How I Found my way back to Biking

For about a decade between the ages of 16 and 26, I can count on one hand the number of times I rode my bike. It wasn’t until I moved back to Tulsa, Oklahoma and found myself living about two miles south of downtown that I started riding again. A friend had given me her old Cannondale road bike and suddenly I had a reason to use it: work was 12 minutes away and bike parking was free.

Pretty soon, I was biking everywhere. When my car died of old age, I didn’t replace it. I lived in a walkable part of town and could get everywhere I needed to go by bike. My workplace, my favorite restaurants, the gym, and the grocery store were all within a couple miles of my apartment. On the rare occasions when I needed to go somewhere outside of cycling range, I could always catch a ride or borrow a car from a friend. When it snowed, I’d take the bus, but I rode in the rain.

It was almost a game. I didn’t have panniers or a bike trailer, so it became a challenge to see just how many grocery bags I could fit in (and tie onto) my backpack.

When I finally bought a car, it didn’t change my daily habits. I kept right on cycling. The car was for road trips and weekend travel to the family farm. I drove it so little, the warranty expired due to time, not mileage. I couldn’t tell you the price of gas because I bought it so rarely. 99% of the time, I rode my bike.

But when I moved from a streetcar suburb to a 1950's neighborhood, my biking habits changed. Places built for walking work great for cyclists. Places built for cars only work for cars. As a result, biking is no longer the fastest, most convenient transportation option for every trip I make. Sadly, it’s no longer my standard default — but it’s still an option.

So I compromise and I bike when I can. I still bike to work, but it takes me longer, and I no longer do it every day. I travel the 7 miles in a leisurely 40 minutes, which makes for a nice workout and allows me to skip the gym. In a perfect week, I bike to work every other day. On alternate days, I share a ride with my partner, take the bus, or — on rare occasions — drive.