DeFazio at the
National Bike Summit in 2006.]
My thoughts are turning to Washington D.C.
My journey to the National Bike Summit begins Monday night.
Last year the Summit was an amazing experience. I learned how bike advocacy happens at the highest levels of government, I watched (and learned from) real lobbying pros at work, I roamed the halls of Capitol Hill, met with members of Congress, and I even sent back reports and photos for all of you to enjoy and learn from.
A lot has happened in the past year and I’ll attend the Summit with a new set of eyes and much more experience than last year.
No doubt, it will be a fantastic journey.
Last year, I raised all the money for the trip (a little over $1,000) from BikePortland readers. I realize some of you might think that given the popularity of this site and the advertising banners you see that I must make tons of money. Unfortunately that’s just not the case.
In the past year, I’ve worked extremely hard to not just make this site a success but to help give your voices impact and a seat at the table on countless issues. I’ve worked to connect you with other cyclists, to spread our community’s energy around the world, to represent you in the media, and to inform and inspire you to action.
Last time I checked there were nearly 3,000 of you visiting this site every day, over 1,200 subscribing to my headline feed and email updates and over 11,000 pages being viewed every day. And as of right now I’ve read through 15,370 of your comments that you’ve left on the 2,380 posts I’ve written.
This site is my (more than) full-time job, and I work for you.
Now would be a great time for you to give back and consider a donation to BikePortland.org. You can do so via PayPal or by sending a check made out to Jonathan Maus (contact me for the address).
I look forward to reporting from D.C. and continuing to bring you the most entertaining, inspiring and informational content possible.
Thank you.