April 6 | By Thako Harris
So, last night, I totally made out with this cute guy. I can't believe it! He was wearing a bowtie, which usually isn't my thing, but paired with that hat, the shoes, and several rounds of Aviv—well, the bikes on the wall make me weak. This morning, I woke up with butterflies in my belly. Naturally, I checked my phone to review the evening's social media. I can't remember if we exchanged numbers. Maybe I'll message my friends. Wait. What's that red notification bubble on my Messenger app? That wasn't there a moment ago …Yes!
OK. OK. OK. Call me crazy, but none of that happened. This is my morning-after approximation for the feeling I get when I look at my bike in the morning. I wake up, drag my pre-coffee carcass towards the kitchen and who do I see in the hall? My Croll! I love that handsome devil. That crazy feeling of exciting bad decisions passes through me every time I lay eyes on my bike. I want to share that feeling with as many people as possible. Paint a scarlet A, in this case maybe a B, on my chest, which brings me circuitously to the topic at hand: #30DaysofBiking. However, hold that thought a moment longer.
Back to the aforementioned night. That happened, minus me on Brokeback Mountain. The event at Handsome Cycles was the Dandy Project. I mention it here because this particular juxtaposition of people and bikes blew my mind. Here's the skinny ...
Un-ironically, there were A LOT of handsome people at Handsome bike shop. Not unusual. Bike people come in all sizes, but there is a natural correlation between the love of bikes and the high percentage of handsome. What was unusual, was the fact that there were more than 2 black people in the shop. I use the term loosely. Don't hate. This is about LOVE.
Usually, it's me and maybe one other black person. What's up with that? I mean, there's black people in golf. And tennis! Not sure what the equestrian scene holds, but biking should have more black people feeling the #bikelove. This is where I give Ben, Jesse, and Kent, owners of Handsome, HUGE props. Black people. White people. Brown people. Asian people. "Other" people, as in write in your race on a form people. You know that mess I'm talking about. All chill'n around bikes. Bikes. I love you.
Like #30DaysofBiking, that Handsome event ameliorated the stigma of biking being limited to:
1- I can't afford a car, so I "have to" bike.
and
2- I'm a racer/high-end user. This is hard, and only hard people can suffer this fun.
#30DaysofBiking and the Minneapolis bike scene spark my imagination! I'm excited for what is and what's coming down the lane.
Rider up!
T
Thako Harris is a dad of three, a draw-er, writer, photographer and runner. He's pretty passionate about bikes—and a lot of other things, too. Follow him on Twitter at @ThakoHarris.