The View from Behind: Cycling Travel, Growth, and Life

My view from behind as Niko and rode across the wooden bridge into Rapperswil. NOTE - I'm not sure bikes were permitted on this bridge, so if you go there, check the signs first.

Ahhh, Summer! It is simply and always my favorite season.

I just returned from a wonderful adventure traveling throughout Switzerland with my family. While my wife Courtney attended a conference at the University of Zurich, my 16-year-old, Niko I got to spend a few days biking a loop that took us from Zurich to Rapperswil-Jona.

We cruised along the shores of Lake Zurich with its crystal clear water and beautiful bike paths. As we progressed out of the city, we took in the rolling farmland, adorable cows, and quiet villages. Arriving in Rapperswil, we crossed a remarkable centuries-old wooden bridge and enjoyed a day and night in this beautiful, sleepy town filled with cobblestone alleyways and abundant outdoor eateries.

We were, unfortunately, riding in the midst of a heat wave with temperatures in the 90's on both days of our trip. But luckily we had rented e-bikes. This was a first for me, as I used to think that riding one was cheating...now I just think they are awesome, especially on ultra hot days! When the afternoon heat became too much despite the pedal assist, we took refuge at a local community center where we swim, downed popsicles, and read in the shade for a few hours until we were refreshed enough to head back out.

The highlight of my trip, however, has less to do with the spectacular scenery and the cool bike, and had everything to do with my riding partner.

Riding with Niko was incredibly special. Sometimes we'd ride side by side, take in the sights, and team up to decipher the navigation app on the fly. If you are a parent of a teen, you probably relate to having to find "your strategy" for getting them into a meaningful conversation. Mine used to to be biking them to school as an 6th and 7th grader. But kids grow up, and they stop needing you to ride them to school. So it was once again a treasure to be able to ride and chat - about nothing, about everything. Its everything.

Like other bike trips we've taken since Niko could balance on two wheels, they'd occasionally speed ahead for a while, enjoying a little solitude that every 16 year old needs when traveling with their parent. This used to worry me, my little cyclist out on the road, in a different country, riding alone. As they grew older, it used to annoy me. My big cyclist, dropping their mama on hill after hill. How rude!

But on this year's trip, I noticed something new. Niko had downloaded the cycling app and quietly taken over the majority of the navigation. I spent more and more of the ride pedaling behind and happily following their lead through a country neither of us had ever explored before. Rather than fear or even joking annoyance, I found myself filled with that in the moment nostalgia you get when you are know you're simultaneously doing and making a memory that you realize is fleeting. I found myself drinking in that lovely mix of emotions that this brought:

• Gratitude: for this precious time, for my health, and for a kid who happily hopped on a bike with their 56 year old spandex clad mom.

  
  

• Joy: the same quality of joy that I felt as a 10 year old out on the road on my own or crossed the finish line of the ALC. Its a joy that only comes on a bike.

  
  

• Awe: that beautiful full feeling of watching your kid as the little person they once were, admiring the amazing human that they are, and exploding with the sense of possibility of who they will likely become.

My trip and time with Niko was just another reminder of something that I have come to know - bicycles are magic machines.

For me, cycling is a catalyst for so many of the things I love and value. They are vehicles for adventure. They are a conduit for connection. They are a wonderful excuse to share time and experiences with the people that I love.

A bike ride has the power to take you to a new place and back in time all at once. Bikes allow you to ride like your 10 year old self, as you travel alongside your teenager. They help us to continue to grow, and stretch, and discover.

Travel and adventure on a bike has brought me so much joy, particularly over the past decade, as I've moved into my 50's. Its one of the reasons why Victoria and I have launched #Badassbikebitches. Over the next many years, we plan to take BABBS from being a passion-project/side-hustle to being our retirement jobs. We plan to spend our 60's and beyond continuing to introduce women, ages 40+ to the magically community they can find on a bike.

And, we refuse to travel without all of you! So whether you're coming along for a 15 miler on a Saturday, training with us for a metric, or looking forward to one of our soon to be launched weekend get-aways (and larger trips from there)...we'll be riding right behind you, feeling that gratitude, joy, and awe at what we have all built together!