Unofficial cycling announcement

Note: this announcement has absolutely nothing to do with the course.  Paying attention to it is entirely voluntary. Ignoring it will not affect my opinion of you at all.

Preamble

Do you bicycle? I do. Since I moved to Toronto in 2000, I have consisently refused to own a car. Everywhere I go in the city I ride a bike as my vehicle, or take public transportation, or walk. Cycling is good for the environment, it reduces traffic congestion, and it is good for my health.

Last week I bought a new bike for the first time in years, which was really exciting. Woot! It has taken me a total of twelve and a half years since my Mammoth skiing accident to get back on a regular-frame bicycle, in a personal victory of sorts. Here is a picture of my new steed on the evening I brought it home from a local bike shop, last week after class office hours. The weird handlebars are needed to accommodate my damaged shoulders/neck/back. I’ve already ridden it to the Toronto Islands this past weekend.

Join Cycle Toronto with me

If you ride a bike in Toronto, and if you would like our streets to become safer for cyclists, then I warmly invite you to join Cycle Toronto. Cycle Toronto is a diverse member-supported non-profit community organization that advocates for a healthy, safe, cycling-friendly city for all. (It is badly needed: Mayor Ford wants to spend a quarter of a million dollars of taxpayer money to remove bike lanes on Jarvis St in November!) I have already put my money where my mouth is: I am a Founding Life Member of Cycle Toronto.

Student memberships in Cycle Toronto cost $20/year. (This reduced rate became available after a number of us advocated for it.) With your membership fee, you get (a) really decent people who know their stuff advocating for your safety as a cyclist, and (b) a number of member benefits - mostly discounts at local bike shops.

If you would like to join Cycle Toronto, I invite you to do so at my Refer-A-Rider campaign page. Invite your friends to join up using the same link. If I end up placing in the top three in the contest and win a prize, I will donate that prize to one of you – by making a random draw from the list of all students who signed up as Cycle Toronto members through my Refer-A-Rider page. First prize is a whole bike.

Don’t sign up because I offer the slim chance of winning a prize. (The odds are much better than in any Lotto draw, but whatever!) Sign up because you believe in cycling infrastructure for your city. Cycling is a great way to help your health – both physical and emotional – even if, like me, you’re a person with disabilities.

Ride on!