As 26 cyclists set off for a leisurely loop through downtown Raleigh this morning, Jim Trogdon was the guy wearing a blue necktie and pinstripe shirt with his bike helmet.
“I usually wear a tie on Fridays, anyway – on ‘casual day,’ I wear a casual tie,” said Trogdon, assistant adjutant general of the N.C. National Guard and chief operating officer for the state Department of Transportation.
“Because of my tight schedule, I decided to bike to work in my duty uniform, but in a casual manner so I do not get too dirty and sweaty on the way in. And it’s perfect weather for that, cool today.”
It was a modest turnout for an event promoting Bike to Work Week. Many of the participants were bike boosters – city and state government and transportation and environmental officials, outdoor retailers, and retired veteran cyclists who still bike but no longer work.
Rebecca Ferres was a new recruit to the world of bicycle commuting.
“I just started yesterday,” said Ferres, 28, after the 15-minute ride around an 18-block circuit. Thursday had been her first day making the 5.75-mile commute from her home to her office on Fayetteville Street, where she works in the city’s stormwater compliance office.
“There’s a lot of reasons why, but I’m poor! I’m trying to save on gas. I need exercise. Environmental reasons. So there’s a hodgepodge of things. I was very scared when I first started, but I’ve gotten used to it.”
Bruce Siceloff reports on traffic and transportation. A News & Observer reporter and editor since 1976, he took over the 
