The summer of bicycles
Summer is over and what started as an experiment, a timid interest for urban cycling, has now turned into a lifestyle.
In these months of sun and drought I dedicated many of my evenings to moving across the city on a bicycle to exercise, have fun, and commute. Summer might not have been the best time to start, as the high sun and a heatwave made sweating an annoyance. Even so, I’m thankful for the long days and clear skies in a city that seems to crumble like sugar whenever it rains.
There were small discoveries during these months that I would like to share.
Time and space seem to compress, and at the same time, the senses open up and sharpen. On a bicycle you can feel the wind, the urban scents, the noise, the pearls of beauty in a chaotic sea, invisible when we are behind the wheel. While pedalling, the city becomes smaller and more human. Streets acquire a new dimension that is inaccessible from a car.
Calories flow like water. I don’t know if what I have saved in gas is now spent on food, but at least I spend my money in something I can enjoy and taste without guilt. One can stop at a corner, buy something to eat, and keep on going.
Faster? I don’t know. More agile? Definitely. With so many hills it’s hard to beat the speed of a car, but the ability to evade obstacles, sort through traffic, and becoming a pedestrian to cross the street and avoid a red light feels like a superpower.
More human scale streets are needed. It’s not the same to ride alongside cars that travel at thirty kilometers per hour than to ride on avenues where the average speed is above sixty. Sometimes the shortest, most obvious and logical way forces me to take my bicycle along those roads that weren’t made for the human scale. We need more low speed roads, with walkable sidewalks and proper signaling, where pedestrians, drivers and cyclists have enough time and distance to react to any incident.
I’m ready for the autumn of bicycles. Shorter days, colder nights, the prospects of rain. New challenges are coming that will undoubtedly leave valuable lessons.