When I was younger, two of my friends and I decided we would sign up for a triathlon together. The competition was set up like a relay, with each of us participating in a separate part: swimming, biking and running. Two of us were swimmers, and the other was a runner. I ended up committing to the biking portion.
Admittedly, we weren’t incredibly competitive — we were in middle school and we signed up mostly for fun, but we still wanted to perform well. My friend and I set out to improve our biking skills together, and we quickly started upping our mileage biking lap after lap around my hill-filled neighborhood. We were working hard, but we were also having fun — we’d stop outside our old school to take a lunch break on the curb and would chat and hangout for a few hours before her parents would pick her up back at my house.
I might not be training for a triathlon anytime soon, but since then, I’ve loved biking. I enjoyed being able to exercise outside, but never really got into running and didn’t feel like short hikes or walking were always enough of a workout for me.
Biking is like a key to the outdoors: it’s a way to see the environment, experience nature and work on some cardio while doing so. Sure, trendy gym-based or otherwise indoor cycling classes are fun and they’re a great way to find some fitness, but if you’re like me and you’d prefer to see some sights while working out, the good old-fashioned outdoor bike ride is a great option.
While I’ve been into biking for years, I only recently got back into it. I love biking back home in the northern Midwest where we have biking trails with hills and amazing views. On the other hand, I don’t have a bike at school, which you might think is a prerequisite. A quick search online can result in plenty of bike rental options found in nearby parks or recreational areas.
When you’re on the bike, it’s easy to let your worries take the (theoretical) backseat. It’s a way to get your mind off of the stress of daily life and just focus on your wheels on the trail and the environment around you. Whether you’re an experienced biker who’s just taken a break for a while or you’re not even quite sure if you can take your training wheels off, consider finding the time to take a ride.
