I guess you could call this a ride review, but I don’t know it that would be completely accurate. Biking in Madison Wisconsin has been a big part of my life; because I’ve lived in Madison for my entire life, and go to school here now too. Madison Wisconsin is one of the most bike friendly cities in the country, and on many ranking lists, is listed as one of the most bike friendly, progressive, and nicest places to live.
The great thing about being a cyclist and biking in Madison Wisconsin is that the city and surrounding towns like Verona, Middleton, and Fitchburg have all made real efforts to promote cycling as a means of transportation for both commuting and recreation. I ride my bike to work and to school, and can easily ride pretty much anywhere within a 40 mile radius of where I live (mayyybee a little bit less right now, but I’m getting stronger every day).
The city has added bike lanes, bike paths, and even bike boulevards where bikes are allowed to use the full lane on a two way road. Because of this, biking in madison wisconsin is much safer here than in almost any other city in the country.
Madison has a great, bike friendly attitude as well. You notice it through the little things, the details that aren’t there in other cities with cycling initiatives. Many stores are members of the bicycle benefits program offered by BicycleBenefits.org. The bicycle benefits program gives discounts and other perks to its cyclist members, who enjoy biking in Madison Wisconsin enough to join the program and commute to work. Employers are also very bike friendly. Many have bike racks in sheltered areas for their employees, and my boss even has a shower to clean up and a full kitchen that I can use. That way, I don’t smell like I just got off the bike for the rest of the day.
Madison is just a great place to live in general. We have cold winters, but beautiful and warm springs, summers, and falls. Even so, you can still ride in the winter. Just ask the all season cyclist over at AllSeasonCyclist.com. He’ll be able to give you the scoop on how to bike in all kinds of weather, even the coldest winters or the hottest summers.
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