Cycling and Perspective

Fifteen months ago I moved closer to central London. As part of the new location I was able to subscribe to the Santander Bike Rental scheme (aka Boris Bikes, given Boris Johnson was the main driver of this initiative at the time) that costs £90 a year. The benefit was unlimited trips on the bike less than 30 minutes at a time. I use the Boris Bikes more than I use the London Underground if the weather is good enough.

Cyclists come with a reputation. This is true in Australia, the USA and the UK along with other countries. Cyclists typically are aggressive, tend to disobey some of the road rules and on occasion verbally abuse both pedestrians and other vehicles if they deem the 3rd party is in the wrong; which for most of them time in their heads they are.

I would not call myself a cyclist even though I ride typically four plus times a week. My generalisation above doesn’t fit the rider I am. I obey the road rules, give pedestrians and other vehicles the right of way and always think safety first. I’m not trying to tout myself as better, just different. I can see why cyclists change their behaviour and beliefs over time given what happens on the road.

So What?

Throughout our lives we embark on new journeys with an initial perspective (or belief). As we learn, make mistakes and repeat the same thing over and over we evolve that perspective. Sometimes it is worth going back to the beginning to think about why we started this in the first place. It could be the new job, the move to a new apartment, membership at the gym or eating healthy for the long term etc. A few minutes of time well spent! What did you originally start cycling for? Stay safe out there!