Streetfilms: Michael Musto, Il Ciclista Dolce

Village Voice entertainment columnist Michael Musto has been riding a bike in New York City for more than 25 years, long before it was fashionable or we had bike lanes and cycletracks.

Musto has never had a driver’s license, and he tells us the bicycle is an advantage in his profession. Although he’s had his share of bikes stolen (he recommends buying a used, cheap bike), he has nothing but positivity and praise for the velocipede:

I go everywhere on my bicycle. I go to work. I’ll go to my screenings, my Broadway shows, my nightclubs — and I’ll ride it for recreation too, to Central Park… there’s no downside that I can think of.

Incidentally, this is my second interview with Musto. The first came in 1999, when I was a volunteer at Transportation Alternatives. Musto was TA magazine’s Cyclist of the Month, a feature that I got to write!