Biking around with a Full Metal Jacket

So maybe the title is a bit misleading, but if you haven’t been diligently following this blog (we have RSS!) you might not have seen the post we put up about the bike ride led by Actor Matthew Modine (of 'Full Metal Jacket' and 'Weeds' fame) at the DNC. Matt Modine is a vocal biking advocate and we captured some great footage of him Freewheelin around on one of our Treks. It was really good to see someone using their celebrity to promote a great cause—biking, health, and environmental preservation.

So today I was cruising around on youtube, looking for clips of Mr. Modine at some sort of speaking engagement so that I could see if I could learn to mimic his voice for an upcoming video I’m making about the story Freewheelin in the world of Web 2.0 (in case you didn’t know, Matt Modine heard about Freewheelin through our facebook page and we used the blog, twitter feed, and facebook wall to promote his guided ride).

Lo and behold, I happened upon a video of him riding around on freewheelin bikes….a video that we didn’t make! I got very excited and wondered why we hadn’t heard about this video before. I wanted to blog right away! When I checked my gmail though, I found that the creator of the video had already emailed us and asked us to blog about it! So without further adieu, here is Matthew Modine in his latest smash hit, “Matthew Modine Bicycle for a Day at DNC.”



PS: The video can also be found on youtube here, where you should comment and rate it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyWgol5kZYc

PPS: While you’re on youtube why not subscribe to our channel http://www.youtube.com/healthentertainment

PPPS: While you’re subscribing to things, why not subscribe to our RSS feed, available below on the sidebar. Have a great day!

The Future of Freewheelin

Welcome Freewheelin fans, Humana Associates, Bikes Belong Volunteers, and Friends!

It’s been a while since we last posted, but to give you some quick numbers, our Bike Sharing effort at the Idea Festival in Louisville logged over 3,000 miles and 556 individual rides. The Mayor of Louisville and the Governor of Kentucky came out to pledge their support, both morally and financially, to make Louisville more biking friendly. Check out this summary from our own biking expert Tony:



But this isn’t the end of the road for Freewheelin. Bike Sharing is slowly spreading throughout the nation. The next step involves pilot program installations in Minneapolis and Denver. These stations will have a look and feel different from what you saw at the DNC and RNC and they’ll be completely automated. We have some big news coming down the line about the future of bike sharing in America, so stay tuned for details.

The story of freewheelin as you see it on this blog is narrow in scope. To read more about the freewheelin experience from a number of volunteers or to contribute your own stories, check out our flickr discussion board located here:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/freewheelin/discuss/72157607228789910/

Freewheelin Rides Again

I remember a t-shirt from when I was in high school that read, "I'm back - by popular demand." Well, if a bikesharing program could wear a tshirt, THAT is the one that freewheelin would be wearing today.

Kicked off brilliantly by Tony Tomazic (see video above - Haiku is the ONLY medium that could have so efectively described the attributes of bikesharing), we're ready to take the Idea Festival by storm. For those of you who don't know, the Idea Festival is a global forum for innovators to come together and share ideas. Hopefully, really good ones. And certainly, ideas that will improve due to riding a free, brand-new bike around town.

As usual, the "way to go bloggin' crew" will be out and about, blogging, twittering and talking to people, so stay tuned. And if you're NOT lucky enough to be in Louisville this week, you can get a great sense of the experience through our live webcams . . . the ultimate in reality TV, brought to you all week at the Freewheelin Community page.

And don't forget . . . if you've experienced freewheelin in Louisville, Denver or Minneapolis/St. Paul, please share that experience with the community . . . we're collecting stories, pictures and videos at our flickr page (just click the linked button on the right . . . or follow this link if you're really lazy).

Making Moves

Things have been pretty exciting here in the innovation center. We're gearing up for Freewheelin 2.0. Freewheelin is coming to Louisville, KY for the 2008 IdeaFest. We're going to have over 300 bikes out in four stations for the entire community to enjoy! Just show up to the tent, register, and enjoy your free ride.

To kick off the event Louisville's Mayor Mayor Abramson joined Humana Chairman David A. Jones Jr. in welcoming bikesharing to the Possibility City at a press conference held in front of the Humana Building. The kind words were followed by a nice, breezy ride around the block. I have a good feeling about this week. Enjoy the video, made with a flip video camcorder. Warning, its really shake-full.




In other news: As the social media team, Greg and I are in charge of telling the story of our success bringing the networks of the internet news of freewheelin and enjoying the outpouring of support from bloggers, tweeters, facebookers and more. We're in stage one of making this movie (which will of course be posted here when its done), but we met with the production team and refined our script this morning. Here is part one of our adventure.



