The Love of the Ride

Today I rode my bike to work, as I do many other mornings. It was the perfect morning for a bike ride through the Capital City. The weather was slightly warm, the flowers were in bloom and there were leaves on the trees and my ipod added the perfect soundtrack as I sped through the streets. Needless to say, April is a much more enjoyable time to commute to work by bike than, say, January.

As I pedaled across R Street I hearkened back to that feeling I had when I was a kid, riding my bike on one of the first warm Pennsylvania spring days. I remembered the feeling of freedom I experienced and unmatched love I felt for my bike - first my orange and yellow model with the striped banana seat, and later my first 10-speed.

At the time, I would have given anything to be able to ride my bike all-day, every day. For my mother, it was a constant chore to pull me off of it and into the house for dinner. As I got older, I rode it less and less and I thought that when I 'grew up' I would have to give up riding all together.

The realization struck me, this morning, that I am lucky enough to live in a city where I can ride my bike everyday, everywhere. As my primary mode of transportation, it is utilitarian, of course, but I also get to enjoy what I could only have dreamed of as a child. Far from my fears or having to be a responsible, car-driving adult I am a responsible, urban-dweller. And whatever my mother may think of it, she can't stop me. As I crossed Connecticut Avenue and looked at my fellow commuters, I thought, "Why would I ever pick up my car keys?"