Why can?t every morning be like this?
The 8th annual Bike-to-Work Day was an official hit Friday in Baltimore.
Bagels, coffee ? Light St. Cycles giving away a free Canondale bike ? and Italian Madrigal acapella singers performing “La Bicicletta” made cycling to work seem like about the most fun thing you could do every day.
More than 500 people registered for events at City Hall downtown, City Dock in Annapolis, the County Office Building in Bel Air and Courthouse Square in Towson, said Jamie Bridges, a spokesman for the Baltimore Metropolitan Transportation Council, lead organizer of the event.
“I don?t know if I fit in because I bike for work, instead [of] to work,” said Baltimore bicycle messenger James Chirut, 26.
“But I think this is good for getting people out of their car and on their bike. Every little bit helps.”
A morning downpour didn?t dampen the turnout in Bel Air, where about 50 riders cruised through downtown before gathering for food, music and giveaways at the Harford County office building.
Harford officials announced a new bicyclist mentoring program, where inexperienced riders can contact more seasoned ones for information on equipment, safety and bike-friendly routes to work.
“I bike for fun ? all the other reasons go along with it,” said Stu Chapman, 55, a chemistry teacher at Harford Technical High School who adds a 20-mile loop to his daily five-mile ride to work.
Chapman brought along Terri Broemm, a nursing teacher at Harford Tech who was riding to work for the first time and was nervous about the limited space for cyclists on the shoulders of some commuter routes.
“I can?t believe I did it,” Broemm said. “I?m looking forward to seeing what the return trip is like.”
Offie Clark, a member of the Harford Velo Cycling Club, said the event was good for recruiting cyclists and promoting their cause.
The club has worked with the county to create more bike-friendly roads with better signs and striping.
“We talk about air quality, traffic congestion and saving gas money, but this is really fun, too,” Bridges said.
Mike Franch, 65, has been riding to work for three years from his home in Waverly to his downtown job and said his inspiration is neighbor Herman Heyn ? who is 75 years young.
“I use my bike everyday for transportation,” said Heyn, semi-retired and self-employed. “I ride to the library, the bank, the supermarket, the coffee shop and to visit friends. In my next life, I?m going to be a bike messenger.”
