Courtesy Vivian Ortiz Name: Vivian Ortiz
Age: 59
Hometown : My hometown is El Paso, Texas, but I’ve lived in Boston since 2012
Occupation: Outreach Coordinator, MA Safe Routes to School program
Time Cycling : About 7 years
Reason for Cycling : I ride a bike for transportation. I’m also lowering my carbon footprint, while improving my mental and physical health.
My siblings and I shared a bike when I was a kid. When we moved to our father’s next duty station with the Army in the 1970s, the bike stayed behind. So when a friend and I rented bikes in Martha’s Vineyard about nine years ago, I had no idea how to stop or change gears. That’s why I decided to attend the city of Boston’s women’s learn-to-ride clinic eight years ago and loved it!
I wanted to bike as much as possible, but was afraid to do so alone. The rail trail behind my house hadn’t opened and I was terrified to bike on the street. A friend started inviting me to bike with him at night. He taught me the basics about biking next to cars and buses. I participated in a 30 days of biking challenge in April 2015 which helped me get comfortable biking in colder weather . No training plans, apps, or races—just the challenge . Video player poster image I loved biking so much that two years ago on December 3, 2020 I was named the first People’s Bike […]
Continue reading the original article at: www.bicycling.com