This post originally appeared in the blog, 30 Days of Biking, on April 1. I’m popping it up on BC in its entirety for posterity’s sake. Also because I’m lazy today.
Why do I ride?
That’s like asking me why I breathe.
Riding a bike is part of who I am. I’m a cyclist, as well as husband, father, uncle, brother and friend. I started cycling early in life with a Huffy, complete with banana seat and sissy bar. I later progressed to a coveted Schwinn newspaper bike with kick-back hub before reaching a holy grail of sorts in college in the 1980s with my first Bianchi in the glorious bluish green hue of Celeste #227. That road bike cost me an extra year in studies. I missed many a biology lab in lieu of epic rides away from “the city.” On a bicycle, I was free to unlock my mind and explore far beyond that which I could read in books or hear in lectures. Today, I alternate between two road bikes and a mountain bike, each loved equally and rotated by season or situation. And I keep exploring.
Riding a bike is both an individual experience and shared passion of many at so many levels. It connects us. It teaches us and introduces us to new people and new ideas. Its meaning is revealed to us through a variety of ways. The falling rain. Under a hot summer sun. Even against sideways blowing snow (yes, Southern California mountains get snowfall above 4,000 feet elevation, and we do ride in it). What I find amazing about cycling is that the more you ride, the more you’re reminded how the simple act of powering yourself places on two wheels trumps so much of what passes today for a thrill. Like navigating Interstate highways in the “Ultimate Driving Machine.” Like blasting urban pedestrians with the loud open throttle of a straight-exhaust-piped motorcycle. Like going off road and into nature in a Hummer as if you were some type of commando. None of these experiences can compare—in my humble opinion—to a good bike ride of any length, over any terrain, at any time, with anybody. Period. Again, my opinion. Yours can differ. And mileage may vary.
In my life, I’ve been lucky with bicycles. I’ve ridden up the highest paved road in the United States (Mount Evans, in Colorado at 14,200 feet), I’ve sung B.I.N.G.O. while bonking with college friends in the Borrego Desert of Southern California, and I’ve encouraged unfettered sun burning while logging miles in my hometown along the Pacific Ocean. I’ve ridden amid the pines of Bend, Oregon. I’ve climbed the Sierra Nevadas. And I’ve marveled at the barren yet colorful Death Valley. I’ve even shared the road with military tanks on a Marine Corps base (the real commandos). And all from the best possible seat: that of a bicycle.
To ride a bicycle is to be alive, to feel your heart beating in your ears, blood coursing through your temples, celebrating the elements. A cold wind may brace your face. A withering heat might destroy your resolve to go far. And a 100-year rainstorm may drown your enthusiasm. But only momentarily, for a day or two, maximum. That’s right. The ride’s the thing. Being on a bike is that dayum good. You’ll ride under almost any circumstances because you love it. It’s part of your persona. It makes you happy. It gives you peace. It’s right with the world. That’s why I ride.
Related posts:
- Fear is a funny thing Are you afraid? Why? Start living. Pursue dreams. Don’t make excuses. If you fail, get up. Try again. Do better. Be smarter next time. Anything rewarding and real requires effort. No one said it would be easy or 100-percent safe. Riding a bike has its risks. You might crash. Or suffer...
- Bike friends Bike friends. They’re invaluable. You may not always realize it. But without them, you’re a single rider, exposed to the elements and all the road can bring, both good and bad. Bike friends can make a ride at least twice as good as you thought possible — no matter the route...
- Bike vs. office It’s really not a fair fight. The bike triumphs on so many levels: physical invigoration, sun, wind, rain, chill, warmth, mobility, endorphins. The office, however, is a critical fact of life: income, eating, mortgage, intellectual rigor, retirement and college savings, quarterly earnings to the Street, innovation, technology, growth. I’d be lying...
- PDX: Bike Town Love bikes? Tunnels of green? Rolling hills, open roads and scenes that an artist couldn’t paint any better? Then Portland is your kind of town. In three quick days, I had a chance to sample just a little bit of what Portland offers. I wish I had more time. Portland...
- Truest bike love If you have not yet seen The Ride Journal, I suggest you check it out. The UK-based project is a labor of love that provides a glimpse in bicycles and the lifestyle that you won’t find on Velo News, Cycling News or Bicycling magazine. I had a chance to do...
