ChiWhoBike #63
If I had known that the way to make friends in your twenties is to buy a bike and go to rides, then I would’ve bought one five years ago. I’ve made so many amazing friends. I’ve gone on so many incredible rides. I’ve learned so much about myself, about other people, about the city. And it’s just really a beautiful thing. Whenever I go on a group ride, I’m biking next to somebody and we’re talking the whole time, and it’s like a party on wheels more than anything else. And I think it’s really easy to connect over something that you love. And people in these groups are so passionate about riding bikes, not only just because it’s so fun, but because it makes you feel so capable. Like I’m the strongest I’ve ever been in my whole life. I am in the best shape I’ve ever been in my whole life. And I have the most friends I’ve ever had and all three of those things are connected.
I think that there’s this stereotype of the avid cyclist, the older guys in lycra taking over the street. And I have no problem with that type of person, but I think that a lot of people do have a problem with them, and assume that every person who bikes is like that. But the truth is that biking is for everybody. And I think that there’s a lot of anger from cyclists at people driving cars, understandably so, and then there’s a lot of anger from people driving cars at cyclists. And it’s really frustrating because to build a better world, we have to have better bike infrastructure, and more people on bikes. I know biking is up in Chicago 120% since 2019, which is amazing and beautiful, and I want it to keep going that direction. But that also means more people on bikes on the road, which means angrier drivers unfortunately.
When I drove all the time, I was angry all the time. I was grouchy. I hated everybody. I hated everything. I was constantly mad at the guy in front of me, mad at the guy behind me. And when I ride my bike, I have some anger at drivers, but it truly is like a joyful experience and that’s what I want people to take away from it. And that’s what I want people to see about biking, is that it feels really good.
