One great benefit of being a dedicated cyclist is the friendships that come with it.
Cycling attracts people from all walks of life, all income groups and from totally diverse backgrounds. The thread that binds us is the machine we so dearly love — and the adventures we share while riding it.
If you think about how often you ride with your cycling pals and how often you get together with non-cycling friends, there’s no comparison.
Maybe it’s that we all experience the same joys and the same hardships when riding, creating a bond that’s as strong as the headwinds we work against.
Together we risk wrecks out there on the roads, but we take care of each other in very basic ways.
Someone gets dropped, someone goes back to pull them back on. We provide “shelter from the storm” for each other. We share our food, our spare tubes, our tools and our dreams. But mostly, we share our love of riding.
There are few things in our lives that are as rewarding. These friendships are like no others, and the way I figure it, we are damn lucky.
PS — I’m still going to stomp you at the next city-limits sign!
This articulates how I think and feel so accurately — well done, and thank you!