Two wheels are better than four!

Whether it’s a gutsy mountain bike, a sleek racer or your trusty Schwinn with the playing cards in the spokes, time to get out and see the world on two wheels.May is American Bike Month!

Biking is terrific exercise – and with today’s high gas prices, it can also keep your wallet in shape.Just remember some basic safety rules (which apply to casual rides around the neighborhood, as well as street or trail rides).

·Invest in and ALWAYS wear a good helmet: nearly 70,000 cyclists suffer serious head injuries each year and many never fully recover.Obey all traffic controls

·Ride your bicycle near the right-hand edge of the road

·Never carry another person on your bicycle

·Always use hand signals when turning or stopping

·Look out for cars at cross street, driveways, and parking places

·Be careful when checking traffic; don't swerve when looking over your shoulder

·Give pedestrians the right-of-way

Here are some great links for cyclists:

Find a paved bike path in your state:

http://www.pavedbiketrails.com/

Two great general resources for everything bike-related…

http://www.bikelane.com/#8.0

http://www.bikeride.com/

Just for fun, here’s some more bicycle trivia:

·DaVinci sketched an early version of the bike in 1490, but it never got off the drawing board.

·The earliest bikes were called “velocipedes.”

·France’s Pierre Michaux is credited with the creation of the bicycle pedal in 1861.

·On May 31, 1868 the first bicycle race took place. It was over 2 kilometers, at the Pare de St. Cloud. The winner was James Moore, who rode a bicycle with solid rubber tires and ball bearings which made it go faster.

·In 1893 the Wright brothers decided to open up a bicycle shop. When they made the first airplane, they used most of their knowledge from their bicycle repair experience.