Why I Ride: What Cycling Has Taught Me About Travel, Freedom, and Life

🎧 Prefer to Listen?

Enjoy travel stories and practical tips on Travel Tricks and Tips.

Listen on Spotify   |   Apple Podcasts   |   iHeartRadio

🎧 No time to read? Listen to the podcast version here:

▶ Listen on Spotify  |  ▶ Listen on Apple Podcasts  |  ▶ Listen on iHeartRadio

Biking has become more than a hobby for me. It is the rhythm of my days, one of the ways I explore the world, and a place where my mind feels completely free. Whether I’m cruising on my e-bike, pushing myself on my road bike, disappearing down a quiet trail on my gravel bike, or loading up for a bike-touring adventure, every ride gives me something different.

What makes this passion especially meaningful to me is how it started. Growing up, I never owned a bicycle. I used to watch other kids riding and wished I could experience that same freedom. Eventually, a friend of mine got a bike and taught me how to ride. I was so determined to learn that I probably damaged his bicycle a little in the process. But something clicked. Once I learned to ride, biking became a passion that never really left me.

Today, I own three different bikes, and each has its own personality and purpose. My road bike is for endurance, fitness, speed, and those long stretches of pavement where I can settle into a rhythm. My e-bike is big and heavy, with massive four-inch tires, and feels almost like a tank. My gravel bike doubles as my touring bike and is the one I can load with camping gear and disappear with for days at a time.

That variety is one of the wonderful things about cycling today. There is a bicycle for almost every type of rider and almost every kind of adventure. Road bikes are built for speed and long paved rides. Mountain bikes are designed for rough trails. Gravel bikes can handle pavement and dirt. Touring bikes are designed to carry equipment over long distances. Hybrid bikes work well for casual riding and commuting, while folding bikes make sense for travelers and people with limited storage. Fat bikes can tackle sand and other soft surfaces, and e-bikes have opened cycling to an entirely new group of riders.

But despite all the technology, the heart of cycling has not really changed. You are outside, moving through the world, using your own effort to go somewhere. There is something wonderfully simple about that.

Cycling Is Also Where I Think

On a regular basis, I take my road bike out for endurance and fitness. I put on my cycling gear, get comfortable on the bike, and eventually the rest of the world seems to disappear. My breathing becomes steady, the miles begin passing, and my mind has room to wander.

Some of my best ideas come to me while I’m riding.

There is a kind of solitude on a bicycle that I find difficult to reproduce anywhere else. I can think about life, travel, writing, things I want to create, and sometimes absolutely nothing at all.

Then another cyclist comes along.

Sometimes we simply wave. Sometimes a brief stop turns into a conversation about bikes, routes, equipment, or places we have traveled. That is another part of cycling I love: solitude when you want it and community when it finds you.

The E-Bike Changed the Cycling World

My e-bike has huge four-inch tires. It is big, heavy, and built like a tank. But even though it has electric assistance, I still pedal it. Part of that is because I want to conserve the battery, but mostly I want the exercise.

That is something people sometimes misunderstand about e-bikes. Having a motor does not necessarily mean you stop exercising. You decide how much assistance you want. You can work hard when you want the workout and use more assistance when you need it.

More importantly, e-bikes have allowed many people to experience cycling who might otherwise have found it difficult. They can make longer distances, hills, or keeping pace with a riding partner more manageable.

I see couples riding matching e-bikes together, heading off down trails and exploring places side by side. I've talked to riders who proudly tell me about their bikes and the distances they have covered. You can see their enthusiasm immediately.

I particularly enjoy seeing older riders sharing their adventures and long-distance rides. Cycling doesn't have to be about being the fastest or strongest person on the trail. The important thing is getting out there and riding.

A Bicycle Can Change How You See a City

One of the biggest changes I have noticed while traveling is how much more bicycle-friendly many cities have become.

