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Welcome to the Bike Bulletin. Let’s keep the rubber side down and the good vibes up.
—Sam Westby @samcwestby
This is a weekly newsletter about bike trips, urban cycling, and a love for two-wheeled transit. The more time you spend on a bike, the better. I share new editions every Thursday, gearing you up for the ride ahead.
Here’s what we have today.
🌍 RIDE: I’m Back in Boston
🎥 WATCH: Make a Bikepacking Rig for $100
📰 NEWS: New legislation, lawsuits, and City Rankings
RIDE REPORT
I’m Back in Boston
My Checkpoint and I made it home safe and sound. Only a few new scratches. My friend Michael picked me up from the airport. And yes, the bike box fit in the Toyota Camry. The best car in the world.
Let me start by saying that I’m tired. The time difference between Europe and Boston is only 6 hours, but I’ve been operating at 50% for the last couple of days. My default state is, “Why does it feel like I didn’t sleep well last night?”
The answer — because I didn’t lol.
The trip was more than worth a little sleep deprivation, though.
I keep wondering how everything went so smoothly. My most memorable times on past trips have been the hiccups.
Even without hiccups, the trip was filled with kismet. Since I wasn’t on a schedule or racing from point to point, I had more random encounters than any trip before. Stopping for 30 minutes to have conversations with other cyclists. Detouring to interesting places and getting invited off the street into a Belgian man’s house for a cup of coffee (thanks, Niels 🙂).
It makes me question the extrovert / introvert definitions (recharged by social connection versus recharged by alone time). Just to note, I’m an extrovert, so take this with a grain of salt.
Yes, strangers are scary, but everyone wants a human connection. Once I broke the “stranger” barrier, those moments on the trip were some of the most rewarding. For example, when I took the ferry from France into the U.K., I saw two other bike tourists in the port, equally confused as I was about finding the boat. I said, “Hey, are you also taking the ferry to Dover?”. And then we spent the next 3 hours together.
Perhaps extrovert versus introvert is more about someone’s experience connecting with others. We all want connection, but those who have a harder time getting to points of connection might be labeled as “introverts”.
What’s next for me?
Triple Bypass in Colorado on July 12th.
Attempting the World Record for cycling through the most U.S. states in one week. The current record is 14.
Editing full-length YouTube vlogs about the Europe trip.
Keep doing social media full time.
WHAT I’M WATCHING
Making a Bikepacking Rig for $100.
I love fancy gear as much as anyone, but the dirtbag broke attitude will always be fun. A great part about this hobby is that you don’t need much to participate.
Watch the hour-long video on YouTube.
Halved. Colorado e-bike tax credits will be cut in half next year due to poor state revenue projections. (CPR)
Pennsylvania. This state’s Supreme Court just affirmed cyclists have the right to use roads even if they’re holding up traffic. (Union Progress)
Doored. A San Francisco cyclist who was doored by a Waymo is now suing the company over her injuries. (Futurism)
$17.5 Million. The cost to redo two Seattle streets to be pedestrian and cyclist-friendly. The mayor officially cut the ribbon on June 11th. (The Urbanist)
Brooklyn, NY. People For Bikes new U.S. city cycling rankings puts Brooklyn #1 among places with a population above 300,000. (People For Bikes)
A Note From Sam
Thanks for following along on the journey. It’s such a blessing getting to spend so much time on the bike, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
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