I LOVE riding my bike!

I never thought that I would be using a bicycle as one of my main modes of transportation, the others being the bus and my feet. Had you told me ten years ago that i’d be riding a bike, catching the bus and walking at 28 years old, I would have laughed in your face, and yet here I am, absolutely loving it, and thankful. Yes, thankful, in a country where 2/3 of the people are overweight or obese, to even be ABLE to walk around, and get around on a bike or bus is an accomplishment, and when gas is $4+ dollars a gallon, it becomes a MUCH more attractive alternative.

Admittedly, I was not so hot on the idea initially, but now, you can’t keep me off my bike. My husband and I were “marooned” here in Dayton last year in August due to some absolutely insane circumstances (our home and our STUFF is still in California), and in the fall of last year, he bought himself a bike from a pawn shop and started riding to class (He’s studying Nutrition and Culinary Arts), which is about 3.5 miles downhill. He rode the entire winter long, in the rain and snow. Hell, I thought he was crazy, but he loved it, had so much energy, and was so excited about it, I told myself, in the spring, when the weather breaks (cause there was no way in HELL I was riding around in the snow, with a baby no less lol), I would get a bike and ride around town with him.

That being said, I was still skeptical because Dayton is unlike a lot of areas in the Midwest that are flat and not so scenic, has LOTS of hills (it’s in a river valley), tons of beautiful mature trees, and wonderful bike trails courtesy of our Five Rivers MetroParks. We live near the top of one of the many hills in Dayton, and at the time, I wasn’t too interested in finding out how much my legs would burn trying to pedal up that hill. I rode as a kid around the corner, a little in college to get to class, but I was by no means someone who considered themselves a bike rider.

For Mother’s Day, I was given a present that I was happy and excited about, but also dreaded because I knew that those hills were coming sooner than later. The first weekend that I had my bike, we rode a total of almost 30 miles. I surprised even myself! I was taking epsom salt baths for a couple of days to help soothe my muscles, but I was getting hooked.

So, since we’ve started riding our bikes all over the city, i’ve noticed that I have more conversations with people i’ve never met than I ever have in my life. Usually it’ll start over the babies bike seat, or how sweet my husband has my bike set up with a flag, rack, and Baby on Board sign (thanks baby!). Some conversations go deeper than others (can’t talk too long while waiting at the stop light), and I have had some very interesting conversations with people in most cases, I wouldn’t otherwise talk to.

Recently though, i’ve been getting a lot of encouragement, and people telling me how much they respect that i’m out running my errands, going for groceries and riding the bus, all with baby in tow, on my bike. Now, it’s just become so much a part of my life that I don’t even think about it, but I know that I can’t take it for granted either. It is a blessing to be able to have these experiences, and i’m thankful everyday to know that people appreciate and respect what I do, because they don’t HAVE to take the time out to let me know how they feel. That’s incredibly humbling! I know that because people see me, I am silently encouraging some other moms to hop on their bikes with their babies, that young women see that it’s okay and cool to ride a bike and be healthy and strong.

A young pregnant woman I was on the bus with a week or so ago saw me carrying my baby on the front, backpack on the back, and groceries, then put my bike on the rack, and when I got on the bus, she said, “Oh my GOD, you’re a BEAST! I saw you waiting at the bus stop with all that stuff and watched you put that bike up there, and I was like, WOW, she’s REALLY doing it!” That is incredible to me! When I hear stuff like that, I just know that I gotta keep doing what i’m doing. You never realize how much people are paying attention to what you’re doing, and when they see you doing things, they see that it’s not as bad as they thought, or wow, she’s doing it, I can do that too.

I love everything about riding my bike, and I get more excited every day to hop on my bike and see how much further I can go, how strong i’m getting, how much easier it’s getting to climb those hills, and know that I will almost certainly run into some fun and fascinating people along the way.