Notes from the east

On Monday morning I flew into D.C. for a week of networking, lobbying, and good old fashioned work. All Monday afternoon I had the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) board meeting, and a dinner with the board that evening. The LAB board is comprised of amazing, dedicated individuals, making it a pleasure to serve on.

On Tuesday, I hung out with the ladies at the historic, first ever National Women Cycling Forum, and then attended the LAB annual members' meeting where I had the pleasure of introducing myself to the members. The National Bike Summit kicked off with its opening dinner, and afterward I made good on my board commitment at the annual major donor reception by helping to facilitate a significant donation to the League. Only then did I get a chance to drop by the Alliance for Biking and Walking reception, which was still going strong.

Wednesday was the heart of the conference portion of the National Bike Summit. I learned some interesting things in between ducking out for meetings with various national-level leaders and for SVBC Governance and Development Committees' phone meetings. The day ended with the annual meeting of the BikesPAC. Yes, our movement now has it's own PAC and donates to political campaigns. If you're loaded and you love cycling, be sure to look it up.

Finally, on Thursday, the day of lobbying had arrived. I spent the day meeting with members of Congress, attempting to convince them in various ways to support cycling, mostly by passing a friendly transportation bill.

On Friday, I took the train up to Boston to try the Boston Bike Share. Well, actually, I was visiting my brother John but we did bike around a lot since he is living car free. Yay John! Finally I arrived home, exhausted but inspired.