A great ride with a few hundred readers!

In my life as a reporter, there were days when I couldn't go grocery shopping or to the coffee shop without hearing from some reader who either wanted to compliment a story, or tell me how to better do my job.

At times, it was helpful. At other times it was a pain in the ass and made me wish my work was less public. Such was the life of a reporter in a small town with a highly engaged public. I still live in a small town with a highly engaged public, and while many more people read Bicycling than read The Saratogian, and I have much less contact with any of them.

So, it was, I thought, pretty remarkable that nearly 1,000 readers showed up to ride around the Lehigh Valley today with the Bicycling Magazine staff -- despite the rain and generally crappy weather. In addition to being a fun ride, it was a good chance to hear from a few readers. Those who I met were enthusiastic about what we're doing, but were still willing to share their thoughts on future directions.

So, thanks everyone for a great ride! Of course, I wouldn't have objected to better weather.