Rubber met (dirty) road

Traction
London, ON
August 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

This is a closeup view of my bicycle's rear tire after a recent ride through some muddy gravel. So why would I shoot something like this? Good question.

Maybe it's the basic aesthetics of cycling. A bike is, at its core, a pretty simple machine that can accomplish some pretty magical things. It converts a relatively small amount of energy into a relatively quick means of moving across the planet. It takes you places you otherwise wouldn't be able to get to. It opens up opportunities to people who couldn't afford anything else.

And even if you could afford anything else, it still improves your quality of life. Because a day with a bike ride in it is better than a day without.

The engineering that makes all this life-changing stuff possible is, frankly, neat-looking. A few tubes, artfully welded together. Some sweet anodized cranks and hubs, sculpted to near-perfection. A spoked wheel whose lightweight construction barely telegraphs just how tough it is.

I've ridden bikes for much of my life, and I've always been thankful for the privilege of doing so. After my stroke, I remember lying there, paralyzed, worried I'd never be able to get on a bike again, let alone make it fly. So every time I ride now, I pause before pushing off, thankful that I still can. I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost that ability again.

This picture reminds me that sometimes the path we follow isn't as neat or as linear as we'd like. Sometimes it's rough. Or uncomfortable. Or dirty. Or dangerous. Or all of the above. And sometimes it leaves a mark on the machine. Or on the rider. A reminder of where we've been and what we experienced along the way.

And when it does, our choices are just as simple as the engineering that makes all of this possible. We can choose to park it. To stay home. To avoid the uncertainty. Or we can get back on and ride.

You already know which way I lean.

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