Freedom and Bicycling

Chris Mosley, Executive Director, Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists

I was free this morning. Free to answer to the alarm at 4:15 am, and free to go chase the youngsters. (Anyone under the age of 50 is a youngster to me!) I was free to ride with a very diverse group of men and women from the east valley, to Fountain Hills / Rio Verde up to Pinnacle Peak and back. Free to be tired at the end of 80 miles. And, free to feel happy about the effort and success of the morning. Whether you wake-up and ride for recreation, ride because it is your means of transportation, or ride for any other reason, you are free to choose. And what a great thing this is, “Freedom”! All of it!


Ronald Reagan said in 1974; “With freedom goes responsibility, a responsibility that can only be met by the individual.”

We are a coalition, which is an alliance of factions, a union. So we are a union of individuals, which have the passion to fight for the equal freedom of bicyclist. Free to choose for what purpose we ride and where we might ride. We are a coalition.

We speak, we write, in support of bicycling and ultimately the bicyclist. We are advocates. As Ronald Reagan said, it is our responsibility to speak as individuals. But as a coalition of individuals our advocacy becomes loud and clear. We are advocates.

So on this great day, because we have this great freedom, let us renew the charge and take on the responsibility to protect that which we endear. Let’s talk bicycling, let’s talk education, let’s talk safety, and let us talk about the bicyclist!

It is a great thing to be associated with great people. CAzB is a great coalition, a great alliance of individuals, advocates!

I hope your 4th of July weekend was as great as mine.