The 2009 Brita Climate Ride

By participating in the 2009 Brita Climate Ride, a 5-day, 300 mile bicycle tour from New York City to Washington, DC, I decided that my recovery is complete. I'm not the same person that I was before my accident-- my ability to ride a bike fast, run, or jump have vanished. But in their place I have gained qualities that are quite elusive-- patience, peace of mind, and perspective. If someone had offered me this swap, I would have certainly turned them down. But this was not my choice-- it was thrust upon me, and I've made the best of my situation.

The biking was challenging, just the way I like it. We started in Central Park, Manhattan, early Saturday morning. We rode through town, hopped on a ferry to New Jersey, and made it to Princeton in time to set up our tents before it started raining. The sound of rain dancing off your tent is soothing, but it makes for a mess when it comes time to pack things up. In the morning, we started off in a slight drizzle and wet roads, but I stayed comfortable with two critical pieces of equipment: a Euro-style cycling cap to keep the rain out of my eyes, and a rear fender on the rear wheel to keep the water from spraying my butt. The lunch stop was exquisite. I ordered Nachos Supreme, which revitalized me for the whole afternoon. The only incident was a ten minute span in which it rained so hard that I couldn't see the cyclist in front of me. Then it stopped just as suddenly as it started, and to our delight, a rainbow appeared.

Day three was the hardest. There were numerous hills and a brutal headwind. Pausing at a rest stop to eat a nutella and banana sandwich, four danishes (one of each flavor), and a bag of kettle chips definitely raised my spirits. Still, I was completely exhausted at the end of the day, and I was delighted that we could stay in cabins and dry all our wet equipment. My cycling buddy decided we would make a fire in our wood-burning stove, but we succeeded only in filling the room with smoke all night. Not quite what we had in mind.

Anna and I began day four with soot and tar in our lungs, but the sun shined brilliantly, making for a great day of cycling. When we arrived at camp that night, it was hard to believe that we only had one day left. But at the same time, I was wiped out, my limp was extremely pronounced, and my butt was sore from being in the saddle for so long. Still, nothing that a good night's sleep couldn't fix.

The final day was awesome. We had a lot of downhill heading into DC, making for a quick 50 miles in the morning. Rather than stopping in Silver Spring for lunch with everyone else, Bonnie and I powered on to Mt. Pleasant. After taking showers and changing into fresh clothes, we sat on my front porch, ate pizza, drank coke, and relished our great bike tour.

After this interlude, we rejoined the group in Georgetown to ride to the Capitol and make our political statement. It was the same day that the Climate Bill was introduced in Congress, making our event extra special.

One thing I appreciated about participating in Climate Ride 2009 was meeting so many talented, friendly people who had committed their careers, and personal lives, to a great cause. While the issues of climate change are multi-dimensional and complicated, one thing is very clear. Each person that regularly rides a bike makes the world a significantly better place to live. It frees us from traffic congestion, noise, pollution, and dependence on foreign oil. It lowers obesity rates, reduces cardiovascular disease, and prevents type 2 diabetes. Cycling builds friendships, connects us to our environment, and helps us recognize and enjoy the beauty of our immediate surroundings. It makes us more energetic, fit, and physically attractive. These are the things we want, right? As a society, we don't have to spend billions of dollars to get them. We can have it right now!