The Bad Things about Biking Are Easier To Blog About

There are bad things about biking. The rudeness, the difficulty, the mortal peril, the sweat. For some people, it is too stressful or dangerous to do. For that reason, I refrain from urging anyone who isn't comfortable on a bike to take to the streets on two wheels. (I pushed Hatandcoat to become a biker, but I knew he could take it.)

And the bad things are very frustrating (provided they don't kill you before you can get frustrated). They stick in your biker craw. Thus, I vent them on the blog.

But there's so much to love about biking. The freedom from Metro delays. The ability to slide down M street during rush hour. The bike trails where you bike under tall, green trees. Hardly noticing your stamina and speed increasing incrementally until suddenly realizing that you went up that killer hill on New Hampshire like it was nothing. Being outside in the sun in the summer, like a kid on vacation. Being brave enough to go out in the cold as well, and shrugging it off like it's no big deal. Building the confidence to venture out onto new roads. Feeling free to eat the cheesecake, because you've got a long ride in the morning. The looks on people's faces when you tell them how far you ride each day. The joy of discovering a new, more efficient route through neighborhood streets, or of finding a gorgeous part of the countryside that you make your new favorite ride. The chicks.

Oh yeah, chicks dig bikers.

Do you want me to blog about every ride I have where the traffic was bearable and the weather was amazing? I'd bore my shorts off writing that schlock. No no, far better to entertain you with stories of Metro insanity and short-tempered motorists. Did I tell you about the time I was riding on Georgia above the beltway and a car behind me honked for five seconds, and the driver yelled out her window, "This ain't no f---ing BIKE TRAIL!"

Good times.