I commute on a nearly 25-year-old, slightly bent, kinda rusted Specialized bicycle. I bought it very used ten years ago when I sold my car and committed to a bicycle commute for one year.
Few experiences have changed my life so drastically. My first travel abroad experience would top that list, but learning to love the bicycle as an adult has opened many doors. It’s a shame that we let the privileges of turning 16 let the air out of our two-wheel commute as we learn to love the convenience of all-leather seats, power windows and a heater.
I remember when I bicycle camped 1,400 miles down the Pacific Coast, and one day while enjoying my morning coffee and doughnut, I had an exchange with a business woman running late to work. I chomped on maple covered sweetness while sitting on the curb next to my fully loaded bike. She jammed into a parking spot and dashed inside for a cup-of-joe-to-go and breakfast-in-a-bag. She hopped into her car, popped that baby in reverse and took an extra second to consider the difference between her morning and mine. Before she sped off, she rolled down her window, looked across the lot at me and said, “I wish I could do that.” Before I could respond, I was a shrinking mirage in her rear-view mirror.
She can do it.
She can do it just like I did ten years ago when I could barely ride my bicycle home 10 miles one way downhill. That first year, I read more books than any other year of my life because I took the bus to work with my bicycle and enjoyed a leisurely ride home a few days each week. Eventually, my pant size shrunk and my leg muscles swelled–I could finally commute both ways to work.
It wasn’t all sparkly. I’ve had to bum rides with friends. I got flats that made me late. I sweated. I got dirty. I’m probably a bit more wrinkly from my time outside. But my soul sings, and I couldn’t be happier.
To be recognized as SANDAG’s 2013 Diamond Award winner for Commuter of the Year is, well…that’s sparkly. It’s a reminder to me that one mile at a time anyone can learn to ride their bicycle to work or the park or the store or the beach or the ballgame or around the block. It’s a reminder that we don’t always have to drive a car, but sometimes we do. It’s also a reminder that a little sweat is a good, and in fact, can earn you some cred.
Mostly, winning this recognition reinforces that I keep my heart and my business in the right place. Big thank you to my friend Alicia Glassco for the nomination and for my friends and family who put up with my endless bicycle social media posts and rants.
