Josh Rosso: Leaving the Car in the Dust

Josh, getting ready for a snowy ride to work.

Josh Rosso lost his car keys.

Then his license plates expired.

Not that he was using his car too much before that happened, but Josh has made his mind up to leave his car sitting exactly where it is, and use his bike to get literally everywhere he needs to go.

That bike is almost a point of contention among a few different people though. The bike itself is super slick and efficient, it’s a fixed gear Fuji Track Pro, black and red, and looks super stylie. The problem that some people (such as Josh’s mom, and a few friends of his) have is that Josh rides this bike without any brakes, and also without any toe clips. If you think this is crazy, you’re kind of right...he might be one of three people I know who ride a fixed gear without at least an emergency brake. But that’s the way he likes it, that’s how he’s comfortable, and that’s how he gets from point A to point B as fast as his very strong calves can get him. I will say though, to Josh’s sanity, I’ve never seen him ride without a helmet.

I had the distinct pleasure of “racing” (using that term lightly, as I was just nearby when this started) Josh and his roommate Lenny up the east side of the Detroit/Superior bridge during a Cleveland Critical Mass ride over the summer. I thought I might be holding my own until about a third of the way up the bridge, when Josh’s crazy sprinting speed powered he and his Fuji well beyond my reach. Josh is hardcore.

But let’s get back to Josh not using his car. He lives in Lakewood, but works at Crocker Park. That means he does at least 14 miles a day round trip, no matter what the weather. We’ve had a mild winter so far, but just this morning I ran into Josh about to ride to work in some brutally cold and slushy conditions. He was ready.

Just to prove that Josh hasn’t slipped yet up to this point, when I asked him if there is a bus that can take him to work, he couldn’t answer me...he doesn’t know because he hasn’t not ridden his bike yet.

Josh not only uses the Fuji to get him to where he needs to go, he also estimates that about a third of his free time is also spent riding his bike, whether it’s a valley ride, a ride to meet up with friends, or a quick little jaunt out to Cleveland Heights for breakfast. I’m not kidding.

He started riding regularly in high school, when he was living in Avon. While Josh’s main concern for cyclists is mutual respect between drivers and bikers alike, he did say that Lakewood is distinctly ahead of many other local cities when it comes to safety. Drivers seem much more aware here, cyclists tend to obey the rules of the road more often than not.  Bottom line, for all of the cities Josh rides in, he feels the most comfortable in Lakewood. While there’s always room for improvement, it makes me happy to hear an avid cyclist compliment our city so well. After all, Josh is also part of that improvement, simply by being out there every day.

Josh’s dream job is to be a bike messenger, and he’s excited to see the possibility of that career path becoming more fruitful as more people (especially in Cleveland) start to use that service again. Maybe one day we’ll even have bike messengers in Lakewood! And believe me, Josh will be the first on the list.

Always with a big grin on his face, even after riding 15 miles through sludge and freezing temperatures, Josh is an absolute pleasure to get to know. He’s a fantastic asset to both the cycling community, as well as Lakewood as a whole.