Ryan Scofield is a name you might have seen pop up in social media and on the blogosphere this week. His GoPro video of this, his third time being pulled over by an officer for cycling in the middle of the lane for his own legitimate safety, has sparked a flurry of discussion.
For reference, click here to view discussions between Ryan and the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, which has now offered to speak with him to discuss the issues at hand.
Ryan’s story is both a fascinating and inspiring one. When Ryan started cycling, he weighed in at 315 lbs. A year and a half later after selling his car and dedicating himself to using his bike for transportation, he is down a whopping 95 pounds to weigh in at 220! To say that cycling has been transformational in his life would be an understatement.
Ryan and his wife Kara still own a minivan to cart groceries around or in the case of emergencies. Ryan says the most he can carry on his bicycle are two bags of groceries but that he would like to get a cargo bike capable of carrying a passenger and/or cargo. Ryan, along with his wife Kara, now eat a vegan diet. Kara is immensely proud of his accomplishments.
Ryan has found that it is much easier to avoid drive-thru and other convenience foods without a car. “After a while, I just stopped craving it” he said. Cycling has also provided him with incredible stress relief, energy and stamina. The minimum 22 miles of commuting he does daily gives him the time to contemplate and de-stress from his day.
Ryan was born in Ann Arbor, MI and grew up in the Detroit area before moving to North Naples in 1999, eventually settling in Bonita Springs. He met his wife Kara, originally from Texas, in 2005 and they married in 2008.
Why get it on camera?
Ryan decided to use GoPro cameras on his bike after having experienced several incidents with aggressive motorists. He also began researching safe cycling on http://cyclingsavvy.org/. Here, he learned how to prevent accidents from ever happening. By positioning himself in certain places, he is able to eliminate right hooks, left hooks, in-lane passing, and most other common crash causes. He plans to enroll in the Cycling Savvy program in the near future.
If you think about passing a slow moving vehicle, you must wait for the right moment to pass safely into the oncoming traffic lane. When passing a cyclist, many people do not wait for the appropriate time, passing too closely and endangering lives.
Cyclists need to act as great “spokespeople” and obey the rules of the road as well. The temperature is red hot right now. Tempers, distracted driving, and reckless driving have been in the news at an alarming rate, causing many injuries and deaths to cyclists in our area.
Lives at Stake
Ryan says that he usually prefers not to “rock the boat” or “start any drama”, but in this case, lives are at stake and something has to be done. After the incident with the officer, depicted above, he told his wife, “I think a lot of people are going to share this video.” It is a classic case of what many cyclists have had to deal with for a long time. Since then, there has been a tremendous outpouring of support. Great information has been shared starting lots of dialogue. He has found out what a truly great community we live in.
Ryan prefers to wear a reflective vest, and has two flashing lights for safety, in addition to his helmet, while riding early in the morning to his Crossfit class or work. He never ventures out during the 11PM to 2AM time frame when drunk drivers are more likely to be on the roads.
Recently, Ryan began easing into running and bought a great pair of shoes at Fit2Run, Coconut Point. He has a strict sensibility about being ethically conscious, even when it comes to shoes. Fit2Run was able to meet his special requests with a pair of vegan shoes from Brooks. They fit Ryan using a treadmill gait analysis. He loves them! I think we just might see Ryan at the bike valet, having ridden in from Bonita, for his first Gobble Gobble this year.
As motorists and cyclists out there, lets all agree to obey the rules of the road. An extra 20 seconds can make the difference in someone’s life, your life, forever. These are your friends and neighbors out there.