On the road to La Crosse, WI

A couple of months ago I was asked to be the keynote speaker at the first-ever Western Wisconsin Bicycle Summit in La Crosse, Wisconsin. I said YES, and so yesterday afternoon, Krista Rettig, Trek’s advocacy director, and I took a road trip and carpooled the two and a half hours to La Crosse. A beautiful day!

Highlights of my visit to the first ever Western Wisconsin Bicycle Summit:

1. City Brewing Company. One of the big employers in La Crosse used to the G. Heileman Brewing Company, which brewed Old Style, a legendary Wisconsin beer. On the trip up Krista informs me that she used to be a Heileman girl working the hospitality center and giving tours. My long time assistant Cindy was also a Heileman girl in the past. In my past, I would tour breweries in Milwaukee. Schlitz, Pabst, and Miller… all in the same day. I thought it was fitting if we stopped at the brewery before visiting the Trek dealer so that Krista could show me where these legendary Heileman girls worked. Pictured is Krista at that hospitality bar. One problem. It was closed.

2. On to Smith’s Cycles, the Trek retailer in La Crosse. Had a very good visit with Carl the owner who is a really good guy and his store looked AWESOME. I can tell how good a bike shop is 60 seconds after I walk in. Smith’s is a very good bike shop and they have a great group of employees. I always like visiting bike retailers and I was able to spend some time with Carl talking about improvements he would like to see at Trek. But the highlight of the visit to Smith’s was seeing Scotty McCallum, a mechanic at Smith’s and a long-time former Trek employee. Scotty was a legend at Trek. He worked hard and loved bikes. Scotty is also a very good baker and every once in a while he would stop by my office with chocolate chip cookies. And what should I see upon my arrival at Smith’s? Scotty with a huge smile and a huge bowl full of chocolate chip cookies. I had two. Krista had three. The old John would have had 6. Wondering about that guy with the tie? Well, that would be me. Krista told me I should wear a tie. I do what Krista tells me to do.

3. The Bike Summit. We arrived on time for the Bike Summit and I had no idea how many people would show up. I am calling it sold out - standing room only. Additional chairs were brought out a couple of times. I am guessing that they had 250 people in attendance. What an awesome group of people. They had a great lineup of speakers and I really enjoyed getting a chance to share my message with the people of La Crosse. My slides are posted below for you to take a look at and to share. A few key points that I made to the audience:
    1. There are four major trends in the world today: traffic congestion, urbanization, global warming, and the obesity crisis.
    2. The obesity crisis in America. For six years I served on the President’s Council for Physical Fitness and Sports and I spent a lot of time with some quality people at Health and Human Services, most of whom are predicting a health tsunami in America caused by the obesity epidemic. Make sure you take a look at the slides from the CDC below. It amazes me that the United States just passed the largest health care plan in history and there was ZERO talk about preventative medicine and people taking responsibility for their own health. Every time I show these CDC slides people are amazed.
    3. The simple solution to all of these problems: the bicycle!
    4. The good news is that a bicycle friendly world already exists. It exists in places like the Netherlands and Denmark. It also exists here in the United States in places like Portland, Boulder, and Davis, California.
    5. What can you do to help create a bicycle friendly world? I gave the audience in La Crosse last night three ways to make a difference.
        1. Ride your bike, especially two miles or less. 40% of car trips are less than two miles. Make a commitment to ride your bike. Up until last year I never rode my bike to work. It is a 44.8 miles round trip. Last year I set a goal of riding round trip 20 times, and using my bike as much as possible around town. I ended up riding 22 times to work, and rode my bike all over town last summer. Set a goal for using your bike this summer and keep track of it. What gets measured gets done!
        2. Have a plan. In La Crosse they have a plan. Work with your city to develop a bicycle plan. In Madison we have developed a current map and a future map. Every city in America should have a bicycle plan.
        3. Just show up. If there is one thing I have learned in Washington it is that we do have a democracy. It is government of the people, by the people, and for the people… who show up. One of the speakers last night was from the transportation department and he talked about a major bike/ped bridge project. His one request to make the dream a reality. Just show up.

