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“Bicycling makes me feel like I’m a part of the city instead of feeling apart from the city" 8

“Bicycling makes me feel like I'm a part of the city instead of feeling apart from the city"
Screenshot from YouTube video by Vancouver Cycle Chic Below is a wonderful video by our friend Chris Bruntlett and the folks over at Vancouver Cycle Chic featuring Vancouver librarian Cecily Walker, as she introduces her city as a great place to live and to get around by bike. Vancouver, as you probably know, rests inside ...

Bicycles Are For People Who Can’t Be Late 12

Bicycles Are For People Who Can’t Be Late
Businessman in Amsterdam – Photo courtesy of Mikael Colville-Andersen  Bicycles may be a healthy way to get around a city, helping to reduce traffic congestion and pollution. But they are often the fastest and most reliable way to get around a city too. On Tuesday I had a client meeting downtown Toronto at 3PM. The ...

Vintage Photo: Please Mr. Motorist… 1

Vintage Photo: Please Mr. Motorist…
  Photo courtesy of Carlton Reid via Flickr, and spotted on Facebook via Hypothyroid Mom via @ausyeda What a lovely way to provide drivers a friendly reminder to be cautious around bicyclists. James D. Schwartz is the Editor of The Urban Country and is based in Toronto, Canada. You can contact James at james.schwartz@theurbancountry.com or ...

Toronto Bicycle Collages

Toronto Bicycle Collages
Bicycle photo collage by Xander of 416CycleStyle.com It has been a little while since we have had any fun posts on here. Our friend ‘Xander over at 416CycleStyle.com put together some beautiful bicycle collages that put a smile on my face. ‘Xander took photos of everyday people in Toronto getting around the city by bicycle, ...

Avid Urban Cyclist Clothing 44

Avid Urban Cyclist Clothing
Photo by Marc van Woudenberg / Amsterdamize Cycle clothing and gear is a topic I seldom cover here on The Urban Country, for there is no shortage of bicycle blogs out there already reviewing the latest bicycle clothing and gear. But with the winter fast approaching for me here in Toronto, Canada I thought it ...

Rediscovering The Bicycle 17 Years Later 13

Rediscovering The Bicycle 17 Years Later
Rediscovering the freedom of the bicycle. Photo by Robert Lawson for The Urban Country 31-year-old Robert Lawson hadn’t owned a bicycle since he was a 14-year-old teenager growing up in Vancouver, Canada. Three months ago – four years after he first moved to Toronto – Robert, a Senior Policy Advisor for the provincial government, decided ...

New Bicycle Advocacy Project: ratemyvelo.com 5

New Bicycle Advocacy Project: ratemyvelo.com
Screenshot of www.ratemyvelo.com – James D. Schwartz / The Urban Country Yesterday I officially launched my latest bicycling advocacy project – Rate My Vélo – a website that allows people to upload photos of people on bicycles, and vote on other people’s photos. The website mixes Mikael’s Cycle Chic™ style of advocacy with user-contributed content ...

Dutch Cycle Chic – Toronto Style 40

Dutch Cycle Chic - Toronto Style
All Photos by Aviva Cohen for The Urban Country One evening in early November, I was walking my dog near my home when I encountered a pretty girl on a stunning red Dutch bike. Intrigued, I told her how much I loved her bike and I asked her if she would be interested in doing ...

Australia Cycle Chic Newcomer 20

All photos courtesy of Tara for The Urban Country Bicycling Newcomers is a section on The Urban Country where we profile people who make the switch from other modes of transportation to the efficient, healthy and fun method of bicycling to go about their daily business. Through our Bicycling Newcomers section, I was fortunate enough ...

Shanghai Cycle Chic 10

All photos by James D. Schwartz / The Urban Country During my recent trip to China I was fortunate enough to spend a few days in Shanghai. Before I went to China, I promised Mikael Colville-Andersen that I would snap some photos of “Cycle Chic” action while biking around Shanghai. Mikael popularized the term “Cycle ...