Commuter Stories: Sean McCue
“One reason I’m a strong advocate of bike commuting is I have two small boys, and I like to think this act of me riding my bike to work, they may see their dad as a steward of the environment or [see] a healthy practice. Just daily acts like that can instill the same mindset for them in the future.”
Sean McCue has been commuting by bike for about four years to his job at the University of Missouri – Kansas City. Before biking to work, Sean’s experience biking was as a recreational rider. At the time, Sean rode a “very undersized women’s road bike. It was a World Sport Classic. It was my wife’s bike when she was a kid. Then I finally got a modest upgrade and have been commuting ever since. My bike commute is 2.4 miles to and from, so it’s just about five miles on a daily basis, which for me is perfect.”
Before bike commuting, Sean was concerned about riding in bad weather. Sean invested in some gear and adjusted to riding in cold or rainy conditions. Now, summer is his least favorite season to ride.
“After a few years of doing it, hot weather is more of a barrier than cold because you can get your blood pumping and feeling good by the time you get to work. Your brain is activated. When it’s hot, you get to work all sweaty and need to bring a change of clothes.”
Sean’s advice for interested commuters: just try it.
“You don’t need a fancy bike. You can go to Revolve KC on Troost, and they’ll hook up with a very reasonably priced used bike. They’ll size it to you and keep in mind what you’re going to be doing with it.”
Sean has hope for the future of bike commuting in the Kansas City region. “Kansas City is not historically a very bike-friendly town. [There’s a] very car-centric culture. But there’s a lot of bike lanes going on, and they’re doing a lot of work in terms of street equity, so I think it’s happening. It’s becoming more and more accessible to folks thinking of dipping their toe in the world of bike commuting.”
Watch more commuter stories on the MARC YouTube channel.
About RideshareKC
RideshareKC is a publicly funded program that provides commuter resources to individuals and employers in the Kansas City metropolitan area — helping to create transportation options for area workers. Established in 1980, the program serves commuters from five counties in Missouri and four counties in Kansas. Learn more at RideshareKC.org.