I ride so I don’t have to sit in traffic all day,
I don’t have to look for a parking space,
I don’t have to…… the list goes on, but this is a good thing because it’s so much fun screaming across town like a bat out of hell. And that’s just the delivery side of things.
I ride bikes so I can build them,
I build bikes so I can ride them,
I ride bikes ’cause it just makes life that much better.

—John Chotkowski
Edible Pedal

I ride because of the feeling of being part of nature, the world and the universe — riding removes me from the stress of life — and puts me in a happy place.

—Kenneth Scott

I rode my bike that summer day, instead of taking the subway. When I left the rooftop party at my friend’s apartment, I was happy to clamber onto my bike and push off toward Riverside Park, heading north. I relished the vital feeling of my legs pushing against the pedals.

The sun was setting in brilliant oranges across the Hudson River. I jumped off halfway home, set my bike on the ground, and spent the next twenty minutes meditating and taking pictures of what was in front of me. I watched families walk by, lovers snuggle on a bench, and joggers bounce past with happy dogs. I felt as though the sunset was not only lighting up my face and those of the people around me, but lighting me up from within.

These moments are given to me by my bike almost every time I ride.

—R. Alden Wicker

—Matthew Lucero

I ride because every time I get on my bike, no matter how bad the weather is outside or how old I get, I feel like these kids. Free.

—Philip Lengden

I live in Chicago and sometimes take the long way home from work through Humboldt Park.

—Anne Patterson

—Jonathan D. Weaver