City bike riding

Why you should do it. 

Biking.

I was raised in a suburban and rural town whereas the riding experience in cities are entirely a new one.

I remember the first time I got on a bike. My father had me sit on the seat and he pushed me down the driveway where I pedaled for my life. My hands grasping onto the handle bars, trembling from fear that I’d fall; my eyes focused on where I was heading and on my balance. Another day, a neighbor friend helped me pull it off again. This time I remember falling and swearing I’d never ride again. I eventually did.

Then came middle school and high school and college when I didn’t ride all that much. I lived in Washington D.C. the last two summers sophomore-junior year and this last summer junior-senior year. The city’s bike share system had me marvel at it. I remember riding the bikes with my brother on my very first night in Washington D.C. before my mother and he would leave the next day. It was a beautiful and breezy night, we rode not too far from my mother and along the Potomac by the Georgetown Waterfront.

That first summer in D.C., I rode the bikes again when two friends from college came over to visit. We had rented them for a hour or so during the day and we loved it. It was hard to put the bikes away at their docks. We later went out to do other things and have dinner. It was when we were walking around afterwards that we remembered our rentals lasted for 24 hours and we couldn’t resist riding through Washington at night. Three friends in a line and strolling through the empty multi-lane District avenues on a summer night, it was just great.

It wasn’t until this summer in D.C. when I actually got a monthly plan to the city’s bike share system. I had my father, who is a competing cyclist, ship me a spare commuter helmet and I got my bike key.

Off I went.

I woke up and grabbed a bike to head downtown to work every morning. I would then ride by the White House on the way back home. I rode to museums and to the National Mall. I rode to protests in the city. I rode across town to Trader Joe’s for some shopping, and yes, then I would struggle to ride the bike back home with my week’s groceries in store. My roommate would think I was crazy.

I saw the sun rise early each and every morning as I rode into work. I got caught in a torrential rain storm just as the skies broke. I rode in nearly 100 degree weather. I rode in a thunder and lightning storm. And pulled over after realizing maybe I shouldn’t go that much further. Whoops.

City bike riding is something different though.

Imagine riding down a narrow bike lane, abiding by vehicles on your left and parked vehicles or pedestrians to your right. All you hear is the breeze hitting your ears and maybe some honking to your left.

You ride by people who have different economic backgrounds, cultures, occupations and political beliefs. You ride by various buildings with all kinds of histories and establishments located in them. You ride by people you know and people you don’t know.

You stop and go.

You also are on a different level regarding your mode of transportation. You are weirdly in the middle. Think of it this way, you’re the cross section in between a vehicle and a pedestrian. The vehicle is above you and you’re sitting, moving along without much work. When you ride a bike next to a vehicle, you start to think of them differently. Like, I don’t understand, people are sitting down and they’re in a box of some kind and it moves by the help of some fuel. It puzzles you when you’re a biker. It’s not as difficult when comparing to pedestrians. You feel confident and ride by them as you go. You’re all in this together, commuting to your end destination.

Biking makes you think. It’s also a must in a city.

Ride.