As part of ORCA's mission to promote and provide bicycling education, the following newspaper articles were published in a weekly column titled "Re: Cycling" in "The Freeman's Journal" and in "Hometown Oneonta" during the spring of 2009.

Rediscover the Joys of Bicycling

"Remember your first bike?...the wire basket?...the bell?…the handlebar streamers?…the
playing cards clothespinned to the spokes?. Remember the exhilaration you felt when your parent
let go sending you on your first solo flight? That bike gave you your first taste of freedom as you
navigated the sidewalks of your block..."

How to Drive Your Bike

"As a child, you learned to ride your bike as a sidewalk toy. Now, to be safe, you must learn to
drive your bike as a vehicle on the road. In all 50 states, you, as the driver of a bike, have the
same rights and duties as the driver of a motorized vehicle. Along with the right to drive your bike
on the road with a motorist is the responsibility to follow the same rules as a motorist..."

How to Avoid Bicycling Accidents

"Avoiding bicycling accidents is fairly simple: know where the real risks are (as opposed to the

feared risks) and avoid those risks. For example, the uninformed cyclist is fearful of being

hit by a motorist from behind, so he erroneously travels facing traffic on the left side of the road

to keep motorists in sight. In reality, being hit from behind is the least probable cause of

car-bike crashes and driving against traffic on the left side of the road is the most probable

cause of those crashes..."

Pre-Ride Bicycle Inspection: The ABC Quick Check

"This brief pre-ride bicycle safety check ensures a pleasant ride by preventing mechanical
problems that could result in a crash. With practice this inspection takes less than one minute.
• “A” is for AIR: a) Check the air pressure in your tires with a gauge. Air slowly diffuses out
of normal inner tubes and needs to be replenished at least once weekly..."

Bicycle Commuting

"The arrival of spring weather means many of us are looking for ways to spend more time outdoors,

enjoying physical activity and fresh air that was limited during the long winter. Have you

considered bicycling to work? How about to the grocery store or farm market? ..."

How to Avoid Bicycling Road Hazards

"You can’t handle a road hazard that you don’t see. Look down the road far enough to identify
a road hazard in time to deal with it safely. When you identify a road hazard, glance behind to
assess traffic. If the roadway is clear, alter your lane position to avoid the road hazard
completely..."

More Bicycling Road Hazards: Dogs, Wind Gusts, and Rain

"Rover is instinctively territorial; he gives chase to protect his yard. Rover is
instinctively a hunter; he gives chase to hamstring his prey’s rapidly moving feet from behind.
Rover is also easily startled; he may give chase to protect himself. When you are on a bike,
Rover does not see you as a kind, domineering human like his master; he sees you, your bike,
and your spinning feet, as a startling, invading, vehicular prey..."

Bicycling is Environmentally Friendly

"In this series on cycling, many benefits to riding a bicycle have been discussed. Yet another,
often overlooked, benefit is energy savings. We may not feel as though we are saving energy
when we are peddling uphill, but when we bike instead of turning on the ignition, we are reducing
the use of fossil fuels and we are not creating pollution. In environmental jargon, we are
decreasing our carbon footprint..."