UPDATE: People are blogging about freewheelin already: http://www.consuminglouisville.com/2008/09/free-bikes-to-ride-downtown-du.php
Probably because of the news: http://www.louisvilleky.gov/BikeLouisville/News/2008/09-22-08-freewheelin.htm

And Lastly, Greg's perspective of the Freewheelin Louisville Kickoff

Fan Film Slide Show

Some awesome fan out there decided to make a slide show video and sent it our way. You can click through to watch in high quality. Please enjoy!

Funny Washington Post Video

I hadn't seen this yet--freewheelin was mentioned in a video by the Washington post, although they didn't identify Bikes Belong or Humana. Still pretty funny though.



Some other great coverage by TheWashCycle: http://www.thewashcycle.com/2008/09/us-freewheeling.html

And a Comprehensive look by Sustainability in Business: http://sustainability.netdirectbusiness.com/?p=76

There are many many many more blog posts about Freewheelin. Look up freewheelin, bikes, bikesharing, biking, DNC, or RNC at Technorati to find more.

From Dusk till Dawn

It’s the last day of Freewheelin at the RNC. Morning sunlight is just beginning to shimmer on the ripples in the fountain of Government Plaza and the first curious wonderers who haven’t tried Freewheelin are passing through our tent. They move like curious children at first—-peeking from behind the pant legs of their doubts, unsure if their money will be taken, skeptical of our motives. Some of them ask us why we’re here, whether our drive is profits and if we really care about biking at all. All of us are ready to answer these questions. Not because we’re prepared with scripted responses or the language of the corporate soap box, but because we know the rush of freedom a two wheeler gives us. We’ve lived and breathed the daily exhilaration possible only from motion not bound by our own two feet.

It’s beautiful in Minneapolis this morning. The sky is shifting from midnight black to a vast, cloudless slate of blue in slow, unnoticeable gradients. The sun floats up to its zenith and encourages a breeze that whips at our faces; cool, not icy, like cream or tapioca. It’s a self-sustaining pudding wind. Riding through the streets in this weather, past parks and rivers, up hills and paths, you really get a sense of your body’s inner function. Your heart beats as you pump; your breathing fills your ears. You’re aware of every nerve and sinew, every bead of sweat forming in pores on your back, and every vessel dilating as your legs scream in protest. When you really push it, you become conscious of each molecule of oxygen filtered through each cell in your blood.

The Freewheelin Ideal is bigger than the betterment of our environment or the improvement of our health. It’s about understanding how human beings have the power to change the world, starting with the way we understand our world. Once we know ourselves we look at the planet through unclouded eyes and recognize the beauty of nature in each blade of grass we've trampled and each budding seed we've passed. We appreciate the distances we cover and the magnificent wonder inherent in that space.

You think all of this understanding can’t come from a bike ride. And you’re right. All of this understanding comes from having an open mind. A free mind. The bike is just a vehicle for you to explore the space around you and experience it with liberated perception. We want to give you a way to feel that breeze on your face and appreciate the fact that you made your body move fast enough to enjoy it.

The sun will soon set on the last Freewheelin tent this Convention will ever see. Why not join us for a ride?

NBC personalities give freewheelin a whirl

Freewheelin's opening day saw lots of interesting things . . . not the least of which were rides from chief white house correspondent David Gregory (pictured here with Bikes Belong Executive Director Tim Blumenthal) and former NBC Nightly News host Tom Brokaw. Mr. Gregory checked his bike out (appropriately) from Government Plaza. Mr. Brokaw was in St. Paul at Upper Landing Park . . . luckily checking his bike out several hours before the station had to be closed due to protests.
That's the thing about freewheelin; you never know what each day will bring!

Freewheelin - On the front page of CNN.com

Check this great post from CNN . . .

Red Cross Recognizes Humana's Efforts

I had the pleasure of meeting Jan McDaniel, the CEO of the Twin Cities Red Cross, yesterday. We talked about freewheelin's plan to donate $10 for every freewheelin mile ridden, which we're both excited about. After some discussion with Jan's communications team, we were able to post our announcement on the twin cities' web site, and have made contact with the national headquarters as well. As of this posting, freewheelin has raised over $40,000 in just over a day for those displaced by Hurricane Gustav . . .

Freewheelin commits donations to support Hurricane Gustav victims

Freewheelin to donate $10 for each mile ridden on a freewheelin bike during the Republican National Convention, September 1-4, 2008

It's amazing how fast the world can change. A few days ago, we were riding high on the strength of our fantastic reception in Denver, where freewheelin riders took over 5,500 rides for over 26,000 miles. Today, our eyes have turned to the gulf coast, where Hurricane Gustav is threatening.

