The Matt Emigh Inaugural Bicycle Commute

There are several of us here at NPT that teeter between cycling enthusiasts and casual bike riders. The more adventurous of us even commute. I ride in once or twice a week from Brentwood; producer Will Pedigo cruises in from East Nashville and Tony Keats occasionally rolls in from downtown. Many others have bikes that they take out on the weekends.

Videographer and editor Matt Emigh has been thinking for awhile about joining the bike revolution (bicycle revolution that is, he’s already part of the motorcycle revolution), so when he got a used road bike from his father, Will and I were glad to welcome him. An 11-mile one-way commute from West Nashville can be a bit extreme if you’ve never commuted before, so Will decided we should all meet at his house in East Nashville, in a show of solidarity, for Matt’s inaugural, ceremonial commute. Now, I know Matt driving in from West Nashville and me from Brentwood so that we could “commute” from East Nashville doesn’t sound very green, but this was a “ceremonial commute” that’s eventual impact is sure to outweigh the carbon footprint we left by driving this morning.

Plus, Sweet 16th Bakery is just around the corner from Will’s, which meant some tasty strawberry oat squares to kick the morning off. Tires pumped and helmets on, we left Will’s about 7:20ish, cruising through Shelby Park, taking Davidson Ave to the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge, past the Schermerhorn, up Demonbreun, left on sixth past the Musician’s Hall of Fame and the scary Slaughterhouse theme building (okay, not really scary), over Lafayette, up the decent hill where I stayed behind to support Matt because Will never checked to see how he was doing (nice friend…nice solidarity, Will), right toward the Adventure Science Center, past Fort Knegley, over Chestnut and up through the neighborhoods until we arrived at NPT. A brief 7.3 mile ride, but ceremoniously for Matt, worth so much more.

He did great, even IF he has a cruiser saddle on a road bike. But we won’t hold that against him.

We were going to shoot some Flip video, but Will forgot the camera (nice friend, Will), and all we had was my camera phone, which takes terrible pictures. But I tried anyway. Here’s a little photo essay:

Getting ready. Will Pedigo (Left) and Matt Emigh at the shack in the back of Will\'s house in East Nashville.
Getting ready. Will Pedigo (Left) and Matt Emigh at the shack in the back of Will's house in East Nashville.
This picture is terrible, as Will is blocking Matt. But trust me, he's there. These camera phones are not meant for sports photography. They're riding the incline on the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge, which if you're not paying attention, can catch you off guard. That's my bike on the left.
This picture is terrible, as Will is blocking Matt. But trust me, he's there. These camera phones are not meant for sports photography. They're riding the incline on the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge, which if you're not paying attention, can catch you off guard. That's my bike on the left.
Yay! Matt made it up to the top fo the Shelby Street Bridge. Let's hoist some bikes! Keep in mind that Will's got a cruiser and Matt's bike is made of a combination of lead and steel (I'm assuming). That's some heavy lifting. I love that skyline. It was a beautiful morning.
Yay! Matt made it up to the top of the Shelby Street Bridge. Let's hoist some bikes! Keep in mind that Will's got a cruiser and Matt's bike is made of a combination of lead and steel (I'm assuming). That's some heavy lifting. I love that skyline. It was a beautiful morning.
Sure. They used me to take their pictures, and then they leave me. I harbor know resentment though, and when Matt was huffing and puffing up 6th Avenue after we crossed Lafayette, it was me that hung back with him. Unlike Will, I won't leave you behind, Matt.
Sure. They used me to take their pictures, and then they leave me. I'm resentment retardant though, and when Matt was huffing and puffing up 6th Avenue after we crossed Lafayette, it was me that hung back with him. Unlike Will, I won't leave you behind, Matt.
We arrival at NPT, just in time for Matt to cool down a bit, grab a camera and head out on a Crossroads shoot. He was sweating quite a bit, but I know he felt good. His West Nashville to 161 Rains commute cannot be far behind. Yes, that's a cruiser saddle on his road bike.
We arrive at NPT, just in time for Matt to cool down a bit, grab a camera and head out on a Crossroads shoot. He was sweating quite a bit, but I know he felt good. His West Nashville to 161 Rains commute cannot be far behind. Yes, that's a cruiser saddle on his road bike.

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