A moment from the Roots N Blues N BBQ -
Photo from www.rootsnbluesnbbq.com
I loaded up the bike trailer once again with a fully loaded cooler and biked downtown on the Off Track Events promotional mobile. I strategically parked in a busy area of the festival where masses of people would walk by the bike seeing the promotional posters on the back. Draping the cover of the kid trailer over the cooler, I had a convenient secret full sized cooler in the middle of this huge festival available for all the friends that I saw over the two day weekend.
During the experience I was reminded how great it is to live in a community that showcases the arts and brings such great entertainment to the masses for free. Seeing the downtown streets closed to traffic made me think about how great it would be if Columbia would ever make its main downtown street (9th St. for example) into a pedestrian mall that only walkers and bikers would be allowed to use (think Madison, Iowa City, and Boulder). The University campus has successfully converted a couple of its busy streets into pedestrian only streets, and it is great resource for the many students who commute by foot or bicycle. Would Columbia, its citizens, and businesses be able to benefit from this as well?
Commuting against bike traffic at the MS150
Saturday morning, I got on my bike and commuted to the Midway Expo Center for the MS150. The MS150 is a bike ride that occurs in cities across the United States on the same day raising money for Multiple Sclerosis. My plan was not to ride in the event. I was there to shamelessly advertise the Off Track Event series. My goal was to place brochures for the 3 events on 1,000 cars (yes, I am the one to thank or to blame). Luckily, I had friends who met me there to help out. Within an hour, we were done and I was on my way. I have commuted by bicycle to the Expo Center many times before. Usually, it's a quiet and lonely 45 minute ride on county roads. The commute today was very different. The sense of solitude was gone, as I got to bike against the flow of 2,000 plus riders on the event. It is a great experience to see a solid, steady line of bikers for miles on a road. It's amazing how many smiles and waves are returned from fellow riders!
Team Ska representing at the Tour of Missouri
To top off the amazing week, the Tour of Missouri ended its stage 4 race in downtown Columbia. World class bikers, competing for large prize money, raced 133 miles from Lebanon, MO, to Columbia, MO. The Columbia streets were lined for miles with fans eagerly anticipating the opportunity to even catch a glimpse of these amazing athletes. I worked my way into the crowd near the finish line and felt the extreme excitement as the 100+ racers sprinted the last 50M to the finish line. It lasted only a few seconds. It was amazing. A world class biking event right here in Columbia. It was a dream come to true. Unfortunately, looking around, I noticed that not many people had commutted to the event with their bikes. Traffic must have been a nightmare. Fortunately, my group of friends and I realize the advantage that bikes give us for quickly arriving to large events, getting right in the action (yes the cooler was once again hydrating the masses), and getting to park where we like every time!
Am I seeing double Elvis?
The Columbia finish of Stage 4 of the Tour of Missouri
Arial view of Columbia and the Tour of Missouri
Photo from www.tourofmissouri.com
The rest of the week involved the usual commuting back and forth from home to town. At one point, I needed to mail a large number of promotions for Off Track Events: 225 packages to be exact. On a normal month, I would simply put the packages in the back of the car and drive to the post office. This month I strategically stacked the small packages to all fit into the promotional trailer. Biking the few miles to town felt like I was hauling people on the Shakespeare's pedicab at times. But, once I arrived at the post-office, I felt satisfied with my accomplishment. Off to the post office. Spending extra time bike commuting has helped me appreciate the senses that are often lost when traveling in a vehicle: the change of temperature in the middle of October, the aroma of fried chicken as I pass by the nearby grocery store, spotting lost treasures on the side of the street as I commute from place to place. These quick and personal moments are another reason why bike commutting is a grand adventure to me.
My four wheeled transportation
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