Walking through a large shopping store the other day (ok, it was Target), I hear a young child clamouring to their parent in the sports section, "This one, Mom...I like this bike!!" Ah, the sound of a young Paduwan cycling student anxious to take possession of their first velocipede steed---brings tears to me eyes (spoken in ol' Gaelic tones)! The amused mom, however, deflated that moment for me--and most likely for the child as well--with the response, "Ok, we'll let Santa know you want that toy for Christmas." Uh, wait....TOY ?
One of the many awesome and beautiful characteristics of the bike is it's not just simply a toy and not just simply an exercise machine; the bike is also a transporting vehicle, one to take you from places of exploration and discovery to solitude and self-reflection. Renown cycling author Bill Strickland writes, "When you're young, the bike helps you discover the world past the sidewalk, beyond the next block, and off onto the horizon; even after you're all grown up, the bike will still be young, begging you to find out what's around that next corner." How inviting to consider my bike begs me to seek out adventure---what a great thought! Nonetheless, as we age and become more accustomed to regularly "adulting" activities of attending to a job, establishing a residence and family, and finding a neighborhood to call "home", the bike also becomes a vehicle for exploring your own backyard, a potential wonderland filled with things you might miss in the quest of finding the horizon...
I've explored a few horizons in my cycling lifetime---have you? I've ridden many of the by-ways of Northern Virginia through dense oak and ash tree-line backroads, paved and graveled, leading out into lush farm lands marked by wood railed fences or natural evergreen thickets clearly delineating property boundaries; I've ridden the cross-connecting pathways of Deal Island on the Maryland Eastern Shore, a stone's throw from the Virginia State line, venturing through the densely wooded areas of the broad, flatland marshes of an established state wildlife management area within a community holding a 400+year old heritage.
I've ridden the beautiful backroads of France, meandering down incredible valley paths no wider than a car's width and ascended notable Alps and Pyrennes by-ways climbing high into the sky, the spirits of past velo legends echoing the calls of "Allez! Allez! Allez!" with each turnover of the cranks. I've joined 10,000K+ other cyclists venturing across the state of Iowa for the annual RAGBRAI event, now in its 48th year of existence, where a collective community of cycling enthusiasts participate in daily dawn-till-dusk "rolling county fair" like ride adventures surrounded by thousands of cycling compatriots. I've ridden 150+ mile epic rides which started out simply as a 40 or 60 mi ride exploring a new route only to get lost along the way--sometimes intentionally--resulting in memorable reflections and noteworthy moments with dear friends. I've ridden to the static noise generated by my rollers or static trainer while streaming a favorite film or viewing cycling races of yesteryear on YouTube, the white noise of the spinning wheels casting aside all awareness of time & space. And at times in the late evening when home activities have made their final turn for the day's closure, I'll take a quiet moment just to sit on my bike or stride the top-tube, resting my forearms on the hand bars and reminisce of ride adventures past and envision ciclista escapades of the future...
I deeply treasure and am grateful for every cycling adventure, be them far-flung or short-drawn, throughout my life, even those which seemed boring---often, these become some of the best of all! The bike has ushered me into introductions of warm experiences from foreign worlds which would otherwise be distant--if occurring at all--from behind the wheel or the seat of a car. Nevertheless, the favorite rides of my route library originate right at my back door---the AF Academy loop or Woodmoor Hills circlet or Palmer Lake circle along the Rocky Mountain Front Range foothills in Colorado Springs, CO, each holding a vast mixture of juvenile rolling hills and leg-busting climbs, their twisting and interwoven paths teaching me just as much about myself as they do about efficient riding....as so many of these library entries do. Cyclists will always desire new adventure, whether fresh routes & trails or strange and unknown destinations; but we also need a home, a course we know deeply well as much as we know ourselves, as if a friend waiting patiently who calls for us to come out to play...
I hope your next adventure--cycling or otherwise--proves to be rewarding, renewing, and remarkable...don't forget to share it with those you treasure and love. :-)
#EnjoyTheRide #NowNotTomorrow #LifeShapings
