WHO Do you Listen To?

It wasn't a surprise because it was.

One could say that about many things Donald Trump has done.   He says and does things almost no-one could have anticipated, and they therefore come as a shock.  But they don't surprise us because the Cheeto In Chief has a history of doing things we wouldn't expect of anyone else.

An example is his decision to cut US funding to the World Health Organization.  I don't think even Herbert Hoover, the last American president who could claim to be an isolationist, would have done such a thing had the WHO existed at that time.  But Trump, at least since he started the campaign that led to his election, has voiced--and acted with-- disdain for anything that fosters American cooperation with the rest of the world. An example was his pulling the US out of the Paris Climate agreement.

So, if he hadn't already cut off America's financial contribution to the WHO--just as the world is in the COVID-19 pandemic--the organization's latest recommendation might have roiled him enough to hold up the money.

"Whenever feasible, consider riding bicycles or walking," the organization recommends.  These activities provide "physical distancing while helping to meet the minimum requirement for daily physical activity, which may be more difficult due to increased teleworking, and limited access to sport and other recreational activities."

Now, the fact that the WHO's recommendations are based on science and logic would be troubling enough for Trump. His ire, though, would be compounded by long-standing hatred of bicycles and bicyclists, to which I've alluded in this blog.

To be fair, there was a brief period when he didn't hold--or at least express--disdain for anything without a motor and with fewer than four wheels.  He took the Tour DuPont, then on the verge of becoming one of America's, and possibly the world's, major races and re-branded it as the Tour de Trump.  This was around the time Greg LeMond was winning the Tour de France, and bike racing seemed ready to take its place as one of this country's major sports.  In brief, he saw it as a business opportunity.

He later returned to his velo-phobia, culminated with his mocking of John Kerry when he got into a bike accident.  Imagine if that had happened now--just as the WHO is recommending cycling as a means of transportation and recreation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Sign Of Things To Come?

I should have seen this coming:

a folding electric bike.

It actually makes a certain amount of sense, especially in cities like New York and Tokyo.  

Still, it looks pretty odd--at least to me.

Back To The Garden?

This is the time of year when some people get on their bikes for the first time in months.

This is also the time of year when some people begin to till their gardens.

Is it possible to combine both activities?

Specialized Donates Bikes To Essential Workers

In the cycling community, Specialized is often seen, along with Trek and possibly Cannndale, as one of the "800 pound gorillas" of the bicycle industry.

While those three companies have gobbled up some smaller bike and parts makers, and often dictate what dealers can and can't sell in their shops, I should point out that the companies that make cheap bike-shaped objects sold in big-box stores are much larger.  And, even those companies are dwarfed by corporations in other industries such as automobiles, petroleum and high technology.

Having said all of that, I want to give Specialized a shout-out for their recent announcement:  They are giving away 500 bikes to essential workers.  

Ian Kenny says Specialized will be distributing half of those bikes in California and the other half in New York.  The wheels earmarked for the Big Apple will be distributed via Transportation Alternatives, and arrangements will be made with local shops to ensure that recipients also receive helmets and other safety gear.

Artist's rendering of Specialized's bikes-for-essential-workers program

He explains that Specialized will give bikes to workers that are deemed essential under Federal guidelines.  So, while people in the health-care professions will be among the recipients, so will workers like grocery store employees, bus drivers, farm laborers and others whose usual modes of transportation have been "flipped upside down" by the pandemic.

Most beneificiaries will get the "Cirrus" commuter model, which retails for about $550 new.  A few workers with longer commutes, however, will be gifted with one of the company's electric bikes.

As I said in an earlier post, if anything good comes of this pandemic, it might be that policy-makers, planners and the general public will see that the bicycle is not only a viable alternative form of transportation and recreation, but also an integral part of any locality's infrastructure.

Standing Still

Late yesterday afternoon I rode along the North Shore of Queens and Nassau County.  The streets of Malba, Whitestone, Bayside, Little Neck and Great Neck were all but deserted.  So were the parks and other public spaces.

On the beach at Francis Lewis Park, I felt as if I were the only one who was moving.

And, judging from the lack of traffic on the Whitestone Bridge, I may have been the only one going anywhere.

Of course, it takes a lot to stop Arielle, my Mercian Audax, or any of my other bikes!