Why I Started Biking
Bike Streets Note: We met Amber, whose story about her own personal transportation transformation follow, on our Rockies ride. She embodies the hope and enthusiasm we’re trying to build in the community: that a life empowered and enriched by getting around on a bike is something you can do. You can read more about Amber’s journey and bike advocacy on Medium @Amberlynny.
By Amber Lynn Yandow
A year ago I wouldn’t have dreamed of giving up my car and biking to the grocery store but last year I started dating Bradley and he preferred that we did. I had some practical concerns like how we would carry our groceries and whether biking would limit how much we can carry. He suggested that we carry food in backpacks and buy a bike rack. While those are perfectly sound suggestions, the idea made me uncomfortable.
We would sometimes argue. Bradley wanted to bike the 12-mile round trip to our weekly Euchre meetup. But the route was exposed to dangerous car traffic and seemed long. Bradley wanted to bike to our friend’s barbecue but I felt weird about bringing our dish to pass in a bookbag.
Ultimately, I was concerned that biking everywhere would decrease my quality of life. Won’t I sweat and smell? I won’t be able to wear cute clothes and heels. The helmet will mess up my hair. It’ll take longer to get places. What if it rains? Isn’t biking unsafe? And what will people think? The thought of biking to a store and shoveling my fruits and veggies or even a new Anthropologie lace top into a backpack mortified me.
Despite my objections, Bradley remained hopeful that I would come around to the idea and suggested we start small by biking to Ball Arena for Denver Nuggets games. If my relationships over the last twenty years have taught me anything, it's the art of compromise.
The Nuggets have 1-2 home games per week between October and June and our apartment was just over two miles from the arena. Driving to the arena took twenty minutes with the game traffic. Then we had to find and pay for parking which was usually about a ten minute walk away. Biking to the arena took 15 minutes and we had free front row parking since the bike racks are only 50 feet from the entrance. Riding to the arena was a no-brainer.
Then at the end of game two of the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers we had to ride home in a monsoon. Rain droplets poured from the black sky crashing into the front of my body like a plunging wave… alright that's a bit dramatic but it was my first time riding in the rain! I was nervous but Bradley assured me we were set up for success. We had rain jackets that night and he made sure we had mounted lights on our front and rear for visibility before we left the house. We had made it up the hill and onto the flat neighborhood bikeway close to our home. Water was dripping from my helmet onto my nose as I tried to catch my breath. My hands were cold and wet much like the rest of my body. “Almost home,” I thought. I noticed Bradley approaching on the left. He was gleefully singing. “Are you enjoying this?” I asked. “I love riding in the rain”. He had a childlike whimsy look in his eye. I couldn’t resist and started to sing-along. The ride in the rain began to feel freeing and a bit thrilling. Of course, being on the calm, quiet and relatively car-free neighborhood bikeway helps. I felt safe with him. He guided us home in the rain while avoiding danger and somehow made it fun. That night, as Bradley slept peacefully, I wondered, were my objections to biking irrational and superficial?
Before the rainy night ride home, I was concerned biking everywhere would make life harder but so far that’s been untrue. Granted, there were a few growing pains. You do sweat, but buying clothing made from synthetic fabrics helps a ton. You will likely need to make more frequent trips to the store since you can only carry so much, however this was not a problem for me since I’ve always preferred fresher ingredients and shy away from bulk purchasing. It’s also necessary to learn how to ride a bike in a city much like you learn how to drive. There are a few different rules for bicycles and it's important to understand them for your safety and everyone else's. For example, the safety stop law was passed in Colorado in 2022. This allows cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs and red lights as stop signs thus allowing bikers to move quickly through dangerous intersections and avoid driver blind spots. This used to frustrate me as a driver but after biking around town I understand why it's necessary.
The health and community benefits gained through biking are numerous. Each day I ride, I feel a noticeable reduction in my stress levels and I feel more energized. I run into fellow bike enthusiasts on the trails all the time. The community events are fun and frequent. Biking has motivated me to get involved with local politics and learn more about the hazards of prioritizing cars over people. Biking has helped me be a happier, healthier, more supportive partner and human.