It occurs to me that I should have called this blog On Your Right. That’s because most of my cycling time I hear courteous cyclists call out “On Your Left!” and that’s how I want to respond. I am a slow cyclist. And I’m happy to be a slow cyclists. Bike riding is exercise and it is certainly good for my health. I am rather plump and don’t want to know what I’d look like if I didn’t ride a bike. But exercise is not the point for me. Bike riding is a way to get from here to there and often the easiest way for me to get around. It’s also a pleasant way to get around. Driving a car is work and I’m always white at the knuckles worrying about things like whether I’m going to get in a crash or where to park. Plus the car seat is really uncomfortable. I end up with a sore back and a sore knee. Taking the subway or bus is better but I end up with sore legs more often from standing on a crowded train/bus than I do from pedaling a bike. And I can make a more direct route from home to work on a bike.
So when it comes down to it, bike riding is easy. People seem to think it’s an athletic endeavor or a chore, but really I do it because I’m too lazy to pursue other means of transportation. Which leads me to this wonderful article by James D. Schwartz: Urban Bicycling is For Lazy People.
I step outside my front door and hop on my bike because I’m too lazy to go downstairs in the parking garage to get the car. I pull my bike up to the front door at my destination because I’m too lazy to drive around looking for a parking spot then having to walk from the car to the building.
I ride my bike instead of taking public transit because I’m too lazy to go to the store to buy bus tickets, and I am far too lazy to dig for loose change under my couch. I am also too lazy to transfer from the bus to the subway to the streetcar, preferring to ride directly to my destination without transfers.
Instead of walking 15 minutes to my destination, I ride my bicycle there in 5. Yes, I ride there because I am too lazy to walk.
I ride my bicycle past dozens of cars at rush hour because I’m too lazy to be stressed out sitting in traffic and too lazy to explain why I’m late all the time.
– See more at: http://www.theurbancountry.com/2013/06/bicycling-is-for-lazy-people.html#sthash.VCBxEtxF.dpuf
So are you a lazy bike rider? Let me know in the comments.
