The view on the way to work this morning.
We have been in Finland as a family for 15 Sundays. On 14 of those Sundays, there was church. For 13 of those Sundays, we have ridden our bikes to and from church. It's sometimes been windy or cold or raining, but mostly we've arrived at church on-time-ish and in one piece, if a little windblown.
On Sunday, though, we woke up and there was snow and ice on the ground. A friend offered to give us a ride to church, but I told her we'd try it out on bikes and see how it went. We've been waiting for the snow and ice to come so we could see how it affects our cycling transportation plans.
Well, it went slippery-ily. Magda fell down twice and Miriam once, never very seriously, and in fact they were so tickled by the novelty of cycling in the snow that it hardly bothered them. In the end, it probably would have been faster to just walk to church without our bikes. But I'm proud of us for trying even if it was a little ridiculous. Things should get better when it starts snowing regularly and the city begins snow management on the roads and paths.
Even though our latest venture wasn't particularly successful, I want to be a bicycle evangelist for a moment and say how much I have enjoyed riding bikes everywhere for the past few months. My baseline fitness level is higher than it has been in years. I've lost a few pounds. I enjoy breathing hard and sweating a little bit and feeling the wind in my face as I go about my daily business. I love that it takes me 8 minutes to get to work instead of 20 (walking). I love being connected to my surroundings and to my fellow cyclists. Aside from the cost savings and convenience of not having a car, I straight-up enjoy riding my bike all the time.
The other night, Jeremy and I went out to celebrate our anniversary. We ended up cycling around 10km together going from home to a few errands and then a restaurant and home again. In another culture, we might have felt marginalized or even infantilized, riding our bikes like two-preteens pretending to be adults. But here in Turku, we passed other cyclists - even though it was cold! even though it was dark! - and enjoyed an entire ride on bike paths (not bike lanes - bike paths) wide enough to ride next to each other for long stretches at a time. It wasn't just transportation - it was part of the experience.
In conclusion, everybody please ride your bikes more. You can't help but smile when you do it and it is just the best.
