Bartali documented. Keener electrified. And, tourism takes a community

Gino Bartali won multiple Tour de France and Giro d’Italia races, but his most important victories weren’t publicized during his lifetime. “Bartali is a cycling legend, but his most daring triumph came when he risked his life over and over transporting fake identify documents in the frame of his bike for a secret underground working to save Jews threatened by Nazi extermination.” (Storyville Films)

Ray Keener is the executive director of the Bicycle Product Suppliers Association. He’s been riding something different around Boulder, Colorado, and, as a result, he’s warming to the idea of electric bikes. “As I type this, I’m looking at $25,000 worth of bikes hanging on my office wall, all of which I’m riding less often than the Haibike.” (Bicycle Retailer)

Bob Fisch has an expansive definition of who the real bicycle riders are. “The point is that no matter what type of bicycle you ride or how far you ride or how slowly you ride or how infrequently you ride, you are a real bicycle rider deserving the same respect as anyone else pedaling.” Here, here. (Stevens Point Journal)

We fall way short of the mark in providing justice for people who ride bicycles in the United States. But one small way to start changing the situation starts with the words we use when bicyclists come to grief. The right word isn’t “accident,” it’s “crash.”

Here’s Ann Groninger: “When I’m talking with insurance adjusters, judges, jurors and others, I always use the words crash or collision so there is no question as to what I think about fault. Unfortunately, almost every one of my clients comes to me looking for a bicycle accident attorney, not a bicycle crash attorney. I hope that will change one day and we’ll start recognizing crashes for what they almost always are – a result of careless, reckless or even intentional behavior.” (Cambio Corsa: The Bike Law Blog)

The folks at the Path Less Pedaled have been studying and promoting bicycle tourism. What do you need to succeed in bringing people on bikes (and their money) to your community? It’s a group effort. “The most successful bike tourism initiatives are collaborative efforts between tourism, business owners, community members, and bike advocates.” (Path Less Pedaled)