Freewheelin is all about doing good . . . for our bodies, our communities and our planet. And now it's about doing good for those who have already been victimized by Gustav - forced to leave their homes and possessions behind as many gulf coast communities are evacuated.

So we're donating $10 for every mile ridden on a freewheelin bike here in Minneapolis/St. Paul during the RNC. If we can ride as many miles here as we did in Denver, that's going to be a lot of help!

Keep watching this space for other ways to participate . . .

Freewheelin's Triumphant Entry to Minneapolis/St. Paul

Mayor Rybak leads the freewheelin movement into the Twin Cities
Originally uploaded by freewheelinbiker

Mayor R.T. Rybak led a group of 150 bikers into Minneapolis today to celebrate the arrival of freewheelin. There's a friendly competition now underway between the Twin Cities and Denver, which hosted the Democratic National Convention last week.

Back on July 24, 4 US congressmen - Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, James Oberstar of Minnesota, Thomas Petri of Wisconson and Zach Wamp of Tennessee challenged convention delegates to take 10,000 rides covering 25,000 miles . . . a tall order for 8 days! However, Denver rose to the challenge, taking 5,522 rides for 26,493 miles!

That's a high bar to be sure, but Mayor Rybak is seriously committed to bikesharing in the Twin Cities, and will have his citizens ready to roll - literally!

Globe Cartoonist Returns to the Scene

Ward Sutton, the Boston Globe cartoonist who produced our favorite-ever editorial cartoon, visited the Art Museum station again this morning. But this time, he was surprised to see his cartoon blown up and proudly displayed (as it is at ALL of our stations!) Mr. Sutton graciously signed the reproduction, and posed for a picture with the team.
Come back any time, Ward!

The Freewheelin Blog Goes Legit (OK, not really)

Much ado has been made this week about the two-story tent that Google has provided for bloggers at the Democratic National Convention. While 120 bloggers were issued press credentials for access to the convention floor, FAR more than that applied . . . and Google is there to accomodate them. Google's tent at the Alliance Center has become the magnet for new media in Denver. Bloggers with millions of readers are rubbing elbows with those who have dozens . . . but it's still the coolest place to be.

As an amateur in social media, I've had a lot of fun talking to people about what was happening at the Big Tent, as it's lovingly referred to by its denizens. But I never thought that I'd have a chance to enter its hallowed halls (ok, it's a tent - use your imagination). So I was pretty thrilled to have a friend offer me a pass - just for a little while - to go and check things out. I approached the tent with some trepidation, knowing that I didn't really belong there. But the bouncer (there's probably a better word, but they guy reminded me exactly of a bouncer at a club) let me right in.

Right away someone approached me and asked me if I worked for Bikes Belong (I was wearing my Freewheelin shirt). Now I was on the defensive. Was my cover blown? Would I be exposed as a fraud? I told him that I worked for Humana, and he shook my hand eagerly, explaining that he was with an organization called Bike Denver. Bike Denver has been a huge supporter of freewheelin from the beginning, and he just wanted to thank me for bringing the program to Denver. Whew!

When I moved into the tent itself, Google had an area set aside to promote itself, including a YouTube photo booth for bloggers to do instant production and posting of convention videos. But when I entered the real tent, I was pretty surprised at what I saw . . . its pictured above. The only thing this image conjured up for me was a 19th century sweatshop, instead of having sewing machines, the poor souls in these long, uncomfortable rows were hunched over tiny little laptops, blogging away. Kind of amusing that so many people were fighting to get into a place that didn't seem worth getting into! It's all about the cool factor . . .

Freewheelin Video posted to YouTube

The hits just keep on coming. Fireside Production, a Denver-based production company, showed up unannounced at our Museum station yesterday and asked if they could do some filming. Being shameless publicity hounds, we said, "well, all right - if you must." They did . . . and the results are terrific.

It turns out that there are a lot of people for whom our message about health and sustainability really resonates. If people are wondering what the heck a health company is doing running a bicycle program, send them this video!

We've been Cartooned!

Image Courtesy of the Boston Globe


This is truly a great day for Freewheelin. Today the Boston Globe published a sensational new cartoon in their Opinion section within the "Drawing Denver" series. Day One, "It Ain't Easy Bein' Green". It certainly isn't easy to be green--but Freewheelin seems to have risen to the occasion in an admirable and newspaper worthy fashion. Their comic is a thank you to us--and we thank you right back Boston Globe, for helping us spread the word on Freewheelin. We'll be around till the end of the DNC and then we're heading up north to the RNC to share our dreams of a greener tomorrow with the Twin Cities. In the meantime, enjoy this example of fantastic, relevant, timely journalism.

