It’s bicycle month here at Terrapin Tales. We’re going to talk about all things bicycle from passions to put offs (all hopefully without inciting Shawn G 😉 ). Last week we looked at the strange and wonderful world of rain capes, we’ll move on to e-bikes, a book review, and more. But for today, we’re going to try to answer the question of why bikes continue to be a part of my life.

I get on a bike almost every day for the most mundane of reasons: grocery shopping, post office run, and to get to work. But even on the most average, dry, light-traffic days, hopping on a bicycle turns quotidian activities into something dynamic. When the wind blows through my hair (ok, with a helmet, it’s mostly on my face), the speed heightens the senses, the relational motion with cars, other bikers, and runners makes getting there a lot more interesting. Throw in some snow, ice, or hammering hail to navigate and I’ve got a true adventure compressed into 30 minutes.

Bikes are great because people of almost all ages can enjoy it- along with me. Even a three year old gets it.

There are few things more joyous than picking someone up from the airport. Getting the endorphins going while pedaling home together makes it even better. I’m lucky to have the right bike to do so.

In the same way, pedaling on a long voyage with friends, drifting in and out of conversations makes me feel connected. Rolling through the country, laboring up hills, gliding down, ties us to each other and the landscape. It’s a joint experience, fully immersed in place.

Bikes haven’t changed much in the last hundred years and for good reason. They’re elegantly simple machines that work without computers or batteries. Turn the pedals and they create grins.