Life on the Shoulder

You will be often be cold, I tell them. Flat tires are unavoidable, and you must learn how to deal with them. You will be sweaty, and find it a good idea to have a change of clothes waiting for you at work if you commute. Crashing happens, and no, you don't need kneepads. Wear gloves and sunglasses, lube your chain frequently, have someone knowledgeable help set a new bike up for you. They look at me as though I'm crazy, like the list will never end. "Why did I ever ask this guy about getting into cycling?" they must think.

Yet, people continue to ask, to inquire, some freely announcing that they have been inspired by the idea that a California native like me could go without owning or driving cars. These are the people I long to share the bike lane with. The people who, one by one, could be making the same difference I make every time I clip in and pit my body and my patience, against the vast network of roads we have in the world, and, of course, the elements. Even the people who dismiss my current cycling challenge as nonsense, I delight in knowing that some part of their brain, however big or small, has been forever altered, as they now carry just a little more awareness about the other road users out there.

Whilst going about my daily activities, like reading a book, banking, or perhaps grocery shopping, I am often easy to peg as a cyclist. The odd clothing, the tip-tap shoes that draw worried looks from most, and the near constant presence of sweat on my brow, or dripping from my helmet. While minor inconveniences such as these can certainly be problematic in some situations, I tend to think of them all as badges of honor, proof that I'm outside doing things, staying fit, and reducing car traffic. Living proof that not everyone needs to use a car for every mile they want to cover.

And it's been this way for a while. My take on cycling is perhaps less than common, and as an outlier among most people my age in America, I have never learned how to drive a car. At a very early age, cycling took on a very multifaceted role in my life, in that it was recreation, fitness, conservation, independence, pride, and utility all together. This draw has never ceased to exist in my mind, though I freely admit there are times I am, as are many others, tempted to throw my bike off a cliff.

I've no idea what specifically sparks the creation of a new cyclist, but I imagine it's a few of the things I listed, which make me choose to keep riding. The feeling of having powered myself across countless thousands and thousands of miles is a daily motivator which I've been having to call upon quite frequently for the past 36 weeks. ~7,000 Miles, in 15 states, and I'm only halfway done with my tour. A mission to see the country as a whole, and from the perspective I seem to know best. To hopefully educate people that sharing the road is not about denying anyone their right to it, but asserting each users right to part of it.

The look on people's faces when I answer their other questions about my bike tour, the trailer, or my funny shoes, is without a doubt a great thing to recall when I want to quit. Yet, my whole life, and especially now, I choose to ride. Not because I have to, or for fun, but because it's a part of my life, and how I live it. As they say, 4 wheels moves the body, but 2 wheels move the soul.

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