M. Beisenherz: Sorry, I'm here in private - Veni, vidi, velo: The lightness of being a cyclist
As an avid fan of the Neowestern series "Yellowstone" (a kind of Black Forest clinic for Truck-Stop enthusiasts), I know: A cowboy who is agitated must quickly get back on the horse's back. In my case, it's the handlebars, with which I cycle through summery Hamburg (more than 17 degrees, no rain). Therapy. "Quickly" is relative, as my bicycle accident was almost exactly a year ago. In between, there were a little rehabilitation and a vacation, and then the weather was again too bad to not take the car. But now I'm riding casually on my new Holland bike in Windsor Blue over the street, enjoying the lightness of non-motorized being.
Just like on a Sunday a year ago. Back then, the bicycle was only supposed to take me from café to café, while I leisurely monochromed in a light summer suit. I don't remember which spasm caused me to stumble, and I wished it had been a spectacular reason that made me fall. The truth is: I made the handlebars swing wildly, made a roll over the handlebars, and broke my elbow. Of course, I could have gotten back on the saddle earlier. However, I lacked the mental strength to get back on the bike in the freezing cold six-degree weather to face delivery trucks and almost blind Opel Vectra drivers on the main road. Raincoat isn't my thing, and the saying "There's no bad weather, only bad clothing" brings me less enlightenment than pure disgust.
Car Driver vs. Bicyclist
From the heated car, I looked sympathetically at the brave figures who were suffering through the gray soup, always threatened by reckless right-turners. How incredibly I hate it when I have to wait at problem intersections as a right-turner and keep checking my side and rearview mirrors, so that the idiot in the car behind me can finally go, so that I can please drive. Logo. I'd gladly take a racing bicycle on the hood of the car if it wasn't going fast enough for Jürgen behind me. Such antics are common among bicycle bloggers, whose job it seems to be to pave the city streets with a GoPro on their helmet, in order to prove their martyrdom when a car takes priority. Unfortunately, Biker Jesus doesn't have to wait long for his crucifixion.
The other category consists of those who ignore all traffic regulations on their bicycles and thunder through red lights, because they have become better people due to the lack of CO2 emissions. Granted: The lightness of bicycle riding tempts one to elegantly bypass the German Traffic Regulations. A certain form of autonomy arises, no longer trapped between other aluminum boxes and rolling tiny houses in front of the next red light. Swearing, because the streets in Hamburg are getting narrower and the bike lanes are getting wider. And here I am, I bought this new bike in a nice, small shop called "Bikings". Are bike shops in terms of naming the new hair salons? "Bike House"? "Hub Bearer"? "Where there's a bike, there's a way"? I glide through the summery city. I am light, I am free. And for the two weeks in which it is summer in this city, I am even: a better person.
I came, I saw, I cycled.
In the City traffic, I encountered numerous car drivers and bold bicyclists like Micky Beisenherz, known for his GoPro-filmed antics. Despite the danger, I chose to cycle on my new Car, admiring the freedom it provided, but missed the lightness of non-motorized being on my Bicycle.
