Every Day on a Bike
How Park Hill’s Sara Struckman is inspiring herself, her family and her readers to bicycle, one day at a time. A Q&A with Editor Erin Vanderberg.
At the beginning of this year, Sara Struckman decided upon a revolutionary resolution. Having recently returned to using her bicycle as a viable mode of transportation, she wanted to inspire others to do the same – and so “Everyday on a Bike” began. Through her blog and Instagram, she is collecting a photo a day of someone, anyone, on a bicycle. The bike chronicle is inspiring her, her family, her readers – and she hopes more of her Park Hill neighbors – to get back on the saddle occasionally in order to get from point A to point B. The Greater Park Hill News sat down with Sara to talk about biking, blogging and doing it all from Park Hill.
What is the purpose of Everyday on a Bike?
The purpose of Everyday on a Bike is to motivate myself (and, by extension, my family) to ride our bicycles more and to encourage others to consider biking as an easy, fun and empowering way to get around. I like to think of it as a mini-bike advocacy/community-building activity. Many people have inspired me to ride my bike more, including bloggers and committed friends. I figure that if one or two people consider riding their bike every month, it’s worth it. And there’s a longer-term inspiration: I want my kids to think of biking as a viable mode of transportation as they get older. I guess it’s a matter of being a good influence.
The whole Everyday on a Bike concept shows huge dedication. How did you get your head around this and take action?
About a year ago I started riding my bike more and more often and I remembered how much I really love biking. I tend to be motivated by challenges, so I figured that challenging myself to ride every day would be good motivation to stick with it. I do allow myself a little wiggle room – I don’t ride every day. I ride almost every day. I have also made some good blogging friends who are much more dedicated to biking than I am so I figured they’d pick up my slack!
How long have you been into biking?
I’ve been into biking off and on since my college days. I bought my first “real” bike right after my freshman year of college so I could commute to class from my apartment. I rode throughout college and rarely drove my car. I have lived and biked in small to large cities throughout my adult life. When I was pregnant with my son, my bike was stolen and I all but gave biking up for five years. It wasn’t until he started riding his own bike that I rediscovered my passion for biking.
What was your first bike? Where did you grow up riding?
I actually don’t remember my first bike, but I’m certain it was a hand-me-down from my sister. I grew up on a farm in western Nebraska – on a gravel road. It wasn’t the easiest place to ride a bike as a kid. I do remember getting lots of flat tires!
Where do you bike?
I ride my son to school whenever the weather permits. I try to schedule meetings within a five-mile radius so I can ride to them. I also try to keep my errands within biking distance – my bank, my dentist, my doctor, my dry cleaner, the post office, and Spinelli’s are all easy rides. The only errand I need to conquer on my bike now is grocery shopping.
Where is your favorite place to ride on a weekend?
It depends. As a family, we almost always make a trip to Turtle Park, but we’re in proximity to so many things… the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Stapleton’s parks, etc. Now that my son is building his stamina we can ride a little farther, so our circle is growing. I also love to be able to ride to events on the weekends. I have ridden by myself to baby showers, book clubs, dates with my husband, fundraisers, dates with girlfriends.
What Denver biking events do you and your family participate in?
Viva Streets is our family favorite. I’d like to start participating in more events and plan to ride a quarter century in the Denver Century Ride this year.
Have you experienced any downsides – cold weather, flat tires, wet clothes, not enough time?
All of the above. Cold, icy weather is really my biggest weakness. I won’t ride my bike when it’s under 25 degrees when my kids are with me. It just seems like torture for them. The time factor is also a big consideration. Sometimes there’s just not enough time in the day and I opt for the car rather than the bike. Those instances are decreasing though.
What inspired the blog and how long have you been at it?
I started Life’s a Bear when my son was about six months old – so I’ve been posting consistently for five years. It seemed like a good place to record his milestones as well as my own milestones: I was working on my dissertation and needed a place to write like a normal person. It started as a journal of developments – my own as a mother and academic, of our family, and of my son’s growth.
Do you enjoy writing the blog? Is it ever a burden?
Blogging is the one thing that has remained consistent in my life as a mother. It has grown into so much more than a journal. I enjoy writing it very much. I’ve met some very talented women through my blog, so it’s become more of a “space” where I can share things with a broader community. Some months it’s definitely a burden, but more often it’s a welcome distraction. Some months/years I put more effort into than others.
How did you come to choose a name for the blog?
When my son was small, we called him Mr. Bear. Life’s a Bear represents all the lovely, hard, rewarding, frustrating, and amazing moments that involve being a parent – and really about life in general.
What other bike blogs do you read?
Simply Bike, Let’s Go Ride a Bike, Girls and Bicycles, Family Bike are a few that I frequent for inspiration.
Sara Struckman is an adjunct professor at the University of Denver and runs her own nonprofit consulting firm, Struckman Consulting. She lives with her husband Nate, her son Ben and her daughter Lila on Hudson street. Find her blog at lifesabear.blogspot.com.
On January 1, Sara introduced the Everyday on a Bike Challenge on her blog, Life’s a Bear. Her goal is to collect at least 365 photos of people riding their bikes – one for every day of the year. She is using the challenge to motivate herself, her family and her readers to ride more.
The “rules”:
1. Take a picture of yourself, your bike or someone else riding a bike before, during or after a bike ride (it doesn’t matter when, so long as you rode your bike on that day).
2. Load your photo to Instagram and tag it #everydayonabike. If you don’t have an Instagram account, you can email Sara at sara.struckman@gmail.com.
3. Check out all of the cool bike/biker photos at #everydayonabike.
Every month, Sara will compile photos and stories and highlight one rider’s story. Most of the months will include a theme and some months she offers a giveway.
Follow Everyday on a Bike on Instagram @sarastruckman or through her website at http://lifesabear.blogspot.com/p/bike-challenge.html