Wheely fun
BY DANIEL KUSNER
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The “spirit of Austin” descended upon me while biking home from the Texas Governor’s Mansion.
Ann Richards just concluded her final Christmas party as an elected official — right before the Bushes moved in. The gathering was intimate. Only 18-or-so guests. And somehow, Yours Truly scored a last-minute invite. Upon entering the Greek Revival-style landmark, Molly Ivins apologized for not shaking my hand. That’s because both of hers were occupied with cocktail glasses. Laughing with the twangy pundit distracted me from waves of sartorial panic. A pair of steel-toed work boots awkwardly punctuated my green woolen trousers and plaid vest. My footwear couldn’t be mistaken for anything other than stormtrooper drag. But aside from a pair of Nike cross-trainers, construction-site lace-ups were all I owned. I figured ... Would anyone think twice about a pair of cowboy boots? Besides, who’d pay attention to my drab heels with a supernova like Ann Richards in the room? The party didn’t last long. The somber shock of gubernatorial defeat lingered with holiday-spice candles. Everyone there understood the moment was rare and near-historical. As the governor put her hand on my back and walked me to the door, she thanked me for coming and asked about my holiday plans. I would travel to Chicago to be with my parents. While wishing me a Merry Christmas, we reached the end of our path. Ann paused and looked toward the ground. Then her smile lit up like a jukebox as she poked me in the ribs and whispered, “By the way... Nice shoes.” Biking home in those boots was a “no place like home” experience. I was too broke to own a car or buy a new wardrobe. But, like Cinderella, I'd crossed the palace yard... And Texas’ chief executive had me laughing myself silly while making me feel like a million dollars. I love Austin. Transportation is in my blood. |
My grandfather Julius Kusner was a Chicago traffic cop. He directed the city’s most iconic intersection — the south bank of the Michigan Avenue Bridge.
My dad said, “If she had a choice, your mother would drive from the bed to the toilet.”
I can remember Mom biking only one time. It was election day. Someone was running late with the station wagon, and the polls were about to close.
The women’s movement and biking have always worked in tandem. To men, the bicycle was a toy. But to women, balancing on two wheels represented “a steed upon which they rode to a new world.” Maybe that’s because sidesaddle pedaling is almost impossible.
The 1890s was the peak of the American bicycle craze.
In 1896, Susan B. Anthony told Nellie Bly, “I think [the bicycle] has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives a woman a feeling of freedom and self-reliance.”
Transportation helps people get on with their lives. While cars are often preferable, they’re not always possible, especially with urban America’s growing inequality.
Simple and sustainable, bikes can lead to opportunity — even for the homeless.
When it came to panache, Albert “Leslie” Cochran was “Austintatious.” Flaunting a lamé thong, stilettos and goatee, Cochran almost single-handedly embodied the “Keep Austin Weird” campaign.
My dad said, “If she had a choice, your mother would drive from the bed to the toilet.”
I can remember Mom biking only one time. It was election day. Someone was running late with the station wagon, and the polls were about to close.
The women’s movement and biking have always worked in tandem. To men, the bicycle was a toy. But to women, balancing on two wheels represented “a steed upon which they rode to a new world.” Maybe that’s because sidesaddle pedaling is almost impossible.
The 1890s was the peak of the American bicycle craze.
In 1896, Susan B. Anthony told Nellie Bly, “I think [the bicycle] has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives a woman a feeling of freedom and self-reliance.”
Transportation helps people get on with their lives. While cars are often preferable, they’re not always possible, especially with urban America’s growing inequality.
Simple and sustainable, bikes can lead to opportunity — even for the homeless.
When it came to panache, Albert “Leslie” Cochran was “Austintatious.” Flaunting a lamé thong, stilettos and goatee, Cochran almost single-handedly embodied the “Keep Austin Weird” campaign.
Leslie supposedly led an unhoused life by surviving on the streets. He hitched a pop-up trailer to a three-wheeled bicycle that carried his belongings and a message: a cardboard sign that read, “Maybe They’ll Stop Acting Like Punks With Badges And Stop Harassing Me.”
A local business loaned him that bike in return for advertising.
Cochran — a seminal Austin mayoral candidate — was following a path paved by another streetwise nonconformist, “Bicycle Annie,” a.k.a. Zelma O’Riley.
A local business loaned him that bike in return for advertising.
Cochran — a seminal Austin mayoral candidate — was following a path paved by another streetwise nonconformist, “Bicycle Annie,” a.k.a. Zelma O’Riley.
Born in Choctaw Nation, Bicycle Annie roamed West Campus on a two-wheeler wearing coiled braids and moccasins.
In 1941, she began publishing “Up and Down the Drag,” a monthly magazine about military preparedness, pioneering activism and a concern for Native American rights.
She wrote, “It will take a woman to save America.”
With no visible means of support, Bicycle Annie also campaigned for public office with her magazine endorsing, “Vote for Zelma O’Riley for First Woman President of the United States. She is Irish. She is Indian. And she will care for you.”
Whether near-destitute or proclaiming, “IDGAF!” about riding a girl’s bike, pumping pedals can amp up cardiovascular health.
Bikes are also efficient tools to run errands without burning fossil fuels.
But coasting on a bicycle is the epitome of liberation — especially with miles of smooth asphalt ribboning toward a limitless horizon.
And looking at Austin over a pair of handlebars may breed a free-spirited psychology that’s anything but a vicious cycle.
In 1941, she began publishing “Up and Down the Drag,” a monthly magazine about military preparedness, pioneering activism and a concern for Native American rights.
She wrote, “It will take a woman to save America.”
With no visible means of support, Bicycle Annie also campaigned for public office with her magazine endorsing, “Vote for Zelma O’Riley for First Woman President of the United States. She is Irish. She is Indian. And she will care for you.”
Whether near-destitute or proclaiming, “IDGAF!” about riding a girl’s bike, pumping pedals can amp up cardiovascular health.
Bikes are also efficient tools to run errands without burning fossil fuels.
But coasting on a bicycle is the epitome of liberation — especially with miles of smooth asphalt ribboning toward a limitless horizon.
And looking at Austin over a pair of handlebars may breed a free-spirited psychology that’s anything but a vicious cycle.