So here’s an idea for any ladies who will be arriving by bicycle.  What if we all try to replicate these gorgeous vintage bicycle posters?

Hands off ladies...red chiffon dress here we come.

Does anyone dare?

But had not read her blog.  Shame shame.

So here’s a shout out to a brave and beautiful woman, who gave up her car in favor of the bike, who rides with style and grace, and is pretty funny too.  Read her blog now.  High Heels and Two Wheels.

Erin, will you be our new mascot?  Pretty please?

Here’s a pic of her courtesy of MNN

Image via Wikipedia

We came across this great letter from 1999, published in the Post & Courier and written by a tenacious woman named Mindy Spar.  Read it and be inspired! (For the full text go to the P&C archives)

I want to ride my bicycle

BY Mindy Spar
The Post and Courier

Anyone who owns a car in this town knows that driving around here can be a headache. With all the one-way streets, pedestrians who don`t look where they are going, carriage drivers who don`t pull over when they are supposed to and tour buses that drive zero miles per hour, getting where you are going can be tough…..

I bought a bicycle about a year or so ago with intentions of riding it to work. Somehow, I kept finding excuse after excuse not to. First I didn`t want to ride home in the dark. Then when it stayed light later, I decided it was too hot. Then I couldn`t figure out a comfortable way to ride in a dress. Then I realized I had way too much stuff to schlep around and I couldn`t possibly carry it all on a bike. Then I kept hearing story after story of people`s bikes being stolen, and I figured my bike would be much safer if I didn`t use it.

After the bus incident, I decided to get real and put all of the excuses away. I spent the weekend gearing up: I bought a basket to carry my stuff in, bought a super-duper lock to protect my bike, I found some bicycle shorts to wear under my dress, and I decided to pull my hair back in a ponytail and to not be afraid of a little sweat.

D-day (or should I say B-day, as in bike day) dawned on Monday. I woke up early in anticipation. Every few minutes I checked the sky, but, alas, there were no rain clouds in sight. I pulled on my shorts, tied back my hair, secured my belongings in my basket, and off I went.

It was exhilarating. Even with the heat there was a bit of a breeze, and it felt great to be in the open air.

Usually, I drove the same route to work every morning, so I decided to weave through the back streets on my bike. I noticed new details on houses I`d seen a thousand times; the interesting way a porch curved on one house, the leaded glass windows on another, the latticed gate to a garden at yet another. I marveled at the amount of restoration and renovation that is being done in the downtown neighborhoods.

Before I knew it, I was at my destination. I was amazed that it took the same amount of time as driving had. And I felt great, albeit very sweaty. I was clearheaded and empowered to tackle the day.

Now, I ride to work every day. Instead of wishing for storm clouds, I dread them. (One day I had to drive to work and I appreciated my bicycle all the more; by the time I negotiated the traffic and bad drivers, I was a stress case before my work day had even begun.)

I vary my route and try to discover new things daily. I also watch the progress of the renovations and am excited by the new vitality in some of our older neighborhoods.

If I had only known what a great way this was to start the day, I would have thrown off those tired excuses ages ago. Granted, my sitbone and my legs were a little sore for a while, and my co-workers have had to deal with my outdoorsy odor, but those little inconveniences pale in comparison to the overall benefits.

Those benefits are endless; a chance to get some exercise, discover new things, clear the mind and body of stress, and do a little bit for the environment.

But the biggest benefit of all is, I feel as if I`ve given myself a gift. A gift of permission to take a few minutes every day to do something beneficial for myself. This is something in this hectic, rush-rush world we too often forget to do. Try it and see what a difference it makes.

Take me there!

Excerpt:

“The wind caught the hem of my dress as I sped downhill, but I didn’t care. The breeze felt like a chilly kiss on my bare knees, and the sensation made me sit a little straighter on my bike seat. My head was high, my chin pointed defiantly forward as I pushed up and coasted down hills on my way into the office.”

Why do you ride?

This picture was sent in to me by a reader, and let me tell you, I love it.  It’s old school, new school and being-one-with-nature-school all in one.   This is his ‘fishing bike’ and he and his 7-yr old daughter like to ride to the shore of the Wando river and try to catch anything they can.

Lowcountry Livin'

Ladies and Gents, you don’t have to buy a fancy basket to get things done.  Get creative in the spur of the moment.  Try a tomato box strapped to the back if you can’t hold on to all your organic farmer’s market supplies.   Or rummage up an old Coke Bottle container like this gentleman did to hold your fresh caught dinner as you ride back home smiling with your kids and feel good about being alive.

“As Mapes points out, when more women begin riding, that will signal a big change in attitude, which will prompt further changes in the direction of safety and elegance. I can ride till my legs are sore and it won’t make riding any cooler, but when attractive women are seen sitting upright going about their city business on bikes day and night, the crowds will surely follow…. “

Well what do you know, our secret admirer is coming to town!!  So come on and meet him.  Ride your lovely lady bikes to Southend Brewery and show him support, learn something, and get inspired.

EVENT DETAILS

CAC.C/CCDC LECTURE SERIES
sponsored by MyBikeLaw.com + CharlestonMoves
REVOLUTION ON2WHEELS
Across America, a cycling revolution is underway.  Bicycles are changing the way people get around, and therefore how they see and understand the city—not to mention how we plan it.  Bikes aren’t just for fun; more and more, they’re a primary means of transportation! This Spring will examine this amazing phenomenon and consider its consequences for the metro-Charleston area.


JEFF MAPES
Pedaling Revolution:
How Cyclists are Changing American Cities
Thursday FEBRUARY 4
7:00-9:00 PM
South End Brewery, 161 East Bay Street
lecture sponsor: Blue Bicycle Books

Jeff Mapes is a senior political reporter for The Oregonian and the author of Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists are Changing American Cities.

He is riding a wave of excellent reviews about his book to which the influential Library Journal (which many schools and libraries base their purchasing decisions on) gave their coveted rating of “highly recommended.”  Mapes has put together a broad survey of the burgeoning urban bike movement. He covers everything, from the role of the bicycle in American society in the nineteenth century to the current revolution in cycling.

In preparing for his book, Mapes traveled the country (and the globe) to ride the streets he writes about and to talk directly with the people who are playing  pivotal roles in America’s bike movement. Mapes moves from the warfare between the NYPD and the bike-activist group Critical Mass, to the utopian bikeways of Davis, California and the biking capital of the world, Amsterdam.

His extensive research, solid reporting, and anecdotally-infused style offer a story that, so far, has been largely unknown to all but bicycle advocates.
You can’t have a revolution (pedaling or not) without information, and this lecture just might become one of the sparks that fuels biking’s upcoming boom in Charleston, just like his book is doing across America.

Come meet the man behind the book and get a glimpse of the bike revolution that is sweeping the country.

Biking 150 Miles for a cause — in a dress and heels.

And then I read further.  This person who is biking in a dress and heels for a cause?  She’s no 20-something who’s been training for a year.  She’s no IronMan.  She’s a beautiful 84-yr old woman on a single-speed purple vintage cruiser.  It makes me think that when we THINK we can’t do something – when we THINK that something is hard  or it will take too long or it’s just inconvenient – that really it’s all a bunch of poppycock.  The ability to do and to dream is nestled right inside our head and our hearts.  It’s up to us to see it differently.

So check her out – this woman, my new hero and click here (or on the headline above) to read the full article.

Photo from The SkepticalOptimist on Flickr

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/10/28/eiko.irpt/index.html