I Love Riding in the City
NAME: Moses Dane
LOCATION: Olympia, WA
OCCUPATION: Student and Employee at The Evergreen State College
Where do you live and what’s it like riding in your city?
I have been riding bicycles since I was old enough to walk and I started riding fixed about four years ago. I left my home, the small City of Albany, CA just north of Berkeley, in 2009 to go to school in Olympia. Riding in Olympia is sometimes scary. The drivers, in my experience, aren’t as attuned to their surroundings so using a bicycle lane is scarier than riding with traffic. When I ride with traffic, I don’t have any pretense that the drivers will act a certain way because of where I am. I can ride aggressively and move where I need to get from point A to point B.
What was your favorite city to ride in, and why?
I would have to say my favorite city to ride is Albany or Berkeley. When I ride there, I feel a sense of comfort that I haven’t found in Olympia. The cars ignore me, and that’s how I like it. I can make decisions without the complication of a driver trying to predict what I’m going to do. I know how to maneuver around moving cars but if they’re trying to do the same with me, it adds a layer of confusion that doesn’t always turn out nicely.
Why do you love riding in the city?
I love riding in the city because I can pass cars at traffic lights and I can weave through traffic as fast or as slow as I need to and still get to where I’m going much more efficiently than the drivers that I pass. I read a quote somewhere that went something like, “When I’m riding, there is nothing else I would rather be doing.” This really represents my feelings when I ride because when I’m not riding, I’m thinking about things I want to do, projects and whatnot. But when I’m riding, all I think about is the road in front of me and my legs and feet propelling me forward. Nothing but the ride is on my mind and it’s one of the best feelings in the world.
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