Bike Enthusiasts Unite

Imagine waking up, enjoying a cup of coffee and a hearty breakfast, then strapping on a helmet and jumping on your bike for a nice commute to work. The sun is shining as you wave to the shop owners opening up for business. You look at all the disgruntled drivers stopping and going at every light, rushing to work while you pedal along unwittingly invigorating your body for the day ahead. This has been my experience on many occasions but with few options to avoid speeding traffic and the constant worry of being pegged by a texting driver (ashamed to admit I’m guilty) many would-be bicycle commuters defect to gas guzzling, fury invoking, automobile travel.Well Stuck in North Idaho fans, I am pleased to announce that there is a bike group gaining some momentum in Coeur d’Alene. Their call sign Bike CDA, ringing out like a manifesto to the wellness warriors such as myself. I met with this group on Saturday morning at Calypso’s. The congregation was filled with bikers of all sorts. Mountain bikers, road riders, beach cruisers and pub crawlers. And the person who is bringing everyone together for the cause of making Coeur d’Alene more bike friendly happens to be one of our city’s finest, John Kelly.I sat down with John at Java Monday and we discussed what it takes for a community to make a social movement, such as alternative transportation, a reality. The idea is connectivity, creating corridors for bikers to commute and then having a place to store your bike safely when you get to your destination. It’s a complex task indeed because of the logistics of connecting say Coeur d’Alene to Hayden. The challenge is getting all the respective cities on the same page. Now to be honest local government is a bit over my head but I believe we can still make a difference just by joining the conversation and being heard.Coeur d’Alene is my home and I love it here. I can’t help but feel we are on the brink of something really big that will create opportunities for local entrepreneurs, develop safe routes for bikers and reduce the amount of car traffic.  So what I’m really saying is that I endorse Bike CDA and I encourage all Stuck in North Idaho followers to find out more about them whether you are a bike enthusiast or not.

• Kyle

Update: You can check out more information about Bike Cd'A via this Cd'A Press story, on their website or this article from Coeur d'Alene Living Local.