At last night’s city council meeting, Provo resident Lexi Williamson was recognized for her dedication as a winter cyclist. Mayor Curtis and Aaron Skabelund, Chair of the Provo Bicycle Committee, presented Lexi with the “Canyon Bicycles’ Winter Bike Commuter Golden Spoke Award.”
Mayor Curtis told audience members a bit about Lexi: “Lexi is a BYU student and a Provo native. She lives on the west side of Provo has been riding since she was in high school and now consistently rides to BYU year round, which is about a 10 mile round-trip commute. She rides what her mom described as a Schwinn Specialized ‘comfort bike’ to also run errands and to do shopping, and for recreation, such as up Provo Canyon on the River Trail.”
Provo Bike Committee Chair Aaron thanked the council for their support last year noted that the Committee looks forward to their support this year–making the 200 East Neighborhood Greenway a priority as the city applies for CBDG funds.
Finally, Aaron counted down the top 7 (not so) secret benefits of biking through the winter:
7. It makes you feel like a rebel to know that the cold can’t beat you.6. You never have trouble finding bike parking.5. Friends and peers may think you are nuts, but they are secretly impressed.4. It’s all about the layers, its not as specialized, or complicated, as you might think. (And I mentioned that there is “no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear” and that folks just needed to dress warmly like their mother told them too.)3. You’ll be warmer riding your bike than waiting for the the car to heat up.2. You won’t foul the air with your tailpipe emissions and you can easily earn of the mayor’s clean air pins.1. Some days, it’s safer to walk or take the bus than to ride–doing so does not make you any less of a rebel.
After the presentation, Lexi was asked to make some remarks. She said she was honored but felt like she was not doing anything special, and asked the council and mayor to continue to provide support to create an interconnected network of bikeways so that bicyclists could get places safely.
Thanks for your dedication and example, Lexi! Congratulations!
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