Recap: Guest Speaking About Bikes at NC State University

Recap: Guest Speaking About Bikes at NC State University

Before we jump in to the topic of today's blog post, let's give a quick rundown of where TBL has appeared in the media.

There are likely a few more stories out there, but these are the ones where people have reached out to Lauren and me for comments. Self-promotion always feels a bit awkward, but it’s exciting to see how far the project has come. Speaking of exciting new developments in the TBL world...

Last Wednesday, I had the honor of speaking at Professor Ross Bassett's Cycling Cities course at NC State University. Ross and I met a month or two earlier on a gray morning during the Espresso Express. Ross is a Quintessential Old Bike Dude. By that, I mean he looks like he’s logged a million more miles on the bike than you or me over the past several decades, and the gleam in his eye is proof of his deep love and belief in the magic of bikes. In forty years, you can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be a quintessential old bike dude too. (For further reading, see Why Mr. Dave Looks Like He's 50 Something)

Ross is brilliant and genuinely committed to creating the most impactful class possible for his students. He is also incredibly self-aware. Acknowledging his role as a quintessential old bike dude, he invited me to guest speak in his class to share my story and show students that Bike People come in all ages, shapes, and sizes. As a proud bike-obsessed goober myself, I jumped at the chance to tell my story.

The slideshow was 50 or so photos that I'd assembled into a PowerPoint earlier that same morning. The title and subtitle were the only text in the entire presentation: "How Bikes Changed My Life (In 50-ish photos)." I tried to order them more or less chronologically, into about 4 epochs of my adult cycling life:

  • Florida: Fixies, my first geared bike, bikepacking to Saint Augustine, alley cats in Tampa
  • Colorado: Bikepacking, early racing days, gravel racing, Al getting stolen, Tulsa Tough, Bentonville
  • Early Raleigh (2022-2023): big miles, racing, Intelligentsia, riding all over the state and between states, Jubala and how biking with other people helped cure my depression
  • Contemporary Raleigh (2023-present): getting laid off, starting TBL, Espresso Express origins, hiring Gabe, work at the City.

I told my story in the same way I talk to people at the shop or on the street. It was a little bit intimidating at first, since no one has ever really asked me to tell my story and definitely not in a setting where I'd be telling that story to a class packed full of undergraduates.

Towards the end, Lauren came up and talked about her experiences. It was great to have her voice there - a quintessential cute bike lady rounded out the cast of characters nicely 🙂

I was very impressed with Ross' class. They asked a bunch of fantastic questions. I tried to give fantastic answers, but on one, I didn't. Allow me to redeem myself here:

Q: Do you have any other tips for riding in the city or around cars?

A: Take up space. Don't ride in the gutter and give drivers the opportunity to blow by you. You deserve space - take it. Make them see you. At the same time, watch and listen very closely while you're riding. The most observant vehicle on the road is the safest. Learn to ride and look around you at the same time. Riding in a perfectly straight line is very hard, but you must be able to do it. Ride often and learn the roads. Ask your friends to ride so that you all get comfortable. Get a QuadLock case and mount so that your phone is always accessible on your handlebars.

Next time, we will cover some more detail on tactics for riding safely on roads without good bike infrastructure. Infrastructure is great, but we live in America and every once in a while we need to navigate sketchy roads. Stay tuned!

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