Kansas City duo bicycle to Capitol Day February 1st

Two bicycle advocates from Kansas City are planning to ride to Jefferson City the last weekend in January as part of the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation's Capitol Day. Brian Gallmeyer and Corinna West will be making the 162 mile trip for the second year in a row without using any motorized transportation.

The pair are riding their bicycles from Kansas City, MO to Jefferson City, MO to advocate for better transportation choices in the state of Missouri. They want to show that bicycling for transportation is actually much more in reach than many Americans realize.

They will be be leaving on Saturday, January 29, at 3 pm from YJ's Snack Bar at 128 W. 18^th Street, in Kansas City, Missouri. They will be escorted out of town by the Explore the Urban Core ride, a group of plain clothes bicycle commuters, urban riders, stunt mountain bikers, and adventurers.

The pair issued a press release with this information:

According to the League of American Bicyclists, 50% of Americans live within five miles of work. Forty percent of all trips taken by people are less than two miles, with 28% under a mile, which is well within reach for many bicyclists and pedestrians. “It's better to make a trip like this by bicycle,” says Gallmeyer. “That way you can see more scenery and have more interactions along the way. People are more willing to talk to and help people on bicycles.” 

The pair have made a practice of long trips for bicycle transportation. Their most recent journey was riding from Memphis to Kansas City in five days after Thanksgiving last year. Most of the trips are for work conferences in which Ms. West is a presenter. She owns her own business, Wellness Wordworks, with a mission to share how people can recover so that mental illness is a positive and temporary part of people's lives.  She also uses the bicycle riding to spread the word about the importance of linking physical wellness with mental wellness.

Because of the huge budget cuts facing the mental health system, finding accessible community based wellness tools is becoming more essential for people who struggle with extreme emotional experiences. West also organizes a program called Poetry for Personal Power, which uses a rolling bicycle based health fair display booth to share ideas and gather stories about people overcoming adversity by using exercise, mindfulness, spirituality, meditation, and of course, poetry. Bicycling can be a powerful boost to mental health.

Cycling and walking for transportation reduces stress, improves obesity, and also puts people more in touch with their local communities.  According to the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation, 31% of the Missouri population doesn't have a driver license, and 8.2% of the households in Missouri are zero car households. “Transportation is often one of the biggest hurdles for people with disabilities,” says West.

More about Bicycle and Pedestrian Day at the Capitol: http://MoBikeFed.org/CapitolDay

Wellness Wordworks offers spoken word poetry and motivational speaking performances showing mental illness as a temporary and positive experience in people's lives. Creating collaborative programs to guide people through adversities using increased community connections.

 

Contact: Corinna West

www.corinnawest.com, poetryforpersonalpower.com

corinnawest816@gmail.com

816-392-6074