Bikes Won Big in This Election

Welcome to the Bike Bulletin. It’s the newsletter where we strive to be as enjoyable as your mid-ride cafe stop.

Written by Sam Westby @samcwestby

Here’s what we have today.

• 🌍 RIDE: Travesía Por Atitlán, Guatemala

• ❓ RESEARCH: Bikes Won in This Election

• 🎥 WATCH: Slaying the Badger

• 📰 NEWS: New funding and child seats for bikeshare

ROUTE ON MY RADAR

Travesía Por Atitlán, Guatemala

I’m headed to Guatemala tomorrow to visit an old college friend. We plan to ride for a few days around Lake Atitlán. We won’t take this exact route, but it wouldn’t be a proper trip if I didn’t ride a bike.

Have we figured out the bike situation? Nope. Do we have an exact route? Not quite. That’s part of the adventure. I’ll vlog if I have internet.

Here’s what you’d be getting yourself into with this route.

• Mayan ruins, a lake surrounded by volcanoes, and warm weather

• 177 miles (285 kilometers) with 27,000 feet (8,230 meters) of climbing. I should bring my walking shoes.

• 80% unpaved, and the route creator recommends a mountain bike with the easiest gearing possible

• Official bikepacking.com guide

RESEARCH

Bikes Won in This Election

Tuesday’s election results show a clear signal: bikes matter. Candidates across the U.S. won with pro-bike platforms, even in places where cycling has not traditionally been mainstream. Here are a few.

New York City, NY Mayor

Zohran Mamdani handily beat Andrew Cuomo. He is regularly filmed riding a Citi Bike and has made street safety and protected lanes a priority. This win signals a coming expansion of bike infrastructure and safer streets across all 5 boroughs.

Cambridge, MA City Council

Cambridge has gone through a large bike lane expansion over the past 5 years, building 16 miles of separated bike lanes. This falls short of their 25-mile goal due to delays and pauses from concerned city councilors. With a new pro-bike councilor-elect, Ayah Ah-Zubi, winning a seat, this tips the simple majority back in favor of bike lane expansion.

Pittsburgh, PA Mayor

Pittsburghers chose Corey O’Connor, who campaigned on “safe streets for all” and that every resident deserves safe travel without a car. Expect him to speed up bike lane projects and to close dangerous network gaps.

Atlanta, GA Mayor

Andre Dickens gets re-elected, and his bike network expansion continues. The 2026 World Cup may ignite faster development of non-car infrastructure.

Conclusions:

• The 2025 elections show biking is a mainstream political issue

• Many candidates won on pro-bike platforms

• New leaders prioritize multi-modal mobility

• Expect expanded networks in the coming terms

• Cycling policy shapes local elections. The next few years will test administrations’ follow-through on safer streets

P.S. Public transit also won big! You can read about that here: https://usa.streetsblog.org/2025/11/06/transit-wins-big-again-in-local-elections-across-america

WHAT I’M WATCHING

Slaying the Badger

“American Greg Lemond helped teammate Bernard Hinault, The Badger, win the Tour de France as teammates. In 1986, it was supposed to be LeMond's turn, but would it be? It was a turning point in cycling.”

Here’s a link to the trailer.

You can find it on Disney+, ESPN+, Apple TV, or Prime Video.

It’s Episode 21 of 30 For 30 Season 2.

• $11 million. The cost to transform Army Navy Drive near the Pentagon into a bike and pedestrian-friendly street. The project started 3 years ago and recently had its ribbon-cutting ceremony. (ARL Now)

• $20 billion. The newly funded transportation plan in Mecklenburg County, NC that covered bike lanes, microtransit, rail transit, and roads. Charlotte is back on track. (WFAE)

• 500 e-bikes. Lime tests out new bikes with child seats in Paris. (ZAG Daily)

A Note From Sam

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