Local Bike Enthusiast Makes Cycling Part of His Daily Life
Longtime Richmond resident and bike enthusiast Michael Delano talks about his work as a bike advocate and salesman and how he makes cycling a part of his everyday life.
How long have you been riding, and how did you get into it?
I started out basically bopping around my neighborhood as a kid. I’m from Buffalo, NY. I didn’t own a car for three years and got around on a bike. I used to be a professional singer. I would show up for practice on my bike in full leather. Some people would call that either insane or non-sensible.
I worked at bike shops. I have worked for manufacturers – both GT and Giant – for about 20 year now. I’ve been repping and riding all the good bikes they provide. The first time I ever raced was last year.
How do bikes fit into your ‘every day’?
Bikes are part of my job and have been my whole career. I’ve lived and breathed bikes for a long time. I live in Oregon Hill about one block away from the James River Park System. There is a lot of good riding in Richmond in particular. This morning I did a 7-mile easy off-road ride with my dog.
My family rides a lot, too. My son is graduated from high school, but he still uses a bike for whatever he needs. My daughter rides with my wife, who works downtown, every day from our house in Oregon Hill to Thomas Jefferson High School. We leave about 6:45 a.m. to get to school in time. It’s about four miles. We use our bikes as much as possible. We use them for getting to and from work and school, going out for the evening, and even going shopping.
I also own a bike shop called Campus Wheelhouse in Buffalo, NY. I get back there about twice a year. They’re seeing incredible growth. I would compare that part of Buffalo to Carytown in Richmond.
What type of riding do you do most frequently?
I get [bike]samples for my job, and I have to show people those bikes. I have taken a back seat to road bikes and have mostly been getting mountain bikes. I do like to travel to other cities and utilize their greenway systems. Raleigh, for example, has almost 100 miles of greenway. You could do an entire metric century of greenway rides. I get my city bike that I bop around town with.
What is your best bike memory?
Every time I’m on a bike I’m formulating my best memories because I love riding. None of them are any better than the others. I just love being on the bike.
With the 2015 World Cycling Championships coming up, have you noticed more excitement for the sport?
Yes, there have been a lot of people, even outside of cycling, that are coming up to me and asking me about 2015. It’s a big deal. A whole lot more people are talking it up in bike shops when I visit – not even just in Richmond, but also up in DC and down in Raleigh. My coverage area for Giant spans from Washington D.C. to North Carolina. There’s a huge amount of buzz. Everyone is chatting about it and excited about it. Right now, it’s the calm before the storm. I think bike shop involvement from the organizers to the bike shops and vice versa could be better.
What are your biggest dreams for Richmond as far as being a more bike-friendly community?
There is a lot of talk about Richmond being the Portland of the East. I want Richmond to be the Richmond of the East. I want it to stand alone as its own entity. Some of these other cities have done a better job of encouraging beginners to ride. Some of the aspects of what these other cities have – capital bike shares, greenway systems, rails to trails – would encourage more people to ride. Some people are afraid to ride.
I believe we will see tremendous growth and development – both public and private – for the expansion of dedicated bicycle trails. We can be a gem of a region. I would love to see us earn the top bike-friendly designation from the League of American Bicyclists.
Are you partaking in any Bike Month festivities?
Yes. Giant is giving away a Giant Escape bicycle, which is basically a fendered and racked commuter bike, for the Mayor’s Richmond Bicycling Commuter Challenge. People are encouraged to ride their bike to work and log their miles. They are automatically entered to win the bike. They raffle off the bike after all miles are logged and reported. More information on the ride can be found here.