Getting Ready to Ride
Earlier this month I rode with my wife and our daughter Josie and our friends Justin and Amy along with two of their children in the Annual Linn County Mayors’ Bike ride. [Yes, the grammar is correct Mayors’ since the event is sort of sponsored by all the mayors in the county.] This year the route was changed a bit and it flattened some of the hills out. It was a beautiful cool summer day with highs in the mid 60’s.
The ride is a free family-friendly event that gets a couple of hundred riders each year. As the ride got started, my daughter Josie was riding a little slowly. We quickly got separated from the Justin and Amy. My wife rode on ahead and I rode the 8 miles with Josie. We had a great time and a lot of fun but as the ride went on we found ourselves near the back of the pack. After getting stuck behind a long train we ended up being in the last half dozen or so riders. We still had an excellent ride and a good time together.
I do want to take special notice of the Linn County Trails Association and the Cedar Rapids Police Department. LCTA volunteers were there all along the the ride and they stayed to the very end to make sure the last riders were escorted in. Also the CRPD officers in cars and on bicycles were all along the route to assist cyclists and direct traffic. The bike officers all payed special attention to my daughter and encouraged her on the ride. This was an awesome community event and I would encourage everyone — regardless of ability — to give it a try.
A Bike Life 