There is this imaginary torus around campus where cycling makes sense. Within the inner radius, walking is the easiest way to get on campus. At the outer edge, biking is no longer an efficient commuting option and thus public transportation or driving would yield the quickest route. Between these two boundaries, there lies a region where cycling provides the best mechanism of transport.
It should come to no surprise that I reside within this magical doughnut zone. Bus stops are far. I can cycle to school in the same amount of time it takes me to walk to the nearest bus stop. For this reason bus schedules are like foreign languages: I can say simple words but I’m totally hopeless holding a conversation. I need to look up bus timings and I often confuse bus routes. Cycling, even in the winter, is simply the best solution.
For weeks I was slowly pushed further and further to the right hand lane as snow accumulated in the bike lane. Like Death lurking in the shadows, the day I’d been dreading the all winter finally came. February 8th. Bike lanes were reduced to snow banks. I was forced to take the bus. I was forced onto their schedule. Predictably, the buses were late. I missed riding my bicycle. I no longer held freedom. I thought I could make it through the winter. But this precipitation made it downright impossible to ride. And yes, I tried.
I shouldn’t complain too much though. A good winter storm might inhibit riding for a few days at most. Compared to other sports, such as snowboarding, cyclists have it pretty good. Ski hills are typically open less than six months a year. Snowboarders are limited in their location. Whether you live 20 minutes or 5 hours from the mountain, snowboarders have to pack up in vehicle. Heading to the mountain is a trek of its own, and an entire day, if not more, must be devoted to the sport. This leaves shred sessions few and far between. Urban riding has lag time too: jumps have to be built. Cycling is just a leg swing away. You don’t need a mountain to ride on. If there is a road, you can ride.
If I didn’t live inside the cycling torus I would probably have a different view on these things. I probably wouldn’t have developed my passion for cycling. I would probably have a better understanding of the GRT. But we are a product of our environment. There’s no denying it. I started cycling out of necessity. This matured into a blind passion for a sport that is my hobby and my transport, my exercise and my viewpoint.
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