I have been riding my bicycle to work every day for about three months. You can see my bicycle locked up in front of the grocery store where I work. It is familiar to many who go to the shopping center, most people know it is my bike.
One guy says he always looks for the bicycle when he comes to work. Shoppers come in and say, "I see you are still riding your bike." Some people come to my register and say, "Did you ride to today?" Others say "Did I see you riding a bicycle the other day?" Today one guy said, "Man you are that guy with the bike. I see you all over town. The other day you were way over there!" He held out his hand for me to shake.
Every day I have several conversations about riding bicycles as a serious form of transportation. People have many different responses to what I am doing. To the majority of people I am some kind of non-conformist out of touch kook. Most ask how far I ride every day, I tell them twelve or fifteen depending on the way I go, and they react as if I was running a marathon, (though this is hardly a warm up for a seasoned bicyclist). Some people act like I was the last of the protest movement, because I have a sign on the back of my bike that says,"I refuse to pay that much for gas." (It really does cost too much on a cashier's wages.) Some people applaud my supposed spirit of determination.One day last week I was waiting for a red light as a group of teenage pedestrians crossed the street, one saw me and said to his companions, "There he is, check out the sign on the back of his bike."
I feel like I have a reputation to uphold and if I stopped bicycling to work I would have a hard time answering for it. For example the sign wore out in the rain, so it fell off; I rode without my sign on the back of the bike for about a week, then one day after work I found someone had made a new sign, nicely printed up and laminated and placed it in my bike basket. I had to put it on my bike- I was afraid not to or else I might have let someone down.
Most people are supportive and encouraging; they discuss my bicycle riding with sincere interest and good will. I enjoy meeting different people this way and enjoy the exchanging of views and ideas. The friendships I have made with strangers because of my bicycling has been more rewarding than I could have foreseen, even if some think I am a kook.
One guy says he always looks for the bicycle when he comes to work. Shoppers come in and say, "I see you are still riding your bike." Some people come to my register and say, "Did you ride to today?" Others say "Did I see you riding a bicycle the other day?" Today one guy said, "Man you are that guy with the bike. I see you all over town. The other day you were way over there!" He held out his hand for me to shake.
Every day I have several conversations about riding bicycles as a serious form of transportation. People have many different responses to what I am doing. To the majority of people I am some kind of non-conformist out of touch kook. Most ask how far I ride every day, I tell them twelve or fifteen depending on the way I go, and they react as if I was running a marathon, (though this is hardly a warm up for a seasoned bicyclist). Some people act like I was the last of the protest movement, because I have a sign on the back of my bike that says,"I refuse to pay that much for gas." (It really does cost too much on a cashier's wages.) Some people applaud my supposed spirit of determination.One day last week I was waiting for a red light as a group of teenage pedestrians crossed the street, one saw me and said to his companions, "There he is, check out the sign on the back of his bike."
I feel like I have a reputation to uphold and if I stopped bicycling to work I would have a hard time answering for it. For example the sign wore out in the rain, so it fell off; I rode without my sign on the back of the bike for about a week, then one day after work I found someone had made a new sign, nicely printed up and laminated and placed it in my bike basket. I had to put it on my bike- I was afraid not to or else I might have let someone down.
Most people are supportive and encouraging; they discuss my bicycle riding with sincere interest and good will. I enjoy meeting different people this way and enjoy the exchanging of views and ideas. The friendships I have made with strangers because of my bicycling has been more rewarding than I could have foreseen, even if some think I am a kook.
