cycleology

I’ve been battling depression and loneliness for about six months. The finest weapon for this type of battle? You guessed it, a bicycle journey.

Yesterday I rolled out for another soul-liberating adventure. About six miles out, I noticed my right pedal was falling out of my stripped crank. I started bike jogging on a stunning sun-filled Colorado afternoon.

After many offers of help, an 8mm Allen showed up on this Crank Brothers Multi Tool putting an end to my run with a bicycle. Got to get one of these. Compact, diverse, and functional. The owner of this multi-tool actually emailed me to check if I made it home safely. He had one of these Miniature Phones to cycle with—also a tempting cycling tool.

I re-seated my pedal enough to ride home. It was the constant offers of assistance and the geniune concern of strangers on bicycles that pedaled me out of this self-inflicted depression. This eye-to-eye contact and kindness of strangers towards strangers is abundant among cyclists and deficiently lacking from foot traffic.

Cellphones are not your center of focus aboard your bicycle; your fellow cyclists are your center of focus. Your fellow citizens, that is. Ride a bike and meet your fellow cycling citizens eye to eye.

The kindness of strangers on bicycles is another world. Cyclists always have each other’s backs. Cyclists make eye contact. Cyclists acknowledge each other with a common animated state of joy. Cyclists roll with Mother Nature. The healthier you are, the happier you are. The happier you are, the healthier you are. Ride that bicycle now. I feel better already.