Bike story
A personal history on-road, off-road, uphill and back down.
Several years ago, while in a New York bike shop eyeing the latest in arcane gadgets, I struck up a conversation with a woman who seemed to share my interests. It turned out that she was 67 years old and still an avid cyclist. So I asked her out of curiosity why she rode. After a moment of reflection, she looked at me, smiled broadly and said, “it gave me my first taste of freedom.”
Hooked at an early age
Like many kids, I rode my bike all the time and everywhere. For the most part it was a transportation alternative. Things became a bit different when, in the fourth grade, I got a paper route. In addition to the extra cash (which didn’t hurt), riding became an escape; my daily tour of the surrounding neighborhood became an opportunity to indulge in fantastic adventures; I was transported much farther in my forty-five minute treks than seemed possible.
More than a recreational habit
Years later, though I had become a professional graphic designer, I decided it would be a kick to become an amateur bicycle racer. In New York City no less.
My discoveries included:
– taxi cabs notwithstanding, training in Manhattan is not as impossible as you might think,
– the George Washington bridge is really, really hard, and,
– sunrise as seen from the Brooklyn Bridge on the way to a bicycle race in Prospect Park at 5:00am Sunday morning is awe inspiring.
I also met a very unusual cross section of the New York population who, if we could agree on nothing else, all thought that riding is the stuff life is made of.
I can stop anytime I want
These days, my rides have less of a fantasy component than my paper route rides, but the sense of liberation is just as real. And though I ride far fewer miles now than in my racing days, I still make time to ride regularly. I’m out on the local roads (or trails) several times a week. Much to my wife’s chagrin, I often to drag one of the bikes with me when we go on vacation. And, when possible, I ride with my friends or others who are true believers.
I tend to look for friends out on the road. Hopefully, I’ll see you there.
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