Thoughts from the Saddle
05-06-06, 12:22 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Thoughts from the Saddle
On my commute the other day, I started thinking about how far the effort to promote cycling as an alternative form of transportation has come. We talk a lot here on this forum about how bad things are, about how drivers abuse us and how things can be made better. But think of how far we have come.
This particular day was a nice day and I was passing several cycling commuters. Sometimes I step out of my body for a moment and look at things from a different perspective, one of another person. In this case, instead of seeing how few in number we were, I got to thinking about why there are any of us at all. Think of it. Bicycling was reportably common around the turn of the 20th century, and amazingly, it still survives and is even on a revival. We cyclists are like the little rodents which survived whatever took out the dinosaurs. Ox cart; gone. Horse and carriage; gone. Walking; gone, at least from the suburbs and "exurbs". Even cars have undergone vast, fundamental redesigns. But bicycles survive - pretty much like they used to be. Yea, there are new alloys, new mechanisms, new clothing; but a person from the turn of the century will look at a bicycle today and recognize it immediately for what it is. And except at the very highest level of athletic prowness, a person on a bicycle from the 1900's will be as fast as a person on a bicycle from the 2000's, a full century later.
And in the midst of all the automobiles, all the high speed roads, all the expectations of convenience, there are still people who bicycle. That was my grand thought from the saddle that day. If I were to follow general trends, general cultural changes; I would expect to see nothing but cars, buildings and asphalt. But no, I see green space and I see cyclists. And in the midst of all our efforts at increased efficiency and automation, people still value nature and physical exertion; enough people to show an impact on the street level.
We keep climbing the mountain, seeking to make cycling more acceptable for more people and more acceptable in society in general, but sometimes it helps to look back the way we came and see how far we've climbed. Perhaps because it is a Friday night, in early spring, we should take a moment and admire the view.
This particular day was a nice day and I was passing several cycling commuters. Sometimes I step out of my body for a moment and look at things from a different perspective, one of another person. In this case, instead of seeing how few in number we were, I got to thinking about why there are any of us at all. Think of it. Bicycling was reportably common around the turn of the 20th century, and amazingly, it still survives and is even on a revival. We cyclists are like the little rodents which survived whatever took out the dinosaurs. Ox cart; gone. Horse and carriage; gone. Walking; gone, at least from the suburbs and "exurbs". Even cars have undergone vast, fundamental redesigns. But bicycles survive - pretty much like they used to be. Yea, there are new alloys, new mechanisms, new clothing; but a person from the turn of the century will look at a bicycle today and recognize it immediately for what it is. And except at the very highest level of athletic prowness, a person on a bicycle from the 1900's will be as fast as a person on a bicycle from the 2000's, a full century later.
And in the midst of all the automobiles, all the high speed roads, all the expectations of convenience, there are still people who bicycle. That was my grand thought from the saddle that day. If I were to follow general trends, general cultural changes; I would expect to see nothing but cars, buildings and asphalt. But no, I see green space and I see cyclists. And in the midst of all our efforts at increased efficiency and automation, people still value nature and physical exertion; enough people to show an impact on the street level.
We keep climbing the mountain, seeking to make cycling more acceptable for more people and more acceptable in society in general, but sometimes it helps to look back the way we came and see how far we've climbed. Perhaps because it is a Friday night, in early spring, we should take a moment and admire the view.
__________________
Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
05-08-06, 08:48 PM
#3
Senior Member
Things come and go, but the bicycle is the most energy-efficient form of transportation known to man. You can't keep a good thing down. Everything eventually comes out in the wash and bicycling has withstood the test of time. On top of that, it's fun.
