ChiWhoBike #46
I’ve been biking probably since I was like five or six. I have a twin sister, and the first bikes we ever had were hand me downs from the family. I remember initially that I hated it. My parents like forced me to learn how to ride, starting off just on the lawn of our house, like we’re gonna push you down this hill and you’re gonna scream the whole way until you figure out what balance is. And then once you realize that, you’ll actually like it. So initially I hated it, but back when I would ride for fun, so to speak, I’d ride 15 miles every day, at least, just kind of going around town, doing whatever.
These days it’s just getting from point A to point B. I’ve been living in the city without a car for 10 years, and a bike is part of that, along with the CTA. I used to be like an everyday rider, but never anything competitive or racing wise, just ‘cause I enjoyed it.
Biking, one, it gives you appreciation for minor changes in incline and wind. Two, living without a car for the last 10 years has kind of made me a lot more aware of just kind of civil engineering and how suburbs and urban areas are laid out. It’s a really kind of awkward moment when you’re in a place where there are no real ways to cross the road and you have to call the most shameful taxi cab of your life to basically cross a highway.
