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Sidelong Cyclingby John Whiteley, President 1995-1996June 2000Why did you purchase your first bicycle? Was it for recreation? Fitness? Transportation? Impulse? How about your latest bike purchase? Have your wants and needs changed over time? Have you even made a recent bike purchase? Is your ardor over two-wheeled transportation cooling due to a lack of new challenges? Have you ever considered touring? Now, this article is aimed more at those club members who are new to the sport or who may feel like they’re in a rut. You know, it’s Sunday and another club ride this afternoon. Ho-hum. (Not that the rides are boring - quite the contrary! -- but after a while just getting ready for another 20-mile weekend ride can seem to be more than the effort is worth.) There are a number of club members who have explored our great nation, and even the world, on their bicycles. And listening to their tales re-sparks the old interest in cycling. No, we’re talking to those who are looking for new outlooks in life and who may want to incorporate cycling in their plans. We’re talking about touring. First, let’s get a couple of definitions straight. When we speak of "touring" we really mean "traveling." There’s a difference between a "tourist" and a "traveler." A tourist is usually found in an RV, on a passenger cruise ship, or on a tour bus. The men wear Bermuda shorts, socks with sandals, and carry cameras on a strap around their necks. The women wear funny straw hats and big sunglasses. Tourists are enthralled by roadside kitsch and marvel that the Wal-Mart in Truth and Consequences, New Mexico, is just like the Wal-Mart in Hixson, Tennessee. Travelers, on the other hand, try to be as unobtrusive as possible as they seek to learn about and experience new cultures and environments. Travelers tend to not travel in large groups, but rather by ones and twos, and they’ll seek out the more inexpensive restaurants and accommodations because, after all, that’s where they’ll be able to interact with the locals. So why do we call it "bicycle touring?" Probably because everyone who rides a bicycle is actually traveling, even if it’s only to the corner store, while riding further afield has been called touring. In any event, it’s called bicycle touring but it’s best done by a traveler, not a tourist. Yr. Obd’t. Svt. considers himself to be a traveler, never having taken an organized tour in his life. Having visited Europe, Asia, Africa, and many Pacific and Indonesian islands over the course of a 31-year career, the definition of traveler seems to fit. And the travel bug continues to bite. The question next arises, is the bicycle necessary for traveling? Of course not, but it is, after all, one of the things we like to do so the bicycle often figures in travel plans. In fact, two trips in their early planning stages are to Nova Scotia and to Ireland, and both trips will involve cycling. A third trip to Honduras will probably just be a vicarious re-enactment of a Hemingwayesqe lifestyle -- and in that event, cycling would be truly hazardous! So, if your cycling seems to have become stale, dream a little bit. Visit the library or a bookstore and cruise the travel books. Let your mind wander to narrow, cobblestoned streets drenched in history or to palm-fringed islands drenched in sunshine. Plan on moving at the pace of a bicycle, stopping to meet the locals, and traveling at your own pace. Throw away your wristwatch, calendar, and heart rate monitor, and experience life. And don’t forget to wave when you see me pass. Have fun, Don’t fall John PS: Two highly recommended magazines for those of us with wanderlust are Trips – A Travel Journal (155 Filbert St., Suite 245, Oakland, CA 94607, phone 510/834-3433) and Big World (sorry, I don’t have the address with me). PPS: Yr. Obd’t. Svt. is experiencing a new part of the world. His employment in Puerto Rico has come to a (hopefully temporary) end, and he’s now the captain of a Dynamically Positioned Utility Vessel operating out of Dulac, Louisiana. Look for future stories about bicycling on the Bayous!
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