In nearly 25 years at Bicycling, I must have encouraged or helped millions of people to get started riding or to get back on their bikes. Yet, every year I'm awed by the personal impact of my long-running campaign to choose one noncyclist and do whatever I can to get him or her riding. This year, it's my Rodale colleague, Amy Keller Laird, editor in chief of Women's Health, who happened to mention to me that she grew up pedaling all over her Missouri neighborhood, but since moving to New York City has been too intimidated. And I'm also challenging every reader—and everyone on staff—to join me. Let's all commit to getting just one nonrider on a bike. Last year, 48 million Americans rode regularly. Imagine what doubling that number would do for our quality of life, our safety, our streets. You'll also discover the unmeasurable value of the personal payoff—witnessing the life you've changed, as well as reliving cycling's wonders through fresh eyes.
Here's what you can do to join in our first #GetSomeoneRiding program.
1. FIND SOMEONE
Anyone will do—a best friend, spouse, kid, colleague, mom, guy at the coffee shop whose name you don't know (but who always admires your bike). Any level of cycling experience is great, from new rider to someone who wants to pick it up again. You don’t even have to be a super-experienced cyclist yourself—just someone who wants new riding partners.
2. AGREE ON A GOAL
To foster motivation (and, later, a sense of triumph), define a concrete, objective ambition instead of just "I'm going to start riding." The scope can be as humble as completing a loop around a park or as grand as finishing a fondo or multiday charity ride. Deadline for achieving the goal: August 31.
If you’re in need of a few ideas, here are some sample goals from Bicycling staff members and their new recruits: riding together to a favorite donut shop, competing in a triathlon, finishing the 50-mile route at Bicycling’s Fall Classic, exploring a neighborhood bike trail. No goal is too lofty or ridiculous.
3. MAKE IT PUBLIC
Use the hashtag #GetSomeoneRiding to share your plans on social media. We'll celebrate your participation on our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter feeds and even on our site. Tell us what you pulled off—and how. Your tips will help others meet their own ride goals and build a community of riders looking to spread the magic of biking. Share stories, pictures, and even video from the big goal day. We’ll feature the best online and in the magazine!
4. CHECK IN
Share progress updates and encourage others. We’ll be featuring profiles of participants and their new riding partners regularly at bicycling.com. And we’ll be right there with you tracking the highs and lows of our own efforts to show friends and family members that two wheels are just more fun.
Need more resources on getting started? Check out our Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Cycling.
Bill Strickland is the Rider-in-Chief of Bicycling. His equal passions for cycling and writing have led to the books Ten Points: A Memoir; Tour de Lance: The Extraordinary Story of Cycling’s Most Controversial Champion; Mountain Biking: The Ultimate Guide to the Ultimate Ride; and The Quotable Cyclist. His Bicycling story, “100 Pedal Strokes” won a National Magazine Award for Interactive Feature in 2008. In 2009, he assigned and edited the story “Broken,” which won the National Magazine Award for Public Interest. “The Escape,” the December, 2011, edition of his Bicycling magazine column The Pursuit, was named a Notable story by The Best American Sports Writing. Various editions of his books have been translated into Dutch, German, Hebrew, and Japanese. He uses commas by rhythm and sound, which is a terrible way to do it but makes him happy.
