Navigating New Hampshire’s Urban Paths
“We need a new kind of politics. Not the politics of governance, but the politics of resistance. The politics of opposition. The politics of joining hands across the world and preventing certain destruction.”
—Arundhati Roy
Hello New Hampshire! Last month’s threat, House Bill 1703, seemed to suffer a setback, but there’s no telling when it may rear its head again, possibly in some revised form. It deserves discussion.
A Big NO to $50 per Bike
Here is what New Hampshire citizens thought of this bill:
The hearing for House Bill 1703 was held on Thursday, January 22, 2026, at 11:30 at One Granite Place in Concord. I watched the hearing from home, as most House and Senate public hearings are streamed live. Later that evening I looked at on-line commentary. As of that time, 13,869 people had registered their position on the bill on-line. Later a few more added their on-line testimony, taking the count up over 14,000. News of this bill was reported in the Boston Globe and media in other states and outside New England.
A few observations based on the on-line testimonies….
– Opinions came came in from 29 states.
– ALL positions from outside NH were OPPOSE.
– From any state outside New England, fewer than 10 people weighed in, except New York. From New England or New York the counts of people testifying on-line were:
- NY – 15
- RI – 16
- CT – 25
- ME – 45
- VT – 74
- MA – 247
- NH – 13,485
The online testimonials from NH total almost 1% of the entire state population. (0.96% to be precise.) Of those:
- 37 supported the bill,
- 5 were neutral,
- 13,443 opposed.
That’s a pretty massive opposition.
Fifty people uploaded a PDF explaining their position. Over nine thousand (9,039) people left textual commentary to accompany their position of either OPPOSE, SUPPORT, or NEUTRAL. Analysis of those 9,039 messages is revealing.
- Some were big supporters of cycling, hiking, and other outdoor activity.
- Some were opponents of increased taxation.
- A tiny few supported the bill.
Analysis of words used in the responses produced the chart shown at the beginning of this article, where font size reflects how often the word was used in responses. I believe the chart aligns well with the spoken testimony delivered in person in the hearing.
A Six-Day Race in Berlin (the OTHER Berlin)
They call in a Six-Day Race, but it’s really only three. What? I’ll explain….
A friend visiting Berlin Germany recently attended one of these races, and she sent me a few pictures. This led me to ask, “What’t a six-day bike race?” So off I went down the internet rabbit-hole. Here’s what I learned.
A so-called Six-Day Race is a team event, held indoors on a smooth oval track, typically with six evenings in a row of racing, from 6pm to 2am. The team that completes the most laps in that total time period is the victor.
These events began in Britain in the late 1800’s, and spread all over the world, including the US, where for a time they were popular enough to be held in Madison Square Garden. Their popularity in the US declined in the late 30’s. In 1938 ice skater Sonja Henie was booked in Madison Square Garden over the period previously used for a six-day race. Annual six-day races were canceled in Boston in 1933, in Detroit in 1936, in Chicago in 1958.
Early versions of these races were true 24-hour events. Over time the races were limited by various concerns, one being the health of the riders, another being the cost of keeping a venue open for 24 hours, six days in a row.
Today the 24-hour six-day nature has been significantly relaxed, such that many so-called “Six-Day Races” are actually only two or three days, held over a weekend. The Berlin event my friend attended was Friday through Sunday. But it certainly sounded like fun. From their description (translation from German courtesy of Google):
“Exciting races, thrilling atmosphere, and great sporting moments: At the Sixdays Weekend at Berlin’s Velodrome, you can experience world-class track cycling up close. International stars and young talents compete against each other in fast-paced sprint and endurance races – including the spectacular Madison race with its unique hand-sling technique.
“But the event is more than just sport: musical acts, light shows, acrobatics, and culinary classics like currywurst and cocktails make the weekend a true Berlin highlight. Inside the venue, you get especially close to the athletes – including a behind-the-scenes look.
“For over 100 years, the Berlin Six-Day Race has captivated audiences with tradition, action, and atmosphere. Get your tickets now and be there live!”
FYI, my friend tried a currywurst and she found it disgusting. Me, I remain curious, I’ve never had one.
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Stay safe and have fun out there!
Note: The author is a member of the board of the Bike Walk Alliance of New Hampshire, but the views expressed in this article are his own.