Ride your bike today. Jb.

La Crosse Bike Summit March 2010

Note from Lance: Sarkozy loved his new bike

Received a short note from Lance today. "President Sarkozy loved his new bike." Awesome photo.

Jb.

National Bike Summit Wrap-Up

I spent the majority of last week at the National Bike Summit in Washington D.C. I was hoping for a good week. It turned out to be a great week. My top ten highlights for the Summit:

1. My haircut. I failed to get a much needed haircut before I left for D.C. Haircut appointment at 5 at the salon three blocks from the hotel. I am on a tight schedule so I check in and off I go. Less than one block out of the hotel I see a barber shop that looks like my kind of a place. I look inside and indeed it is. A lot of old guys sitting around a very dirty barber shop. They are packed and I have no time so...... Off to the salon. I have never been to a salon before. I knew I was in trouble when the receptionists took me to the changing room to put my smock on. Wow. Then another lady takes me and puts me in a chair and has me lean back to give me a shampoo. I am thinking to myself, I didn’t order a shampoo. Before she gives me the shampoo she starts giving me a head massage. Then the shampoo, then the neck massage. This really isn’t so bad after all. Then I am presented to Jennifer the “stylist.” I have never had my hair cut by a “stylist.” Hello Jennifer!!! Anyways we get to the end of the haircut and Jennifer asks me if I would like anything in my hair? No, not today. Anyways, I proceed to the check out where I am presented with the bill. $60 for a hair cut!!! I have never paid more than $15 and now I am on the $60 program. I figured for $60 I should get a photo of this historic moment.

2. Trek Dealer Reception. We had 103 Trek retailers and Trek employees at the National Bike Summit.  The first year I went to the Bike Summit there were 70 total attendees. Grand total this year was over 700 people. A great group of people that included the regulars like Jay Graves, Chris Kegel, Dan Thorton and many more. What was most impressive was the list of first timers. I was especially pleased to see Bert from Bert's in Buffalo and Jim Ruggles from Eddie's in Cleveland. These are good guys who run good businesses, who can get stuff done. We had the reception at the Old Ebbitt Grill near the White House and it was fabulous, packed, loud, and I could not find a good place to welcome the group. So I asked the bartender if I could stand on the bar. Answer NO. Why not? Because the manager won't let you. Well, could you ask the manager? While he was asking the manager I was standing next to Mayor Dave of Madison, WI. I asked......Mayor have you ever given a speech on a bar. Answer. No. Well I have seen my wife dance on a bar and the way I figured that was the only place to get everyone's attention. And so I jumped up onto the bar and gave a short welcome to the Bike Summit speech. I talked about how my Mom and Dad had done so much to give back and that one of the missions of Trek was not just to make the best bikes in the world, but to use Trek to do good things. One of the good things that we do with Trek is to spread the message that bicycles are a simple solution to complex problems like global warming, the health crisis, and congestion. The World is run by those who show up and 103 Trek people showed up in D.C. That was a great sight.

My First Commute of the Year

Yesterday was my first ride to work of the year. March in Wisconsin is a little cold so the inaugural ride kicked off at a fun lovin’ 31 degrees. In my first 25 years of work at Trek I rode my bike to work perhaps three times.  Last year I picked up the pace and recorded 22 rides to work. My goal this year is 30. Below is a photo of me bundled up and ready to go. I have also enclosed a photo of the hot photographer who took my pic. Comment below with your Best Commuter story or photo since January first and I'll pick the winner Friday for a special prize!!

