Bike Hero Pam Murray

[cheerful music] - I just don't enjoy driving.

So I'd really rather just ride my bike.

I talk to people all the time and they say, "Oh, I remember riding a bike when I was a kid."

And it's like that every time you get on a bike, it's so much fun.

A lot of people say, "Oh well it's cold, "it's rainy, it's windy, whatever."

But any bike ride is better than no bike ride at all.

People say, "Oh, well, you're always smiling."

It's 'cause I'm always on my bike [laughs].

I just started riding bikes.

I was teaching my kids to ride bikes.

This is on the New River Trail.

And I started riding more and more.

And then I started riding to work.

And then I started riding every weekend.

And then I started riding more than that.

[mellow cheerful music] - What do you think it is that is so terrifying to people about riding a bike?

What is- - They're afraid of all the cars.

- Okay.

- They're afraid of being hit by a car.

That's, I mean, you know.

- Yeah.

- Most people would say, "Oh, I love riding bikes- - I'm afraid of being hit by car.

- Yeah.

- I could see it, yeah.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- I mean, but they're not out to hit you.

I mean, would you hit somebody riding a bike?

- Well, no.

- Okay, well.

- Not purposely.

- Well see, that's what I'm saying.

[mellow cheerful music continues] The classes are to empower people, to let them know the possibility that it is totally fun.

It's not death-defying to ride your bike wherever you want to go.

And so, do you see how that can be helpful?

Because you need to be prepared to stop at all times.

I mean, it's better to do an emergency break, and know how to do it, than fly over your handlebars and land on top of a car.

Okay.

You do have to have a healthy respect for traffic on the roadways.

And that's what we do in the three-hour classroom portion.

Followed up by a three-hour on-bike skills portion, so that they can actually execute these things.

And then we follow it up with a road ride or a ride around.

So we explain everything in real life.

Instead of seeing it in an animation or in a movie, then they can experience it in real time.

I hadn't been here for weeks, so I don't even know what I need.

Okay, I'm all done with my list, now I gotta get my trailer.

This is my trailer, this is what I'm gonna put all my groceries in.

When you're riding a bike, you're doing a lot of different things, right?

You're doing route planning, you're looking at the weather, you're planning ahead.

See, there's my little thermometer right there.

That's how I get dressed.

So tonight it's gonna be 64, 68 to 64.

So I'm gonna need some gloves and arm warmers, and a neck gaiter.

It's just like life.

If you can break it down, right?

Then you can do whatever you need to.

We generally are not on arterial roads unless we need to be.

So you have a more scenic, pleasant ride, and you can see other things and connect the city in a different way.

It'll be more fun.

It's like you're riding by everybody's house.

[cheerful music] A lot of people will say, "Oh, I only ride on the trails now."

Or they mountain bike because they don't wanna ride in the road.

And it's like, but the roads go everywhere.

If you're not gonna get on the road, you're not gonna go anywhere.

Right?

The main thing that you can do to help climate change is to replace our car trips with other forms of transportation.

Whether it's biking, walking, public transit.

Most trips that people make are usually less than five or 10 miles, and it's not hard to ride five or 10 miles.

So, that's why we do the Tuesday night ride is to get people over all of those obstacles.

- [Organizer] Happy Tuesday!

- [Crowd] Happy Tuesday.

- Welcome to the Tuesday night ride.

We have five rules.

Repeat after me.

- Yeah.

- Stay in one lane.

- Stay in one lane.

- Do not pass the leader.

- Do not pass the leader.

- Be prepared to stop at all times.

- [Crowd] Be prepared to stop at all times.

- Use both brakes.

- When breaking, use both hands.

- When breaking, use both hands.

- And follow all traffic lights and signs.

- Follow all traffic lights and signs.

- [Organizer] Perfect, great job, guys.

- Guys, tell me when you're ready, okay?

- I'm ready.

- You're ready?

- All right.

- Okay, we're gonna let these two cars go, then we're gonna go, okay?

Now we're giving them an opportunity to get more confidence to ride on the road with a group, and then we'll give them the confidence to ride by themselves.

I mean, 'cause if I can do it, anybody can do it.

'Cause I am not an intimidating person.

I'm not necessarily an athletic or fit person.

I'm not a mechanical person.

But you can ride a bike 'cause they're that simple and it's that easy, and it's that much fun.

I mean, I always have fun on my bike.