Matthew Modine visits Freewheelin

Actor Matthew Modine ("Full Metal Jacket") paid a visit to freewheelin this morning. The well-known actor and activist is in town promoting Bicycle For A Day - a group that "supports organizations that restore and protect our environment and make biking safer and more accessible for everyone." Modine, who was accompanied by a documentary filmmaking crew, spent about an hour at Freewheelin's main station on 14th and Stout. During that time, he went through the bike check-out process, chatted with Humana and Bikes Belong volunteers, and toured Humana's automated CycleStation with Nate Kvamme.
Modine will be using his freewheelin bike to lead a large ride this afternoon in support of Bicycle For A Day . . . and may be joined by other freewheelers. Check our our Flickr photostream for some more great shots.

My Platte River Ride

My Platte River Ride
Originally uploaded by freewheelinbiker

I figured that I wouldn't be much of a freewheeler if I didn't take a ride myself. After getting some of the nearby stations up and running with webcams and photo uploads, I headed back to our main station at 14th and Stout.

Grant Harrison had just arrived in Denver, so we decided to go out to Platte and 16th street - the most distant station from downtown (see this map for details - I love this map)..

We rode around the convention center, past the Arts Center and Sculpture Park, down to the Cherry Creek bike path. For those of you who haven't been to Denver, this path is a gorgeous stream that runs through the heart of the city, with a pedestrian path on one side and a bike/rollerblade path on the other.

I had checked out a new Raleigh cruiser to ride, but wasn't comfortable with my inability to shift. So we stopped by the station closest to the Pepsi Center - 14th and Wynkoop (that's pronounced WINEkoop for the novice) and got myself fitted for a Giant 21-speed. SWEET! We continued on, enjoying all of the convention activities around . . . protests, marches, bands playing and people just generally having a good time. Except for the protesters. They seemed as if something was bothering them. [editorial note: I know that people who care enough about an issue to come to Denver and talk about it deserve to be taken seriously. But they do tend to run together after a while]

When we reached Confluence Park, we ramped up out of the bike path and found ourselves in the shadow of the legendary REI building. The park and the bridges crossing it were gorgeous . . . enough so that I stopped for a picture (in spite of the hundreds I've taken today, this may be the only one taken of me!)

A few blocks up, we reached our bikestation at 16th and Platte. We found their systems to be in order, and the webcam was happily broadcasting away. At that point, they'd just gotten a shipment of new freewheelin water bottles - perfect to fill up and take back for the return trip. It's fun riding through the traffic downtown, but Cherry Creek and Confluence Park take the prize as best rides in Denver as far as I'm concerned.

I've spent a lot of time talking to folks who've just gone freewheelin; look for some good podcast materials shortly.
- Greg

The Mayors Ride into Denver

The Mayors Ride into Denver
Originally uploaded by freewheelinbiker

Yesterday morning, the Freewheelin bikesharing program made an auspicious debut. A crowd of about 135 bikers met at freewheelin's warehouse in Denver. Led by Mayor John Hickenlooper of Denver, Mayor R.T. Rybak of Minneapolis, Tim Blumenthal of Bikes Belong and Nate Kvamme of Humana, the procession rode to Sculpture Park, where Mayor Hickenlooper addressed an assembled crowd.
It was a great way to start the week - the bikes were great, the riders were excited, and the mayors couldn't have been more pleased. We're ready to take Denver by storm!

Matt Modine Bike Ride!

We just got word of some celebrity biking action. Read this!


Photo By Dan Avery, Time Out: New York


Actor/activist Matthew Modine (Full Metal Jacket/Weeds/Birdy) and activist/actor Joy Bryant(Antwone Fisher, Bobby, Get Rich or Die Tryin), will lead a bike ride through the DNC this coming Tuesday. Modine, founder of Bicycle For A Day, "gears" up for the first annual Bicycle For A Day event in NY on September 20th (bicycleforaday.org). While at the DNC, he will ride his bike from even to event to promote sustainability and community.

"Together we will inspire individuals, communities, governments, and corporations to take a step towards solving the current environmental issues. There is no argument that man's impact on the environment has put the world in a delicate balance." - Matthew Modine

Join us on your bicycle to talk about what we can do as individuals to reduce carbon emissions that are contributing to global warming.

Change your world and the world will change!

When: TUESDAY AUG 26th
Meet 2:30 Ride at 3pm

Benedict Fountain Park
Corner of 22nd and Tremont

"My Bicycle Is My Best Friend, It Is My Life" - Matthew Modine

Try to be there!