My Favorite Holiday
Bike to Work Day is a holiday in our household. It is not to be missed for workouts or appointments. Our excitement exists, in part, because winter Bike to Work Day was the first time my husband, Kennett, invited me to ride with him. He worked in the bike industry at the time, and his entire office met at Dushanbe Tea House early in the dark morning to take advantage of free chai, which Kennett's boss referred to as "rocket fuel."
WInter Bike to Work Day 2019
By Winter Bike to Work Day in 2013, Kennett and I had been dating for less than two months. He didn't own a car, which I found very attractive. It was a sign that he thought for himself and didn't just follow societal norms. While I had done a month-long bike tour with my sister, I didn't have the same close connection with the bike that Kennett had acquired during his previous seven years of bike racing. I didn't understand the nuances of being a bike racer or bike commuter, nor did I appreciate the dedication that it took to bike commute full-time. For instance, Kennett would ride 18 miles round trip that winter to have dinner at my house. Until I began bike commuting myself over the following year, I failed to realize that he must have really been interested in dating me because he was willing to ride home at 11 p.m. in the snow after spending time with me. (He wasn't riding all that way for my cooking, because apparently I undercooked all of my rice dishes.)
I got a taste of winter riding when I pulled my Surly touring bike out on the frigid January morning in 2013 to ride in a pack with Kennett's co-workers from one stop to the next. As we navigated across parking lots to the next street or bike path, people in our group would bunny-hop a curb or joke with the person next to them. I felt like a kid who was simply inhabiting an adult body, like Tom Hanks in the movie Big.
Bike to Work Day is more than just an anniversary of our dating life. The Bike to Work Day that meant the most to me was two years later in the winter of 2015. By then, Kennett and I were engaged. His co-workers had become my own because I started working at the same company. More than co-workers, I viewed them as friends. They had, along with many people in the cycling community, jumped to support Kennett and me when I had nearly died in a crash with a car less than four months before. I felt an incredible sense of bliss and excitement, enhanced by the spicy chai, to be alive riding with them, cruising down the streets to the next sweet treat.
Winter Bike to Work Day 2015
Tomorrow is the next Bike to Work Day and I'm excited for it. As the summer version, there will be more fair-weather riders joining the festivities and the streets should be full of people who find joy on two wheels. For a little precursor fun, tonight we'll go ride bikes at Valmont Bike Park with our niece, who is just learning how to pedal.
I realize that I'm privileged to be able to ride my bike to work and activities, but I have also worked to make it happen. It is even more important now that I celebrate the good rides and the events like tomorrow because, while I want to open up about my crash and continue being a cycling advocate, I don't want to be consumed by the dangers of riding. Nor do I want to scare people away from riding. If you are a local, hopefully I see you tomorrow on the roads. If you aren't in Boulder, still consider pulling out your bike and celebrating my favorite holiday in your hometown.