The Big Guy

Tomorrow marks the second anniversary of the passing of my Dad. Shortly before he died someone told me that his body would die but that his spirit would live on. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about the Big Guy. The other day I was walking down the hall and someone coming from the other direction asked “how are you doing” to which I replied “good.” I really wasn’t doing that well, I had just had my bell rung in a meeting and I thought about a time maybe 15 years ago when The Big Guy was walking down the hall at Trek and someone was passing from the other direction and said “Dick how are you doing today?”  The response was classic Big Guy; with a big smile on his face he said “well I am getting my ass kicked today!” and so last week in a split second I changed my answer from “good” to “I am getting my ass kicked today.” The comment elicited a big smile from the passerby as it did 15 years ago.

In the summer of 2007, six months before the Big Guy went in for heart surgery he spoke at the Trek 20 year club dinner. At the annual gathering of employees who have worked at Trek for 20 years, the Big Guy went through some of his best Trek memories. Luckily, Harry Spehar brought a video camera to the event and filmed the Big Guy’s remarks. Even though the lighting isn’t the best, the stories are priceless. I have edited it down to his story of how Trek got its name, Trek’s first appearance at the New York City Bicycle Show in 1976, and the Big Guy’s memories of the 1999 Tour De France.

Enjoy.  Jb.

Off to the National Bike Summit

I’m heading off to Washington, D.C. tomorrow for the 10th annual National Bike Summit. It’s one of my favorite events of the year! The Bike Summit gives me an opportunity to listen to some great speakers share their vision of the future of cycling in America, to catch up with advocates from around the country, and to spend a day visiting with members of Congress to advocate on behalf of cyclists. One thing that I learned early on is that our government is a democracy. It is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people…who show up! Over the last ten years the bicycle movement has started to show up in Washington and in State Capitols around America.
 
Here are my Top 8 Reasons to Advocate for a Bicycle Friendly Future:

8. In 1970 35% of kids rode their bikes to school. Today that number is less than 5%. With the Safe Routes to School program, this trend is being reversed for the first time in 30 years.

7. Because 40% of car trips are less than two miles. If we build better bicycle trails and infrastructure more people will ride bikes instead of using their cars.

6. Because our cities are congested and every person who rides a bike is one less car on the road. More cyclists translates to less congestion, and that’s good for folks who have to drive as well as cyclists. Always thinking about others!

5. Because I love to ride my bike and I am tired of playing Russian Roulette every time I go out on a ride. How many close calls do you have per season? My guess is one every thousand miles. Complete Streets legislation, enacted in 14 states now, makes it mandatory for civil engineers and road planners to consider cyclists and pedestrians. How about every state in the union?

4. Because I care about the environment. Consider the following.... In 1880 London was the world's largest city with one million people. By 1960 there were 111 cities with one million people. Today there are over 300 cities with one million people or more. Imagine as you are driving your car your car’s emissions are the equivalent of  throwing out the door one bag of trash, except for the people driving SUV’s (I am one of them) who are throwing out two bags of trash. Last year I really got on the program. I live 22 miles away from work and made 20 round trips. In town, I try to ride my bike instead of using the car whenever I can.   The bicycle is a zero emission vehicle that exists today!!

3. Because bikes are a real value. In a city it costs roughly $40 million for every mile of two lane highway. Just outside the city of Madison they are looking at putting in a new interchange. Total price tag $130 million dollars for one interchange. In comparison, the total cost of 24 major bicycle projects designed to make Madison a very bicycle friendly city is $40 million. You tell me which one is the better value.

2. It can be done. In Denmark 35% of trips are taken by bike. A trip is going to work, school, a friends house, out to eat, the ball park, etc. In the United States that number is just over 1%. I view that as an incredible opportunity.

1. We are making progress! Federal spending on bike projects over the past 10 years has gone from $200 million to over $1.2 billion.  There are thousands of new bicycle trails that are being built around the country. The reason they are being built is because they make good sense and because people see the benefits. We just need to pick up the pace.

If you want to show up and make a difference, a great way to do that is to find your local advocate. Contact them. Meet with the advocate. Buy them a cookie and a beverage and use the four magic words - HOW MAY I HELP. Lastly, don’t sell yourself short. Everyone has something to offer.

Jb.

