Modern bicycles are wonderful machines. Everyone should have four or five. I will describe how a chubby old guy can find a new relationship with time, temperature, mind, body, traffic and the law thanks to his wheels and pedals.
I presented at Ignite Portland #7, November 19, 2009. Although I enjoy speaking, and have spoken before large crowds often, I found speaking at this event strangely difficult and then surprisingly rewarding.
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My presentation was a collection of pictures taken while rediscovering the joy of bicycling. pdf
Both the format and subject matter were new to me. Presenting at Ignite is more like a poetry reading than a lecture. I did not know when I had practiced enough. My subject, a personal transformation, seemed small considering what I knew the average Portlander has done themselves. I got through it by relaxing and reminding myself that I was really honoring all the people who had inspired me along the way.