in the world is stopping where you started, being handed a purple ribbon, and sitting down to enjoy a Beatles cover band while sifting through big bags of swag (from the good folks at Metro, Clif Bar, Jack FM, REI, and many, many more). Actually, it’s a close second to knowing that you’re part of a much bigger picture than once thought.
If you’ve ever thought about cycling semi-seriously, chew on this thought:
[...] by using a bike instead of a car just one day a week, the average American would save $609 in gasoline, maintenance and depreciation costs per year, reduce emissions by 24 pounds per week, and burn an extra 1315 calories at a 12mph pace! — Bicycling Magazine
It’s hard to argue with feeling better about personal health, expenses, and general mood. Besides, an encore screening of “An Inconvenient Truth” isn’t required to know what one less car on the road can do in the way of air pollution, traffic congestion, and hopefully, eventual repair of global climate. This one less car might not make an impression on the minds of many, but it’s definitely worth a thought in the mind of an individual. . . so think about it!
Photo by bfick via Flickr
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1 Sandra // Jun 14, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Excellent article. Thank you. I can’t wait to ride my bike to work when I return in July. Please continue to inform us Angelenos the ways we can help ourselves and the environment.
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