The title of this blog post shares a title with an article than ran in The New Yorker on September 16, 2024 and written by Anna Wiener. (If you have an iPhone, you can read this article for free, but without photos, otherwise it’s behind a paywall).

www.newyorker.com/magazine/…

She describes at length her interactions with Grant Petersen and his brand expressed through the company, Rivendell Bicycle Works. I’m not interested in rehashing all of that beyond saying that prior to reading this article, I was not familiar with Petersen or Rivendell. The names had come up in research about bikes but I did not understand the context behind them. Now I can sympathize with Peterson’s desire to resist excessive technology and race oriented features in the bike industry.

My own approach to riding has been similar and I’ve only just begun to tailor a bike to fit my needs instead of adapting to the bike (must more info on this process will be available in other posts). Something I can ride whenever I want, wherever I want, sometimes loaded up with gear, for as short or as long as I want all while being comfortable and confident. A tall order for a modest bicycle.

A career in real estate forces my life into a fast pace without the ability to ever truly shut off work. Being on two wheels is the closest I can get though. I don’t commute by bike because our office in an area of the city that’s not very safe for cyclists (or even motorists) plus my schedule often involves multiple appointments back to back all over the city or county. That means I ride for everything else. Mostly for visiting friends, going to the bar, events, occasionally grocery shopping, and just for fun. To explore.

Exploring means that I’m looking around, following whims, stopping to take pictures and observe. It means I’m going slow. At least relative to the rest of my life.

I’m not sure I’ve perfected this practice into an “art” though. Or that “going slow” is even an art at all. It’s a choice.

I choose to walk outside and get on a bicycle. I choose to leave myself time to get to a destination without being in a rush, if I have one at all. I choose to ride upright so I can observe the world go by at 10-12mph. And what more is a series of choices than a lifestyle?

This is only the start of my journey towards touring the world by bike, but here are the steps I think it will take to get there. These milestones are meant to happen roughly in sequence but also build on each other, repeating old events while tackling new ones over time.

1. Going for a short ride around your neighborhood in a loop from your home with no stops
2. Taking a short ride to meet a friend for coffee or a drink
3. Picking up a few groceries or other items at a shop by bike
4. Commuting to work by bike for a day
5. Going on longer, recreational rides for a few hours after work or on the weekends
6. Riding to a town or city nearby and spending a night or two there in a hotel then riding home
7. Riding and staying in hotels for a week (credit card touring)
8. Riding off road on a gravel or dirt path
9. Acquiring a small tent and going on an overnight camping trip by bike
10. Going on a week long tour that mixes hotel stays and camping
11. Transporting your bike and gear by plane for a bike tour
12. Giving mountain bike riding (single track) a try
13. Hike a bike
14. Riding more varied terrain and climates (hills, mountains, hot, cold, rain, etc.)
15. Going on a two week long bike tour
16. Going on a month long bike tour
17. Taking a sabbatical, being between jobs, or between large projects/career milestones to travel for months or years without a detailed plan

Before you know it, you’ll have developed an insatiable sense for adventure and be on your way to cycling around the world! It all starts with walking out your front door, swinging your leg over the frame, and taking off.