About two years ago, the waves around here really went into the doldrums. So I figured that if I rode to the ocean with my board on my bike (vintage 1977 Motobecane 10-speed) to check the waves, even if there was no surf I got a good ride in. Well, I found that carrying a nine foot board on a bike even for a 12-mile roundtrip is quite a challenge, especially if you hit a crosswind. But the riding soon became an end in itself. Within a few months I bought a new roadbike. That was a stroke of luck because the surf here has not been all the great in a while.

Anyway, I discovered that biking was not as dependent on the caprices of Mother Nature: short of a howling storm, I can ride my bike whenever I want. Also cyclists share their main resource, the road, with other cyclists. Surfers are possessive about waves: a wave for you is one less for me.

Whenever there are waves, I'm out there, but I'm on my bike almost every day. One thing for sure, both sports bring me in close contact with nature, which is really great for me. Both sports show you the big picture: a vision of the world that is bigger than yourself and your problems.

Rich