The Hamster People

I ride my bicycle at night a lot. I have actually come to love riding at night, especially on warm summer evenings. It is at night that I most often see wildlife, I frequently have the bike trails to myself, and traffic is usually much lighter and much less angry.

On one of my regular routes from work to home I pass a large fitness center. The building is made up of floor to ceiling glass windows right at street level, so at night time you can see all of the people working out inside. On many summer nights I have passed what looks like a regular Spinning class. Now I know that a lot of people really enjoy Spin Classes (and for those of you who don’t know what it is you can read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indoor_cycling ) but I really just don’t understand it. In fact when I really think about it I start laughing out loud (which, once again makes me look like some deranged guy on a bicycle.)

Seriously though, when you think about it…spinning is like watching human sized hamsters running on their bicycle shaped hamster wheels. People in these classes sit on their butts while driving up and down hills to the fitness center, climb on to a bicycle that has been re-designed to not go anywhere and welded to the floor and then pretend to ride up and down hills...only to get back into their cars and drive back home (up and down hills.)

When riding a bicycle outside, you are able to see and smell and hear and feel and experience the world around you first hand in a way that is profound and yet intimate. The very act of traveling becomes exercise, self propelled power that tests your body against the challenges of nature, fatigue and your own desire. It simultaneously forces you to interact and respond to a rapidly changing horizon and landscape. Your body goes through the torment of every climb to earn the glorious prize promised from each descent. Muscle and Machine work together to move you cleanly and efficiently forward in a way that is so carefree you almost forget the humbling and beautiful fact that you are your own source of power, your fuel is the bounty of the land, and your exhaust the sweat from your brow and quiet sigh of joy let out slowly at the end of the day looking back on the miles crossed, the worlds explored and the journeys yet to be had…

And people trade it for a sweaty guy in the front of the room with a microphone telling you to pretend you are pedaling really fast up a hill?