City bikes have become part of modern urban life. You don't necessarily need to bring a bicycle with you anymore. You can arrive somewhere on vacation or a business trip, find a bike-sharing station, and suddenly you have another way to explore.

I remember being in Montreal on a Sunday and discovering the city bikes. I signed up, got on one, and suddenly what had been a walking day became a bicycle tour of Montreal. I hadn't planned it. That spontaneity was part of what made it memorable.

I've seen bicycle infrastructure developing in cities around the world. Vancouver particularly impressed me. Cycling feels woven into the city's transportation system, with bicycle routes making it much easier to navigate confidently.

When you explore a city by bicycle, you experience it differently than you do from a car. You notice neighborhoods. You smell the restaurants. You hear conversations. You can stop when something catches your attention. A place that might have flashed past your car window becomes somewhere you actually experience.

My Gravel Bike Means Adventure

My gravel bike is also my touring bike, and this is where cycling and travel really come together for me.

I can load it with camping gear, leave home, and disappear for days. I've also traveled by bicycle in other countries. Once everything you need is attached to a bicycle, your perspective changes very quickly.

At the beginning of a loaded touring ride, I almost always have the same thought:

What have I done to myself?

The bicycle feels heavy. The bags feel heavy. You start thinking about all the miles ahead.

Then you ride.

Around five miles in, your body starts adjusting. At ten miles, you're settling into the rhythm. Your breathing becomes steady, the bicycle starts feeling normal, and suddenly the thing that seemed overwhelming when you started has become an adventure.

I think beginning cycling is similar. At first everything can feel awkward. You wonder about the gears, the seat, the traffic, your balance, and whether you're fit enough. Then your confidence grows, your legs become stronger, and eventually you stop thinking about riding the bicycle and simply ride it.

Route 66 Made Me Want Another Bicycle Adventure

During my recent long-distance road trip through New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, I kept encountering Route 66 and its history. I saw sections of the old road and met cyclists who were touring along the historic route.

Seeing them made me want to do it myself someday.

There is something fascinating about experiencing an iconic American road slowly rather than flying down an interstate at highway speed. On a bicycle, you notice the abandoned buildings, old signs, small towns, diners, landscapes, and pieces of history that are easy to miss from a car.

I stopped at the Route 66 Museum in Elk City, Oklahoma, and it brought that history to life for me. The nostalgia, freedom and spirit of the open road are still there. One day, I would love to experience part of that road from the saddle of my bicycle.

Technology Has Made Bicycle Touring Easier

Navigation has transformed bicycle travel. Digital maps can show cycling routes, bicycle-friendly roads, trails and elevation information, making it much easier to explore somewhere unfamiliar.

But I have learned something else from traveling: technology can fail.

Signals disappear. Phones lose connections. Navigation can stop working exactly when you need it.

If I am going somewhere remote, I like having a backup. Downloading maps ahead of time and carrying appropriate offline information can make a tremendous difference when the signal disappears. A bicycle gives you freedom, but preparation helps you keep that freedom.

Choosing the Right Bike

If you're thinking about getting into cycling, don't begin by asking which bicycle is the most expensive or has the most technology.

Start by asking yourself a much simpler question:

What do I want to do with it?

If you want speed and long fitness rides on pavement, consider a road bike. If you want trails and rough terrain, look toward a mountain bike. If you want pavement, dirt roads and touring capability, a gravel bike is incredibly versatile. If your goal is comfortable recreational riding or commuting, a hybrid may be enough. If you want assistance for hills or longer distances, consider an e-bike.

Then make sure the bicycle actually fits you.

I often see people riding with their seats far too low. Proper bicycle fit matters because it affects comfort, control and efficiency. Your saddle height, reach to the handlebars and overall riding position should feel natural rather than cramped or painfully stretched.

Saddles are another area where new riders sometimes make assumptions. A large, heavily padded seat may look more comfortable, but comfort on a long ride depends on proper fit and support, not simply having the widest saddle available. What feels wonderful for ten minutes isn't necessarily what will feel best after several hours.

