Casual Cheryl Longinotti – I Like to Ride My Bicycle 2016
“I like to ride my bicycle!” is the theme for the 2016 Bike To Work Day – emphasizing how much the original idea of bicycling “to work” has evolved in recent years. With many people working from home or local offices, using a bicycle means more than just a morning and evening commute. Often, it’s quicker to use a bicycle for local errands than to choose a car. As many MCBC members have learned, it’s much simpler to roll up to where you need to be and lock your bike than to fight traffic and circle a crowded parking lot.
As everyone gears up for this year’s Bay Area Bike to Work Day on Thursday, May 12 – part of National Bike Month – we spoke with a variety of MCBC members who use the bicycle as an integral part of their everyday life…
Another MCBC Member who “Likes to Ride Their Bicycle”:
- Name: Cheryl Longinotti
- Occupation Retired
- Years Riding: Lifelong rider
- Where in Marin you tend to ride most frequently: Corte Madera
What bicycle do you like the best?
I’m fortunate to have several so my choice depends on the occasion.
Bicycles are like shoes. I have a custom CoMotion, a Bike Friday and a Brompton. All the bikes either fold or have couplers to fit into a suitcase. All have steel frames because I am partial to traditional materials, don’t mind the extra weight and want the durability of steel when I travel. Each bike has a coupler to attach a Travoy trailer and haul just about anything I want. And all but one have dual function pedals — a platform on one side for street shoes and a cleat on the other side for cycling shoes.
When I choose my bike for any particular ride, what matters most is my position on the bike. Drop handlebars are great for a longer ride or if I’m in the mood for a workout. But an upright position is relaxed and gives me a chance to be observant, thoughtful and feel great about going more slowly! It’s really a different experience to ride upright!
What part of your ride do you like the best?
It’s all good but meeting a friend and stopping to chat is an added treat.
What do you like best about the benefits of riding your bike?
It keeps me healthy and trim. It’s easy to get around and do errands. I can get close to my destination and don’t worry about where I am going to park. If I’m riding my Brompton, I can partially fold it, roll it inside and use the bag which hangs on the Brompton frame as a shopping bag.
What would you have liked someone to tell you when you started?
During my first lesson, I wish my father would have told me he was going to let go! But I wasn’t so traumatized physically or psychologically that I quit riding.
Where do you most like to ride your bike?
I love touring by bike and having direct contact with the sights and smells, people and landscapes of a new place. I was riding on Highway 1 just north of Big Sur when I dropped my chain. While putting it back on, I noticed a strange noise and looked down to the beach below to see a pod of seals. I relished the sight for a good thirty minutes and thanked the bicycle gods that my chain dropped at that spot.
I was in Nicaragua during the Contra War on a Bike Not Bombs Project. It was so easy to just stop on a rural road and speak with a farmer. When I asked to take a picture, the people were so proud.
Finally nothing beats finding a bunch of bushes ripe with berries along the road.
Why would others like to ride in Marin?
Marin offers every kind of riding venue: separated paths to rural hill climbs.
What is your favorite ride/route?
Riding through CalPark Tunnel, car-free and care-fee, while remembering those who made it happen, in particular, Deb Hubsmith.
What part of riding would you most like to improve?
When motor vehicle drivers realize that the person on that bike is someone’s loved one.
What is your favorite vision of the bicycling in the future?
As the riders of today age and some graduate to motorized wheelchairs and trikes, we have a fine-grained network of safe and comfortable routes to reach any desired destination. Older folks and the disabled have transportation option.
Finally, what further message you would like to share with the people who ride bikes in Marin County?
Try it; you’ll like it!
Thanks Cheryl!
If you have wanted to be a part of the Bike to Work movement – running errands, ferrying kids or simply commuting to and from your office – it’s easy to start! You Can Bike There provides a number of resources, and we have Employer Toolkits to help others in your office or workplace leave their car behind. On Thursday, May 12, we’ll be out in force, with Energizer Stations on routes throughout Marin County.
Look for more profiles of MCBC members who Like to Ride Their Bicycle!
Editor’s Note: These interviews represent the words and opinions of the featured rider. As such, the views expressed in this profile do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition.
