Bike Week Interview: Andrew Prescott of Urban AdvenTours

What if Paul Revere had ridden a bike instead of a horse? That's sort of the idea behind Urban AdvenTours' historical tours of Boston, conducted by (sometimes) behatted guides who issue their proclamations from the seat of a bike instead of an exhaust-spewing duck. You can tour Fenway, the Charles River, downtown (Back Bay to North End), the Rose Kennedy Greenway, and other areas of Boston by bike with the green- and fitness-minded Urban AdvenTours. Andrew Prescott, a reformed accountant, is Urban AdvenTours' fearless leader. He spoke to us about his biking life and urged us to "keep it wheel." Ha!

How did you get started biking?

I lived on a dead-end street as a kid, at the top of the hill, so I was always seeing how fast I could get down the hill, and up eventually. Later on in life I lived in Copenhagen, and then started riding to work as an accountant in downtown Boston. I needed to get to work quickly!

What inspired you to take the leap from bike rider to bike tour leader?

Again, as an accountant who rode to work in downtown Boston for several years, I eventually smartened up and decided to leave the corrupted 'Enron' world of accounting to do something that I love, and believe in. I love meeting new people and showing them the best of Boston by bicycle.

Favorite bike you've ridden/owned?

I think last year I would have said my Cannondale road bike is my favorite, because it can hang in the front of the pack on the Landry's Tuesday night rides. But this year, I have to admit I'm really enjoying my new, well refurbished, fixed gear. Its nickname is the SS. I'll let you guess what that stands for.

Worst crash you've ever had?

I've been pretty fortunate on the bike crash scene. Sure, I've narrowly escaped a couple cab doors in the North End, but my worst crashes were when i was a kid, flying around town on my bmx, hitting a couple dangerous 'sand pits'. Ouch.

Do you have a favorite biking city? Biking tour (besides your own!)?

Sure, of course Boston is my favorite, and I love some of the hilly California cities like SF and San Diego, but Copenhagen is by far my favorite biking city. Well I take it back, Amsterdam is in a close second. In these cities you are looked at like an odd-ball if you don't have a bike with you on the train, or at home, whereas you are an odd-ball if you do ride in Beantown.

How about a favorite place to ride in Boston?

The Tuesday night Landry's ride is a blast, and fast. We head west through Newton, Wellesley, and some towns I don't get to visit very often.

Biggest biking pet peeve (about drivers, roads, other bikers, pedestrians, whatever...)?

I hate that pedestrians look at you when you are riding through a green light, and they walk out in front of you anyway, like you don't exist. This blows my mind.

I dislike... no... I hate the Boston cab drivers. If they see someone on the side of the road hoping to jump in their gas-guzzler, they just cut right across, never looking for a cyclists or another car!

What is the biggest legislative or other change needed to make it easier for more people to bike, in Boston or elsewhere?

It is very simple. We need more bike racks and bike lanes. As an experienced cyclists, i'm fine riding in the city. However, if we want to convert more folks into cyclists, for recreation and transportation, we need everyone to feel more comfortable riding and parking their bikes in the city!

Disclaimer: Bostonist is not advertising or endorsing Urban AdvenTours in any way. We're just trying to spread a little bicycle love. C'mon, even Menino is into it! And stay tuned for tomorrow, when we talk to Geekhouse Bikes.