It’s as easy as riding a bike….

One of my first experiences on two wheels left me with a two-pronged scar on my left eyebrow and a horrified father. Luckily, it was only my first concussion, and no real harm was done. Luckily, it was only my first concussion and no re….wait, did I just say that? Anyway…just as any child has ridden (and fallen off of) a bike, so does every adult retain that feeling of childhood abandon; of hopping on a bicycle with shoes untied, racing up a hill, butt off the seat, pedaling as fast as you can to catch the ice cream truck or out-ride the bully or, in my case, both (and not necessarily in that order).

More so than the mere mechanics that the old adage suggests, we also never forget the marvelous sensation, the liberating and uncomplicated feeling of sitting on a bicycle and making yourself…move! If you haven’t ridden a bicycle in years, try getting on one and seeing how long it takes for you to smile and laugh and beam! Thirty seconds tops!

It took me one ride to realize I simply had to have a bike again, and buying one in Chicago was one of the best decisions I’ve made on tour (that, and sending my blow-up yoga ball back to PA….that was so unnecessary to lug around in my trunk). Having my bike has unleashed an entire world of opportunities that I never would have known, a whole new perspective on cities that I could not have seen by driving or even walking around, and a different respect for people who live their lives riding back and forth, saving gas and buying only one bag full of groceries at a time.

Most of my favorite days on tour have involved a multi-hour bike ride or, at least, a two-wheeled trip to somewhere “exotic” or new.Riding around town and running errands forces me to be a more active person, it wakes me up and keeps me sharp, and it tests my budding sense of compassion for all human beings; crazy, inattentive, disrespectful driver or not. Tasks in that middle ground that would seem daunting to walk but annoying to drive come as a delight, while trips one would only consider driving come as a challenge. A ride home from work at night allows me a new way to unwind, and there’s nothing quite like getting caught in the rain and being able to do nothing but pedal, laugh, and sing.

It’s a liberating feeling to be behind the…er…handle bars, just to know that you can go this way or that, stop and go at your leisure, pedal hard or coast, glide along and enjoy the sights. Somehow, the wind in your face transcends time and space; it can’t simply be from the road in front of you, but is somehow coming from years ago when you were riding a bike to keep up with the rest of the kids in the pack, get home so you weren’t late for dinner, or when you rode just to ride. It’s nice to get that feeling again, when picking up and going was, well, as easy as riding a bike. Some things we never do forget. And perhaps shouldn’t.

(and I always wear my helmet, mom)