Bicycle Lingering

July 8, 2011

We always talk about bicycle travel. But what about bicycle lingering?

Bicycle lingering is that ability to stop forward motion, pause, and soak up what is around you.

Cafes. Ice cream parlors. Roadside restaurants. City parks. Riverside picnic tables. They all call out for you to park your bike and linger.

I am amazed at how many bike travelers hop on their bikes for a day's ride and rarely stop. Sure, they might stop to fix a flat or to take off a jacket, or to pause to look at their map. But "lingering" isn't in their vocabulary. They zoom to their next destination and check into a hotel or campsite.

What's the hurry? As far as I know there is no podium to stand on at the end of a day of bike travel.

Unlike a bicycle race, I believe it is more likely for the participant who arrives last at the end of a day's ride, to have reaped the most rewards.

Learn the art of lingering and you will be a better traveler for it.

Photos by Willie Weir

—

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS is posted every other Friday. Willie Weir is a columnist for Adventure Cyclist magazine. His latest book Travels with Willie: Adventure Cyclist will inspire you to hit the road and just might change the way you approach bicycle travel. He lives in Seattle with his wife Kat. You can read about their adventures at http://yellowtentadventures.com.