I have two bikes that I love to ride. I had a Raleigh 10-speed road bike when I was a teen, but these days I like my bikes pretty and comfortable to ride. When we moved to Greenville, SC in 2009, I went from flat riding with primarily nearby destinations to hilly riding with my usual destinations over 5 … Read more
Dad and I didn’t often see eye-to-eye, but I’ll always remember his being there when I rode my bike without training wheels for the first time. Such a classic childhood moment when you first feel that sense of mastery and independence. Riding my bike would become a happy place throughout my childhood and into my teen years. The love affair would fade and return at different times of my life.
You may have heard the term bike-friendly which is used by the League of American Bicyclists in official designations for states, communities, businesses or universities. The new advocacy group we have started here in Greenville, Bike Walk Greenville, is working to make our county both more bike- and pedestrian-friendly.
When it comes to biking around town, I like to bike friendly – meaning I smile and wave a lot. This is actually a conscious decision on my part. I was your typical urban citizen used to rushing through my day without much interaction with those around me. Moving to Greenville, SC I had to get used to how friendly everyone was. It brought back the memory of being in the car with my dad after he moved back to Laurens, SC (he grew up in the area). I was sinking in my seat embarrassed by his waving at everyone we passed by driving down the road. I thought he’d lost his mind in his old age. Now I think back with much kinder thoughts. I’ve come to appreciate the friendliness. So as I ride my bike around town I make a point of smiling and waving, remembering Dad’s example.
Sure, we aren’t having days full of blue skies and gorgeous color but I’m thrilled to be out on my bike with minimal effort to keep warm. Snuggly jacket, wool socks, fuzzy cap under my helmet. Only thing I’m missing is a nice pair of chic winter cycling gloves. Much to my frustration I haven’t found any I like yet. My hands weren’t too cold today though especially after my uphill efforts really got my blood pumping.
I like to exercise outside and enjoy the sights along the way. When I ride with my husband he shouts out practical warnings – like glass in the road – while I shout out “squirrel!” He manages to bike with me for a short distance and then heads on down the road for his “real” time on the bike. We both love riding a bike, but come from different cycling universes. He is a competitive road cyclist and I’m a commuter/recreational cyclist. I bike to get places and for the joy of it. He gets down to the serious business of training for competition. I have no desire to compete, but I do enjoy cheering him on – and my women friends who race!
One of the benefits of getting older is realizing that you’ve been trying to live up to someone else’s standards and that you prefer your own. I used to have a different picture of what fitness looked like. Competitive sports or intense bouts of suffering at a gym have been the primary images coming to my mind when thinking about exercise. We see them all the time and equate them with “doing the right thing” for our health.
I have always loved riding my bike. When I was a kid I even went to a summer camp that spent the second week on a bike trip. When I was a transportation planning intern at the SoCal Assoc. of Governments, I rode my bike to the Long Beach Bikestation and then hopped on the train to Los Angeles. Since we moved to Greenville I’ve been itching to get back to commuting by bike so it was part of the plan in our recent decision to downsize to having one car.
The neighborhood around us is so hilly, I decided the best commuting machine for me is an electric-assist bike from Pedego (Pedego Step-Through Cruiser Black with Black Rims).