Everyone Rides

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I recently rediscovered the joy of finding an interesting read on the shelves of the local public library (as opposed to hoping for something good to pop up in an Amazon search.  Soon I found myself reading How to Be Danish – A Journey to the Cultural Heart of Denmark (Patrick Kingsley).  With a bright red cover it popped off the shelf and home it came.

I’ve enjoyed reading about Danish design, the local food revolution and their folk schools.  But what captivated me the most (so far) was in the chapter “Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen.”  The idea that everyone, young, old, resident, tourist, rides bicycles to go everywhere fascinates me.  Special traffic lights for bicycles?  For a California resident where simple bike lanes are unusual that’s a surprise.

According to an article in Wired, Copenhagen is  #1 in the list of the 20 most bike friendly cities.  (The only US city to make the list is Minneapolis, Minnesota at #18) http://www.wired.com/2015/06/copenhagenize-worlds-most-bike-friendly-cities

How do people manage to commute to work, play, and run errands on a bike?  A puzzle to me.  And what do they wear?  (I remember being in China and seeing a woman wearing business suit and heels riding a bike – what poise and balance.)   A journalist, Mikael Colvile-Andersen created a blog that allows us to see what they wear, and what kind of bikes they ride:  http://www.copenhagencyclechic.com/

Take a look and then think about booking a flight to ride around this amazing city.