Editor's Statement
Ride bikes, stumble into awesome situations. It’s not the only way to find unexpected fun, just the one I’m most familiar with. Heading out for a pedal with no particular destination in mind and the willingness to take an unplanned detour has served me well, both in stories to tell and people I’ve forged friendships with.
Take the above image, shot at a late-night, secret-handshake party under a bridge in Freiburg, Germany. An evening of aimless riding on bikeways and dirt footpaths along the Dreisam River led to us running into a fellow with a dozen cases of beer, a couple of boomboxes and some sketchball electrical wires heading into the water. The invite to come back and party later at least seemed to be made in earnest and didn’t appear to be an opportunity to be passed. None of it would have been possible without bikes, or with an agenda.
There is a time and place for more planned excursions, just not every ride. Dead ends and doubling back on steep climbs be damned, there’s good stuff just waiting to be found. It’s easy to fall into riding the same old familiar routes—I fall victim as much as anyone—but worth pushing into less familiar territory. Think unplanned turns, unfamiliar roads, different ways of riding.
Step out of your zone. You might find something you like.