Northampton Cycling Club organizes BikeFest to celebrate cycling
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NORTHAMPTON - Cyclists of all ages, interests and experience levels, gathered at Look Park on Saturday to celebrate the joy of biking. Before arriving, many had completed one of the five organized bike tours ranging from an eight-mile family ride to a 104-mile century ride.
Now in its fourth year, the BikeFest event is organized by the Northampton Cycling Club (NCC).
"The goal of this event is to engage the community in a celebration of cycling and to raise money for the NCC youth and amateur cycling programs," Michael Hempstead, president of the NCC said.
Hempstead said that NCC is a broad based cycling club that welcomes everyone from hard-core racers to casual riders.
"Our group is involved in getting more people to bike for fitness and recreation."
According to Hempstead, cycling has seen a revival in recent years as more people incorporate the bicycle into their lives.
"There has definitely been a consciousness-raising around cycling. People are really getting that it is the most efficient mode of transportation in terms of energy, economics, traffic and of course it offers great health benefits," Hempstead said.
Five years ago, the NCC had 70 members. Now the membership is at 250 and climbing.
"Now we have a lot more families involved and definitely more women," Hempstead said.
From Saturday's turnout, it was easy to see that the world of cycling has numerous factions and that people saddle up for a variety of reasons. Racers clad in tight cyclist clothing mingled with mountain bikers, BMX enthusiasts, bicycle polo players and casual riders.
According to MassBike/Pioneer Valley representative James Lowenthal, participation in cycling is directly related to whether or not a city or town is "bike friendly."
"In most major cities bicycling is experiencing a resurgence. Communities are becoming proactive regarding things like infrastructure, bike lanes, bike paths, bike racks, and as a result there is a tremendous increase in bicycling around the country. Now there are hundreds and thousands of people riding their bikes to work and for play," Lowenthal said.
Known to improve cardiovascular fitness and build strength and muscle tone, many doctors recommend biking as a fun and easy way to exercise and improve health and fitness.
"A while ago I was advised to become more active for health reasons. At this point, if my doctor told me that biking was bad for me, I would have a hard time not doing it," Michael Cavanaugh of East Longmeadow said.
Sherri Meade, of Leeds, said she has been biking all her life but became serious about it nine years ago.
"Riding my bike keeps me young. It makes me feel really good that I can keep up with the youngsters. I'm 64, so I'm pretty proud of that. My doctor says my heart is like that of a 30-year-old athlete," Meade said.
Along with the obvious health benefits, cycling as a sport and general transportation mode seem to be popular motivations behind hopping on a bike.
Age and income levels do appear to be factors that affect whether or not people view cycling as sport or as transportation.
"As a kid, I rode my bike all the time until I got my license and then it was all about driving," said David Neal of Westfield.
Meade said riding a bike for transportation is far less expensive than cycling as a sport.
"It can be expensive if you really get into it as a sport. You have to have the right bike, helmet, clothing, gloves, shoes and all these accessories. When I was a kid I could just jump on my bike and go. It was just transportation," Meade said.
Meade's sentiments point to an economic trend in cycling, according to Professor John Pucher of Rutgers University.
In a March 2011 report analyzing bicycling trends in North America, Pucher noted that while participation in biking spans economic classes equally, the motivation to bike in our culture varies depending on income. The report noted that "low-income persons bike mainly for utilitarian purposes, while high-income persons bike more for recreation and exercise."
Still, if the transportation infrastructure is conducive to bike travel, many cyclists say more people will choose to bike to work and to do errands.
"If there was a way that I could ride my bike to work, I would love it," Cavanaugh said.
Some said for shorter trips biking is quicker than driving. There are no traffic jams and you can depend on your commute being the same every day.
"I bike to work every day. I get there quicker on my bike. If my lifestyle didn't dictate that I have to have a vehicle I would be on a bike all the time," Neal said.
According to Lowenthal, the No.1 reason that people cite for not riding is fear of traffic.
"I get yelled at all the time, with people saying, get on the side walk or get on the bike path, but I have just as much right to be on the road as they do," Neal said.
According to Massachusetts state laws, cyclists and motorists share the same rules of the road.
"We are not in the way of traffic - we are traffic," Lowenthal said.
As time goes on, many cyclists are becoming more encouraged about the place of the bicycle in our culture and in the Pioneer Valley, where bike-friendly improvements continue to encourage more people to ride to work, the café, do errands and explore, while enjoying the ride on two wheels.
"Now, a lot of businesses in the area, like supermarkets, are seeing the value in providing areas to park and lock bikes. It makes it so much easier. Even when Northampton is congested, it is still a pleasant ride," Neal said.
