I spend a lot of my time on a bicycle. It gets me to work, gets me home, gets me to the library, gets me food (from the store), basically I use it the way most people use a car. Even though the bike serves a very utilitarian function for me, I still find great joy in every moment I spent using it. There is something uniquely sublime about the act of using your own body to power your travel. Runners speak of a runners high, the same holds true for bikers. You get into a “zone” where everything seems effortless, and the world is beautiful as it zips on past.

It was such a joy then to be able to participate in Hub On Wheels, an annual bike event in the city of Boston that raises money to support technology in public school classrooms. The real joy of the day was seeing so many bikers, young and old, experienced and novice, out for a great ride.

Mayor Menino was there, as was John Kerry. I am happy that the Mayor has started to ride, and I have to admit, Kerry is pretty fast on his ride. The ride has something for everyone. You could go fast medium or slow, and you could do the long route (45 miles) or the short route (25 miles). I opted for the long-fast, this was no race but it is fun to go fast.

I met some really nice people along the route, and had some great thrills. When you ride with a lot of people who know what they are doing some pretty amazing things happen. You can rely on the people in front of you to point out road hazards (often with a quick flick of the wrist and a point downward), or you will hear “BRAKE!” or “HARD LEFT!” and you know what you can expect. You also get to draft. Anyone who rides alone will have never experienced just how much fun drafting is. The person in front of you punches a hole in the air, and you jump right in behind them. On this ride we took turns breaking the wind, forming little chains, hopping from chain to chain to get into a group going your speed.

I was awash with just how amazing it is to get a bunch of riders all in one place. We took over some of the largest roads in the city and we packed hundreds of people into the space you could only fit a dozen or so if they were each in a car. We moved fast too, what would have been a traffic jam, was instead a wave of swiftly moving pedal powered humans.

Below are many more pictures from the event. I can’t wait till next year.

Continue reading Monday Confessional (Special Hub On Wheels Edition) →