Conversion

On a visit to Amsterdam, I was amazed by the bicycles. The sheer quantity of riders and the infrastructure was incredible. Commuters on their way to work, pleasure riders, the use of a mode of transit that I had not touched since my early teenage years was an eye opener.

My wife and I decided to take a leisurely ride to see some of the windmills on bicycles supplied by our guide.

“It’s like riding a bike” as the saying goes, and one doesn’t forget how.

I still recall how enjoyable it was. Perhaps that was the point of my conversion.

The following year, the opportunity to explore Vienna by bicycle was offered on a trip to Europe, and I jumped at the chance.

I was again transported back to my younger days. The pleasure of cycling had not faded with age. If anything, I was sold on the idea of traveling on two wheels sans motor, not having to travel congested roads and dodge aggressive drivers on America’s highway’s of mortal combat.

I went home to the United States and bought a bicycle, and entered a tiny segment of the population that commutes by bike.

In an office of 50, I am the sole cyclist. U.S. roads don’t support much cycling where I am. Some defunct railway corridors have been converted to green ways and bike routes, but motorists in the U.S. are very possessive when it comes to sharing the road, and bike lanes on most roadways are scarce, dangerous, and underused.

Make no mistake, the U.S. is big, and getting around on public transport can be difficult, perhaps because America’s crazy car culture has conditioned people to feel the need to own their cars. An inconvenient truth must also be realized. Many Americans are very overweight, live sedentary and unhealthy lifestyles. Cycling may have had it’s heyday in the 70’s. While adoption of cycling goes up and down with a slight increase every year, today’s average American drives a big SUV through the drive- thru.

I ride to work in all seasons, having sold my last car almost a decade ago. I still own a motorcycle but only ride when the distance and time constraints require me to. Sometimes, I rent a car for a trip. It’s much wiser than paying more than $40,000 for a new automobile, without factoring the cost of insurance and maintenance.

When I walk out the door to the garage in the morning, I’m unhappy on the days I can’t take my bicycle. It’s usually the best part of my day, even in winter!