Bike It BR

If you’ve been paying attention since the start of the pandemic,
you might have noticed a lot more people riding bikes than usual.
Indeed, with folks stuck at home, and many activities off limits
during COVID-necessitated shutdowns, a lot of folks got back to
doing one for the things that wasn’t forbidden and was actually
fun : riding a bike. By one estimate, cycling in urban areas was
up at least 25% in the first half of 2020, while trail riding
increased 100%. Stores that sell bikes and cycling gear, still
have waiting lists and backlogs. It’s a a good time to be in the
bike business.


James Newkirk is operations manager of Ride Gotcha by Bolt, an
app-based electric bicycle rental company, that began operating
in 2019 and has 500 GPS-enabled e-bikes and 50 mobility hubs
across Baton Rouge.


The local Baton Rouge operation is part of a national company,
Gotcha, which operates its app-based mobile bike rental service
in 25 states and over 50 cities.


James is something of a natural to be heading the local service.
He’s a native of Baton Rouge and has worked in bicycle shops and
raced bicycles for most of his life. He also was a volunteer for
the non-profit Front Yard Bikes, which we featured on this show a
few months ago, and he managed the Front Yard Bikes shop before
joining Gotcha in 2019. 


Chuck Daniel is owner of Geaux Ride, a local company that rents
glow-in-the-dark bicycles for nightly bike rides and bike tours
of downtown Baton Rouge. The tours are a great way to get out and
see the city and stay in shape and they're popular with groups
looking for themed parties and events. 


Out to Lunch Baton Rouge is recorded live over lunch at Mansurs
on the Boulevard. You can find photos from this show by Chris
Tricou at our website.


 


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