In late September 2012, it finally occurred to me that I too often referred to the ‘gap in cycling education’ as an issue of concern in the urban mobility dialogue.  In that moment I decided it was time for action instead of talk – I was going to try and help fill that gap.
The book idea began as one focused on the province of Ontario, quickly shifted to addressing cycling across Canada, and within a few months of discussion and reflection landed firmly and finally as a book that would address how to cycle in cities across North America. By October 2013 I had found the right publisher, signed a contract with ECW Press, and officially begun my journey as a writer.
In the early days of this project, when I was still in disbelief that I’d actually signed myself up to take on something of this scale, a dear friend gave me a postcard with this quote on it.  We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot. Eleanor Roosevelt. Having glanced countless times at these words posted by my desk, I can now fully appreciate their truth.
After months of writing, researching, interviewing, editing, re-writing, and more editing, I’m thrilled to say that the book is now a reality and available for pre-order in advance of the Spring (March) 2015 launch. Beautifully illustrated by Marc Ngui, it also includes some of my photographs. Early feedback has been very positive and I can hardly wait to see it in people’s hands. In the meantime, I compiled an excerpt for the Cities for People series on Spacing –  check out Adding a bike to your urban mobility toolkit .
