Bicycling

“I hadn’t ridden a bike in nearly 15 years before last summer, when I started trying to reteach myself. I’d never learned how to start from a complete standstill, and I was nervous about turning, especially on suburban streets where drivers aren’t used to seeing people riding. I was worried I’d lose my balance and be sprawled out on the pavement, and what if a car comes? At that first class, I was pretty scared. While trying to learn on my own, I actually went flying a couple of times. No real injuries, just the types of scrapes that look nasty, but aren’t. It was pretty exciting to start gliding and get my pedals. The first time I rode in Manhattan, I started on the protected bikeway from the Staten Island Ferry up the West Side along the Hudson River. I was pretty comfortable. Now I usually get around the city by bike because it’s a lot of fun and a lot more relaxing than sitting in traffic. I’m not particularly fast, so when I take a casual ride up the Hudson River Greenway to meet friends, I feel a lot more energized hopping off the bike.”

“The first few days’ cycling to work was, frankly, terrifying. The route I picked wasn’t great and took me along some really busy roads – many with no bike lane separating me from the traffic. On the second day, I had a close call when someone in a parked car swung open their door right in front of me when I was riding full-speed. By the end of the week, however, I felt pretty comfortable. The route had been tweaked, adrenalin e levels had dropped and cycling actually became quite enjoyable. Interestingly, the ‘car door’ experience was the only close call I’ve ever had while cycling.”

“I became a serious bicyclist after my first year of college when I had a summer job in a ski pole and bindings factory. I rode seven miles to work in the early morning, the air cool but humid. In the afternoon, it was still humid and now hot, so the seven miles home ended with me drenched in sweat. I loved the daily rides on the two-lane curving roads, the dappled sunlight coming down through the tree canopy.”