Every Day Adventurers

First, a belated Happy Mothers Day wish, and a related blog post. Here’s a shout out to everyone everywhere mothering a dream or a positive vision of the future. You are an inspiration.

At the start of April, we received a Tweet about an effort to encourage every day cycling by having people hash tag #30daysofbiking. Excited at the prospect of people riding more and driving less, we offered up a pair of our new FreeLoader cargo slings for the “sexiest cargo photo.”

Thirty days later we perused the entries and found our winner: Cassi Yost. Cassi is a photographer, a mom, an avid Xtracycle rider, and as you’ll see, an inspired writer. Her blog at SheBicycles features beautiful photos, cycling and non, and is written in a down-to-Earth tone we really appreciate. Without further ado, the winning “sexiest cargo bicycle” photo:

Cassi's winning photo

Impressed with her photographic eye , her non-seriousness as a cyclist, we wanted to get to know her a little better. In between her busy life as mother of four teenage boys, Cassi thoughtfully responded to our questions! Thanks Cassi. –Rick

Cycling is a big part of your life, how did your two-wheeled love affair evolve?

Definitely dating myself here, but when I was growing up in the Chicago suburbs back in the 60′s-70′s, our family owned one car. I remember my dad began riding his old ten-speed to his office, so that my mom could have the car to transport kids. It made an impression on me. So much, in fact, that once my sister and I decided to ride our little 3-speed bikes 12 miles to the zoo – it was a wonderful adventure for us; we felt absolutely invincible.

Were there any hurdles in your adoption of bicycles as a consistent mode of transportation and enjoyment?

A few. Mostly surrounding family transportation. We live in a rural and fairly spread-out area, and I have 4 teenage boys that often have to be at various places out of practical biking range; so there are times when using a car is, sadly, unavoidable. I also haven’t managed to convince my silly dog (a black lab) that it would be really, really fun to ride along on the back of my Xtracycle (I’m waiting for the prototype DogLoader). ;)

What inspired you to add an Xtracycle to your stable?

When I began to commit to cycling for transportation, I quickly realized I needed a way to haul stuff – lots of stuff – more than would fit in a set of panniers. Groceries for a family of 6 was the first challenge. I reluctantly considered trailers, but when I came across the Xtracycle website, it was one of those “light bulb” moments – it made absolutely perfect sense, and I knew I had found what I needed. And as others have said, getting my X was life-changing.

What’s your favorite Xtracycle accessory? Is there an accessory you wish existed?

I am always in awe of the the incredible flexibility of the FreeLoaders – brilliant design! Regardless of the shape or size of my cargo, they ALWAYS work … we’ve hauled everything from Christmas trees to some bathroom tiles to a vacuum cleaner. The sling design has proved to be more versatile than any fixed-size bag or container; indispensable. The accessory on my wish list? Uhh – the DogLoader?! ;)

How do you lash and load your gear on your Xtracycle?

Ninety-eight percent of everything I’ve ever needed to carry fits perfectly in the FreeLoaders – as is. I love my DryLoader for groceries, camera, clothing on rainy days. Occasionally I might “bungie” something to the deck. I also own a WideLoader and CamStraps – which have come in handy several times, especially when I’m hauling another bike, or odd-sized boxes.

If you had $1M to spend to improve cycling infrastructure/culture/adoption in the US, where would you spend it?

Very tough question. As much as I, personally, would like to see better physical infrastructure where I live (bike lanes, etc.), I really feel that a more far-reaching impact could be achieved by putting more money into education – for both drivers and cyclists.

Too many drivers and cyclists don’t have adequate knowledge/understanding of the rights and laws applying to both. I think a lot more people would get out on bikes, with the infrastructure as it presently exists, if they felt more comfortable riding in traffic, knew how to safely navigate in busy intersections, or how/when to “take the lane”. Too many drivers aren’t aware of cyclist’s rights on the road, and their own responsibility when driving – from passing distances, to sharing the road, turning/yielding in intersections, etc. It needs to be addressed more comprehensively in driver’s education and license testing.

I believe that if both sides were more informed and educated, it would eliminate a lot of accidents, as well as car vs. bike “friction” and hostility that often arises. Education could go a long way to help all cyclists – regardless of location (rural vs. urban) or physical infrastructure. And I believe it would increase ride share across the board.

What kind of things do you think about while riding?

Cycling is an incredibly sensory experience – the feel of the air, the sounds, the smells – that I mostly find myself thinking about things “in the moment“.
— Cassi Yost

Most of the time, I tend to leave my typical nagging daily thoughts behind. Cycling is an incredibly sensory experience – the feel of the air, the sounds, the smells – that I mostly find myself thinking about things “in the moment”. Like, “Hey – look at that cow”, or “Ahh, it feels good in this patch of shade”. Unlike being in a climate- and noise-controlled box of a car, I think everyone who cycles experiences a heightened sense of awareness – of surroundings, as well as the simple rhythm of breathing. My thoughts wander a little – but mostly about what I’m experiencing in the present.

We love your photos, any tips for fellow cycling photographers that you could share?

Gee, thank you! :) I really believe that the perspective from the saddle, being up close and moving at a slightly slower pace – tends to give all of us better “eyes”. Most of the time I ride solo, and I think I have a tendency to anthropomorphize my bike (good grief!). So I like to take portrait-ish pictures that include my bikes in the landscape. Or alongside cows. Or standing next to an old barn. OK, I’m a little goofy, I will admit – but I think bicycles are so wonderfully aesthetic in themselves, and very worthy of portraiture. I also like to shoot from low angles – kind of the bike’s perspective, I guess. My only real tip is: take a camera along – any camera (and a waterproof cover/case); you will always see something worth capturing.

What was your scariest moment on a bike?

I love dogs, really; I have two of my own. But living in a rural area, too many people seem to think it’s perfectly ok to let their dogs run loose, and I’ve had a few frightening run-ins with aggressive dogs on the road. The worst experience involved a dog who had gone out for the chase, gave it up after a few hundred yards and turned around, crossing the lane – and then was accidentally struck by a car coming from the opposite direction (over a blind rise in the road). Being chased was bad, but seeing the dog run over was horrible.

What’s been your most magical moment to date?

I think this is where I’m supposed to say: getting my Xtracycle! Right? Well yes – that was definitely magical. But what also comes to mind was Day 20 of #30daysofbiking. It was raining, and I really didn’t have to be anyplace, or go anywhere – except that I wanted to get my ride in for the project. So I went out just to take a ride. There were pockets of mist hanging over the fields, the rain slowed to a fine drizzle, and the air was incredible – sweet-smelling, perfectly still and silent. It was unforgettable. Mostly, it made me realize that when you ride, you never know what rewards are in store – especially when you least expect them.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us Cassi. Looking forward to more inspiring posts and pictures in the months (years!) ahead.

We also want to give Ryan Alward some props for his #30daysofbiking cargo bike photos. We especially appreciated the java equipped Xtracycle!

Ryan's runner up photo