Why I Ride

On February 24th, Bill Crisp was riding bicycles with a group of 5 when a wreck happened in front of him.  When he struck another rider, he was catapulted over his handlebars, striking his forehead.  His helmet, later found to be broken into five pieces, saved his head.  It couldn't save his neck.

Bill's accident has left him with serious injuries.  He is currently hospitalized after undergoing emergency surgery.

This one hits close to home for several reasons.  First, Bill is my friend.  We've spent a lot of time on bikes together.  Second, I was there with him, from moments after the accident until the ambulance carried him away.  Thirdly, it could happen to any of us.

Maybe you've seen us, riding the back roads and country lanes.  On this particular day, we had been up Carr Creek Road in Townsend.  We had all left from the same place.  I wasn't with Bill's group but was with another group that had taken the long way around Townsend.

Just the Thursday before, I was with Bill and about 25 others who rode bikes to Elkmont and back for Bill's 75th birthday.  His wife met us there with bananas and muffins and then back at Cycology Bicycles with pizzas upon our return.  It was a great day.

If you've seen groups of riders, you may have noticed that we seem to ride awfully close together. People ask why we ride so close.  It's hard to explain.

Part of it is the nature of the sport.   It's almost like being on a team, where everybody moves and works together.  It seems odd but it's also like dancing--with everything moving together.   It is also a means by which riders of different levels can ride together.  Just like in NASCAR, drafting is a real advantage.  

After Bill's accident, someone suggested to me that we should stay 10 feet apart for every 10 mph we are traveling.  That wouldn't be biking as I know it.  Riding in a group allows you to go farther and faster and builds friendships and camaraderie that are hard to find these days.

But Bill's injury makes me do a lot of things and today it makes me stop to think why I ride.

I ride to be with others in a trusting relationship.  You've got to be able to trust those that you ride with, otherwise you can't ride together.  And you've got be trustworthy or there will be accidents.   

I ride because I didn't have brothers growing up.  I've got several now.  Steve, Ken, Clark, Rat...actually there are too many to name.  How great is that?

I ride because I can't play basketball anymore, a game I truly love.  It's been a long time since I could run for exercise (bad knees) but I should be able to bike for many years to come.

I ride because my health is important to me and exercise is essential to good health.  It's really hard to be healthy without exercise. 

I ride to feel the air around me, to be a part of the world, to move with grace and speed that aren't options to me in any other arena.  I ride to share this sport with others so that they can discover the joy that I find on two wheels.

I will continue to ride despite the injuries to my friend.  He will be the first to tell you that he was hurt doing something he loved.  That this was an accident, nothing more, nothing less.

And if he thought that his injury would stop me from riding, he would be all over me.  So ride I will.  I hope you understand.