For longer rides, I also consider padded cycling shorts one of the most worthwhile pieces of equipment. They reduce friction and make hours in the saddle considerably more comfortable.

Most importantly, test ride the bicycle before you buy it whenever possible. Shift the gears, use the brakes, feel the steering, check your riding position, and see whether the bicycle feels natural underneath you.

The right bicycle isn't necessarily the fanciest one. It's the one that makes you want to ride again tomorrow.

Safety Comes Before the Adventure

Cycling gives you tremendous freedom, but that freedom comes with responsibility.

Before I ride, I want to know that my tires, brakes, chain and lights are in good working order. A quick inspection takes very little time and can prevent problems later.

And I always wear a helmet.

I've taken a couple of hard falls over the years and ended up with bruises, but thankfully I've never had a serious head injury. A helmet is one rule I don't compromise on.

Visibility is equally important. Lights, reflective equipment and clothing that makes you easier to see can help other road users notice you. When sharing roads with vehicles, I try to ride predictably, signal my intentions and obey local traffic laws.

One of my most important rules happens at intersections: never assume a driver sees you.

If I'm uncertain whether a vehicle is actually stopping, I wait. A few seconds are meaningless compared with the consequences of making the wrong assumption.

Cyclists also need to watch the road itself. Sand, loose gravel, wet leaves, potholes, railroad tracks, pedestrians, animals and suddenly opening car doors can turn an ordinary ride into a dangerous situation very quickly.

And sometimes the danger isn't outside you. It's fatigue. When you're tired, your reactions slow and your decisions become worse. Drink water, take breaks and listen to your body.

Safety isn't about being afraid to ride. Safety is what allows you to keep riding.

The Kindness You Discover From a Bicycle

Some of my favorite bicycle memories aren't really about bicycles at all. They're about people.

During my travels in Peru, I once stopped at a small street vendor because I was curious about food I didn't recognize. Before long, we were laughing and taking pictures together, and she gave me food simply because she enjoyed meeting this curious traveler who had arrived on a bicycle.

Sri Lanka gave me even more stories. I've stayed at schools where a headmaster invited me into his quarters and later decided to join me for part of my ride. I've been invited for tea, offered food and snacks, and experienced acts of generosity I could never have planned.

Something happens when you're traveling slowly on a bicycle. People see you differently.

You're not sealed behind the windows of a car. You're right there in their town, tired, curious, exposed to the weather and moving through their world one mile at a time. Conversations happen naturally.

Those encounters become part of the journey.

Why I Keep Riding

I have gone places on a bicycle that I would never have experienced the same way from inside a car.

That's why cycling has remained part of my life for so long.

My road bike gives me fitness and solitude. My e-bike gives me a completely different kind of riding experience. My gravel bike gives me the possibility of loading up my belongings and heading toward somewhere I haven't been before.

But all three give me the same basic thing that fascinated me when I was a child watching other kids ride past:

Freedom.

That little boy who didn't own a bicycle eventually learned on somebody else's bike. Today, I can load a bicycle with camping equipment, head down the road and let the journey unfold.

Maybe that's why every ride still means something to me.

You don't have to cross a country. You don't have to ride 100 miles. You don't need an expensive carbon bicycle or the latest electronic equipment.

Sometimes you just need a bike, a road or trail in front of you, and enough curiosity to see where it leads.

Get on. Start pedaling. The rest has a way of working itself out.

🎧 If you enjoyed this breakdown, subscribe to the podcast for more episodes like this.

▶ Listen on Spotify  |  ▶ Listen on Apple Podcasts  |  ▶ Listen on iHeartRadio

Discipline keeps you going. Consistency gets you there.

▶ Listen on Spotify | ▶ Listen on Apple Podcasts | ▶ Listen on iHeartRadio

— Fowzer
The Reflective Explorer