The best ride of the year

My first blog... Wow. I have thought about writing a blog for sometime, but have never pulled the trigger. Why now? Well... I am a very lucky person. I get to be the President of the Best Bicycle Company in the World. Some of the perks of my position are that I get to meet a lot of very interesting people, I get to travel all over the world, I get to see a lot of really cool products, many before they hit the market—and most importantly, I get to ride my bicycle. And so, on this inaugural posting of JB’s blog, we will kick it off with my story of the year.

Boston, this past September, I’m spending a few days visiting bicycle retailers. I love Boston. I went to high school in Boston junior year while my Dad got his MBA at MIT, and I ended up going to college at BU. I used to love to ride my bike around Boston, so on this trip I asked the Trek rep to have a bike for me at the hotel. I don’t care what model it is, I just want to ride in the morning before we hit the road. I fly into Boston and we spend the day visiting retailers and end up having dinner with a retailer in Natick. After dinner the manager invited us to go for a few beers at a bar in Brookline. A good time was had by all!! Bill Hand, the rep, drives me to my hotel, the Doubletree in Cambridge, right next to the Charles River. Strategically picked so that I can ride my bike in the morning.

I arrive at the Doubletree just before midnight and am greeted with a hearty Welcome to the Doubletree! Thank you, I reply. My name is John Burke and I have a room here. I’m sorry, Mr. Burke, we are sold out, and we have a cab waiting to take you to a hotel on the other side of Cambridge. You must be mistaken, I have a reservation here. We know, Mr. Burke, but we oversold the hotel and we don’t have any rooms. To which I reply, there must be a mistake, I have a RESERVATION here. Mr. Burke, there are no rooms. We are now in the taste great/less filling part of the conversation, and this is going nowhere. Do you have my bicycle? Yes we do. OK, if you could get my bicycle, I’ll find a hotel on my own.

My bicycle appears, a very nice 7.3 FX. I take my helmet out of my backpack, strap it on, put my backpack on, and sling my night bag over my shoulder. I head out the door at just past midnight. Destination: the Cambridge Hyatt on the Charles. I have stayed there in the past, and my Dad and I ran a race that ended at the Hyatt. The path isn’t lit and it is a little dark out, but there is a great moon high in the sky making up for the lack of a light. The Hyatt is further than I thought, but I make it there and wheel my bicycle into the lobby and to the registration area. Do you have a room? No, we do not. Surely you have one room. We are completely sold out. Any recommendations, then? None. Back on my bike, out the door, and I head for the Charles River Hotel further down the Charles. I get to the Hotel and ask for a room. Sold out, nothing available. Any recommendations? On the bike again and no luck at the Royal Sonesta. Maybe in Boston. It is now past 1 a.m. as I get back on the bike. I look across the river and I see in bright lights: WESTIN. I smile. My Dad and I ran in the Boston Marathon three times, and we always stayed at the Westin. FATE.

I ride my bike up the river and across the Mass Ave Bridge. It really is a beautiful night. I get to the Westin and up the escalator I go with my bike—not the easiest trick in the world after a few beers. I approach the registration area and ask for a room. Sold out. Are you kidding me? No. Just one room? Completely sold out. Any recommendations? You should try Cambridge. Already been there. I leave the Westin and I am now in my cost-is-no-object zone. I just need a room. I go across the street to the Copley Plaza. Nothing. We are now past 2 a.m. and I don’t know where to go, when I remember there is a hotel down by the Boston Common. I ride my bike towards the Boston Common and see the Boston Park Plaza on my right. I enter at 2:20 a.m. I walk up to registration and ask for a room. Sold out, says Theo. To which I reply, Theo, I really need you on this one. Let me check, Theo says. He returns with a key to a room on the 16th floor. At 2:30 my odyssey to find a room in Boston ends. It was one of my best bike rides of the year.

As we begin this blog journey, you just never know what will come next. Ride your bike.

Jb

P.S. If you’ve got a favorite ride, I’d love to hear about it in the comments section below.