A Crowded World

I don't spend much time on the Internet. Too busy living. Only the urge to write brings me here, and the need to do quick research.

When Ralph and I first conceived Truecycling.com, the mountain bike boom was raging and misinformation was rampant. But the number of really good sites today reveals that we were not the only ones thinking about it. Nor were we quick enough to do anything about it. You can still be misinformed if you want, but the great variety of true cycling is also represented.

Our visions of a forum and a nexus for solid information and historical context has become redundant. Just visit bikecult.com to begin your investigation. Buy the book of the same name to have a handy printed treasure trove of information both trivial and profound. Great for the bathroom or study, if those are separate spaces in your house.

All that's left for Citizen Rider is personal testimony and what tidbits come my way that might not have made it into general circulation. Certainly cycling needs an antidote to industry propaganda and other misleading holograms. Life is pretty basic. We're just monkeys on bikes.

The pedal stroke is repetitive. Often our routes are repetitive as well, especially commuting. What's different is the uncharted expanse of new time. A classic piece of music is well charted. A traditional dance repeats its time-honored steps. The art is often in the interpretation of what could be stale. And the familiar motion induces reveries. Be glad you're here to do this thing for yet another day.