I am the (bike) Elite

While it never fails that at least once a week someone yells at me while I’m on my bike, I’m trying to slowly let these altercations slide off my back. At first, yes, it makes me angry, then sad and eventually I just feel empathy for the (you guessed it), car driver.

I used to think “How dare they, the privileged ones, in their warm and cozy vehicles, yell at me for getting in their way for exactly five seconds”? Or “Is their destination more precious than mine, that they can’t wait for me to get around this mound of snow that’s on the bike lane, instead of passing fast and furious, putting my life in danger”?

But now I get it: the reason they’re angry is because I’m the privileged one. I’m the Elite.

I’m the person who chose to cut one vehicle from the household fleet because I can.

I’m the person who gets to save $200/month in parking, $400+/month in car payments, $1,600+/year in car insurance, and $80/week in gas, not to mention the maintenance costs – and that’s just for that ONE vehicle that we removed from our household.

I’m the person who gets to get on her bike, no matter the weather, +30C or -30C, rain or snow, sunrise to sunset.

I’m the person who gets to parade around the office, still wearing my helmet after riding for 45 minutes in the dead of winter, to show off what a badass I am, while they try to recover from their stressful, bumper-to-bumper drive to work.

I am truly the privileged one.

Sometimes I’m afraid of them, sometimes I’m cold, sometimes I’m hot. But all the while I’m crazy joyful. My bike makes me happy and opens my eyes to how truly beautiful my surroundings are. 

And I’m lucky enough, healthy enough (and smart enough) to do it year-round