I got my first bike when I was eight years old. It was a gift from my grandfather. He knew how important it is to own a bike. When he was a young man he worked in a coal mine in the English Midlands. On weekends he went for long rides. It got him out into the countryside away from the city. That is one of the things that my bikes do for me!
My bike was a blue 26 inch one speed Schwinn. My sister who was a year and a half younger than me, got a red 24 inch one speed Schwinn. I remember how excited I was when I saw my bike for the first time! It was in the front hall of my house, and it was shiny and new. To me the bike was the perfect shade of blue. To this day blue is my favorite color. All I had to do was learn to ride it. There was a paved area in a sandlot across the street from my house. My father helped me get started, then I practiced on my own. My father was an artist and an intellectual. When I was a child he read me parts of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens and Finnegans Wake by James Joyce. I still enjoy reading those authors! Our house was filled with music including Mozart and John Coltrane. We had reproductions of Matisse and Picasso on the walls. I am grateful for all the cultural gifts my father gave me, but even more grateful that he was willing to teach me to ride a bike, to catch a fly ball and throw a football. He was not a natural athlete and those things were a challenge for him. I am glad that I have been able to teach my own children to ride bikes!
I rode round and round the pavement until I felt confident to go out onto the street. My sister learned faster than I did, and that was one of the things that spurred me on. I remember what a challenge it was and how determined I was to succeed. Learning a difficult skill as a child provides a model for all the hard things we have to learn as adults! I did not learn to drive until I was in my thirties, and I had to bring the same sense of perseverance to learning to drive as I did to learning to ride a bike.
Once I got out onto the streets, my bike gave me a sense of freedom. I know that is a cliche, but for me it was true! Our family did not own a car, so we walked or rode the bus. My territory expanded with the bicycle. I explored new territory.
There was a hill in front of my house with a sharp blind curve at the bottom. We did not wear helmets or slow down at the bottom of the hill. Sometimes we rode no hands or standing on the bike seat. We were lucky none of us got hit by a car!
Riding a bike is one of the essential skills of childhood. Those skills vary over time but when I was a kid they included swimming, fishing, knife throwing, building forts, rock throwing, making a sling shot, skipping, and making a good snowball. We also had to know how to play basketball, football and baseball.
The September I was 18 was a difficult time in my life. I was still living at home, I had quit high school and had a part time job at the Providence YMCA. Every couple of days my sister and I took long bike rides together. I had a three speed bike and she had a ten speed. Those rides helped keep me sane. I felt close to my sister at that time, and when she died a few years ago, I remembered those rides.
As those of you who read my blogs know, bikes are an important part of my life. I am so grateful that I learned when I was a child. Local Motion and Old Spokes Home run programs that get children bikes. This year I was part of a bike giveaway here in Winooski. It was a pleasure to see how much the children loved their new bikes and how grateful the parents were. I see lots of kids on bikes in Winooski and Burlington and I know some of them got bicycles through the generosity of Local Motion and Old Spokes Home. I urged you to donate to these fine organizations!
About the Author: Peter Burns is a long-time bike enthusiast, and one of the original year-round bike riders in the greater Burlington area. In addition to writing about walking and biking, Peter teaches a variety of bike workshops. He also works at a group home for people with psychiatric disabilities, teaches classes for the Vermont Humanities Council, teaches swimming at the Burlington YMCA, and is a regular host of Storytelling VT. You can contact Peter at [email protected].