Guy Still

It’s been four years since the announcement of plans for a new velodrome and bicycle center in northeast Minneapolis: It was an ambitious project, even for one of the most bicycle friendly cities in the nation, but it sure sounded cool. Fast-forward to today. The project remains a vision, but one that a dedicated group of individuals hope to see through to fruition. Jason Lardy, president of the Minnesota Cycling Center, is one of those people.

The Twin Cities had its first foray in to bike sharing more than 20 years ago, when the Yellow Bike Coalition was created. The well-intentioned group fixed up and painted donated bikes yellow and left them at public spaces in Saint Paul and, a few years later, Minneapolis. Sadly, the much maligned program folded after bikes continually fell victim to vandals and thieves.

Ward Rubrecht is not your typical cyclist. Armed with two cameras, an air horn, baton and a mirrored face-shield, his cycling kit is more akin to that of an extra in a Neill Blomkamp film, than that of a daily commuter. But, after myriad crashes and close calls the Minneapolis man decided to stop riding defensively and start calling out drivers, both in person and online, when they do something he believes to be illegal, and potentially dangerous to cyclists.