So, like, most of you know, the Swizz is a rider of bikes. And I have fond memories of some early blog posts that illustrated the sheer frogger-like quality of commuting through the mean streets of Cambridge on my trusty Bianchi single speed. Play the following vid and take a ride down memory lane with me as I narrated my daily commute through the traffic, and to groove with one of the better soundtracks you'll hear anywhere.
A whole lot has changed since then--I'm not working in Boston, or doing the spirit-crushing drive to the other job I had in Newport--but some things have stayed the same. Like how awesome it is, and frankly, how essential it is for my mental health, to get the blood pumping, the sweat flowing, and the wheels going round and round on a bike. I still have a single speed but it seems a bit silly to have a bike with only one gear compared to the sheer love I feel for my silky-smooth, fully geared road bike, and my trusty, daily, 20-to-40 miles loops.
There's going to be plenty of 100-milers as the summer unfolds, but I'm here to sing the praises of the 30 miles of hilly, pine-scented goodness surrounding Camden, Maine. The truth is, each ride seems to be part meditation, part escape, part childish joy that I had fleeting glimpses of when I was young, and part abject terror that comes from standing naked in front of my life......
Like when I found myself crying on the bike a few weeks ago. Real, deep, uncontrollable, face contorting, tear producing, crying on the bike. It must have been quite a sight. Here I was with the tight pants, and the short socks, the silly fingerless gloves, and the super fast sunglasses, just crying like a baby...Vulnerable. Defenseless. Honest. Human. And yes, a bit goofy. It had been a couple decades. I guess I just couldn't hold the pain in any more. And there seems to be some freedom on the other side of these uncontrollable outbursts.
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