I Love Riding in the City
NAME: Nicole Weiler
LOCATION: Minneapolis, MN
OCCUPATION: Nonprofit Program Director
Where do you live and what’s it like riding in your city?
I was born and raised here in Minneapolis. I know the city better than I know my apartment in the dark. We were recently named the #1 bicycle city in the nation by Bicycling magazine and we live up to that with our many advocacy organizations, commuters, awesome local shops and gridded street system.
What was your favorite city to ride in, and why?
My list visit to San Francisco, I used social media to line up a bicycle to borrow. Unfortunately, that hook-up fell through and the only ride I could manage was a BMX bike. I think my leg muscles grew exponentially that week. If you ever want to feel like a bad ass, ride hundreds of miles uphill on the worlds tiniest bicycle.
Why do you love riding in the city?
Riding in the city allows me to see and interact with my streets in a way riding in a car never could. I can invent new paths, socialize with other street pedestrians and be fully aware of my surroundings because THEY are what are surrounding me, not the doors of my sedan.
Poetry anyone?
two wheels and some spokes
the whirring sound of freewheel
fixed gear girls can’t coast.
Check out www.nicycle.com
The annual July 4th Freedom From Pants ride is a Minneapolis tradition. Photo by Garrick Yoong
