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Today's picture: Meet Gay Windsor, 82, from Old Louisville – today's "Invisible Bicyclist." She routinely rides her Murray bicycle to Greentree Mall, across the river, a couple of times a week. And she thinks nothing of cycling to Robben's Roost on Six Mile Lane to roller skate two hours and bike home.
Spend just a couple of minutes with Ms. Windsor, as I did recently at Fourth Street Live, and you'll get a feeling that she bikes for the pure joy of it. She remembers when she used to ride with her son up to Fontaine Ferry Park – way back when you were probably still in diapers, or not yet born. The amusement park has long since been torn down, but Ms. Windsor pedals on, the picture of health, a big smile on her face.
Rent the Golden Globe winning film, Happy-Go-Lucky, about a London schoolteacher who's exstatic about her job, greets everyone she meets with a broad smile, and exudes love of life wherever she goes. You'll pick up right away that she's a committed cyclist. And she plays directly opposite a bitter and cynical sourpuss - not just a motorist, but a driving instructor.
I'm not suggesting that bicycling is the secret of happiness. No, it won't erase all the cares and woes of life. But it appears to be as good for the jaded mind as for the protruding gut. Some researchers have concluded that regular cycling lifts the spirits.
In Copenhagen, where the cost of a car is dwarfed by the taxes on the car purchase, citizens make roughly a third of their trips by bike. Is it a coincidence that university researchers find Denmark the world's happiest country? The Danes are prosperous. They can afford cars – yet they choose bikes.
Perhaps Gay Windsor knows what the Danish people, that fictional London school teacher, and millions of others have discovered. The bicycle is a simple, economical machine that helps people keep fit while breathing fresh air instead of polluting it.
If you haven't been on a bike in a long while, try it. I Bet it'll make you grin ear to ear.
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PS: Remember, every lane is a bike lane. Share the road.
freewheelin
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Enjoy the ride home.
See you at pedalaround.blogspot.com
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bikecommuter