Run-ins

Life in Toronto as a cyclist can be a little disheartening at times, what with all the traffic, pollution and ever expanding urban fringe. There are days though on which being a cyclist is a great way to connect with other people. As an activity it is something with which most people can associate, after all we all had bikes when we were kids.

On Saturday, another one of those odd days we've been having of late with sun intermingled with flurries (these seem to consist of giant dollops of snow flakes falling out of the sky), I had three great encounters.

The first was at my daily muffin stop (hey, I'm skinny enough to love my pastries). Two gentlemen let me go ahead in the line, a very nice gesture. They proceeded to ask about "where I was from", "how far was I riding" and "did I like riding in the cold"? I find meetings like this of such a human scale- where they are genuinely interested in my efforts rather than trying to run me off the road- a regenerative process for my spirit.

My other two encounters,as I was riding along, were brief. The first was in the middle of one of the afore mentioned flurries with everything slowly turning white. From the side of the road a guy walking along yells, "Yeah! never say die man!" He was loving it. The second was a man at the bus stop, who as I cycled by said, "hey, be careful out there."

Run-ins like this happen all the time and are great personal interactions, no matter how brief. Some of the best of these are seeing other cyclists you know. Riding in the city you tend to see the same people quite often, and later at the Jet Fuel get to share stories of how your ride was that day.

Cycling is a great communicator that everyone can associate with. On a bike we're all human, while in a car the flesh is lost. Connecting with our neighbours seems to be something we are doing less and less, it's a shame that it is so often left to the chance encounter.