Cycling and riding a bike

I have decided that I'm not a Cyclist. I just like to ride my bike. There's a difference. Cyclists are serious. They've got the fancy duds. They've got the expensive wheels. They've got the cool equipment. They roam in large packs.

I'm just a dilettante, a dabbler. I wear gym shorts and an old JavaOne t-shirt. I ride an inexpensive bike. Also, I'm a fair weather cyclist only. I have no interest in enduring pain and fatigue or sacrificing all my time for the sake of The Sport. And as for money for fancy equipment...well, let me just paraphrase Tolkien by saying that bringing up young Hobbits takes a great deal of provender. My only concession to fashion is a helmet. After all, one may be indifferent to the admiration or scorn of Serious Cyclists, but one still has one's pride; there's no need to be a pariah.

In the end I guess I'm just a hedonist. Riding my bike is for the solitary pleasure of enjoying the sunshine, the breeze, and the movement. It's the most elegant form of transportation ever invented and it's my second favorite form of exercise after walking. Sitting as I do on the doorstep, and nerving myself to ring the doorbell, at number 50 Birthday Lane, I just want to nurse the old chassis along for another 30 or 40 thousand miles. And riding the bike is good for the motor without being too hard on the transmission.

So I guess I'll probably never be a Cyclist, but I intend to keep riding my bike whenever I get the chance, hopefully for another 30 or 40 thousand miles.

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