For lots of professionals in the capital city region, bicycling is more than just a hobby, it's a means of transportation – whether it’s commuting to work, riding down to the local farmers market, or heading off to join friends for dinner.
The advantages are pretty obvious (a lower monthly gasoline bill, for starters), and for these hearty folks, cycling provides a whole new way to experience the cultural and natural life in and around Lansing.
One person who definitely knows the local cycling scene is John Lindenmayer. He's the Associate Director of the League of Michigan Bicyclists, a grassroots organization that advocates for road cyclists throughout the state. Not surprisingly, he's also a dedicated bicycle-commuter, something he's been doing for several years.
"One day I realized I hadn't driven my car in awhile and my tags had expired and I'd let my insurance lapse," he relates. "Kind of by accident my wife and I ended up going down to a one-car household."
Lindenmayer's morning commute begins when he picks up the bike lane on Kalamazoo Street, just a few blocks from his home in the Eastside neighborhood of Lansing. He heads west on Kalamazoo, pedaling away as his fellow car-bound commuters buzz by alongside. Fifteen blocks later he's at the LMB headquarters in Downtown Lansing—definitely one office where it's okay to show up for work a little sweaty.
Motorless Motivation Karen Kligman, environmental quality specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, first got the idea of bike-commuting when she did a "self-contained" tour in France.
"We carried all our gear on bikes and stayed at bed and breakfasts. After that trip, where I actually used my bike as transportation, it dawned on me that I could ride my bike to work."
Back home, she began cycling to her office in Downtown Lansing. She soon discovered a number of her co-workers were doing the same thing, and they began to share information and consult on the best possible routes.
Kligman uses a variety of different routes to get from her home in East Lansing to her downtown Lansing office in Constitution Hall, and she varies them depending on weather conditions, time of day, and her mood.
The first leg of one route takes her through the Michigan State University campus, which early in the morning (she often sets out by 6:30) she only shares with a few squirrels, songbirds, and bleary-eyed students heading off to the library. West of campus she picks up the Lansing River Trail, or, for a more direct path downtown, one of the bike lanes on Kalamazoo Street. Her trip covers seven miles and takes about half an hour.
Managing the ElementsSo how do you dress for work when your morning commute might leave you a little wind-blown, wrinkled, and sweaty? Kligman has figured out a number of ways to deal with the problem.
"I have a garment bag that straps over the back rack of my bike – I can carry a dress or suit." She also leaves a few outfits at work, along with a drawer full of shoes. She's gotten so smart about this stuff, in fact, that she now teaches classes on "Smart Commuting" for cyclists throughout the region.
For Kligman, the benefits are well worth it. She can soak up the nuances of the neighborhoods she passes through, small details that are mostly a blur to those in speedier means of conveyance.
The portions of her trip through the natural environs of the River Trail are equally nice. "Every spring I wait for the first goslings and the first ducklings. It's calm and peaceful, and very sensory."
Of course, building an hour of vigorous cardio into your daily routine has a few physical benefits as well. "When I'm cycling to work every day," she says with a grin, "I can eat whatever I want."
A former racing cyclist, Tim Potter now runs the daily race on his bike through the streets of Okemos and East Lansing. He's also found a way to turn his passion for cycling into a day job, as the Marketing and Sales Coordinator of the MSU Bikes Service Center.
The Center began as an informal gathering of cycling enthusiasts at MSU and is now an impressive facility that includes a service desk and repair shop, where staffers refurbish old bikes and make them available for rental on campus.
Potter's daily ride takes him along Grand River Avenue east of campus. He combines a number of strategies, including running on sidewalks, cutting through less-traveled side streets, and riding out with traffic on slower stretches of Grand River Avenue – what cyclists call "taking the lane."
Of course, road cyclists do face a number of challenges anywhere they bike, including Lansing. What to do during the long Michigan winter, for example? When it's not practical to do the two-wheel commute, John Lindenmayer catches a ride with his wife, who also works downtown, or jumps on a CATA bus; when it's too snowy to cycle, Tim Potter cross-country skis to work.
And what about dealing with those "other" commuters, the four-wheeled ones?
Karen Kligman finds the majority of Lansing drivers very courteous, and—as is usually the case in human interactions—a little mutual consideration goes a long way. "It's a lot easier for drivers to deal with cyclists when we act predictably, and obey the same traffic laws they do," she points out.
Lindenmayer's organization emphasizes a similar point: "We advocate that you have a right to the road but you don't have a right to hog the road. Do your best not to hold up traffic."
Lansing has made impressive strides in designing infrastructure that takes into account non-motorized forms of transportation, and it seems the trend is continuing: Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero recently formed a Bike and Pedestrian Task Force to work on the issue.
It's easy to see how the interests of cyclists dovetail with those of city planners and local employers who want to make the area attractive to young, educated workers – for this group, "bike-friendly" has become a codeword for cities that are forward thinking, well managed, and welcoming to younger residents.
As Lansing's urban renewal continues to build up speed, don't be surprised to see the cyclists leading the way.
Jonathan Ritz's essays, articles, and short-stories have appeared in many regional and national publications. He teaches writing at Michigan State University and can be reached
here.
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of Trumpie Photography.
Photos:
John Lindenmayer riding home from work
Bike lane sign on Kalamazoo
Tim Potter in the MSU bike shop
Bikers on the Lansing River Trail
All Photographs ©
Dave Trumpie