To me by far the most powerful effect of riding a bicycle is the freedom granted to the rider. I suppose at one time this freedom took a different form as the bicycle provided efficient transportation over distance that previously had none. Today, in the age of automobiles and mass transit there are lots of options for how to get around within a city. But no other offers the freedom of the bicycle.
I am once again becoming very familiar with the difficulties of living without this freedom while recovering from another broken bone. Forced to move about by bus, car and on foot I long for the days when i could easily jump on my bike and move throughout the city on my terms. Every moment spent waiting for a bus or searching for a parking space grows the fruststration inside me.
Even worse than the frustration I feel as I’m couped up on a stinky bus is the palpable physical stagnaton that’s occuring in my body. My lungs no longer transmit oxygen to the blood the way they used to, my quadriceps no longer ripple. Waking up is much more of trial than it’s been in years.
Soon I’ll be back on the bike, riding to the water for a picnic or taking the long way home from work.
In the meantime I’ll continue to glare at all the happy cyclists riding past while i wait for route 70.
