Kids on Bikes!

April 27, 2012

Kids on Bikes! They make me smile. They give me hope for the future.

We met the kids on the left up in Northern Thailand. In a country that has fully embraced the scooter, it was rare for us to see anyone on a bike. These kids were doing some off-roading, and stopped long enough to check out the adults (an even stranger sighting) on bikes.

The kids on the right were pedaling near the town of Guarico, Venezuela. Gas is so cheap in this country that bikes aren't used much. But this little town has seen a resurgence in recreational cycling.

These images give me hope. Kids on bikes become adults on bikes. Adults who are healthier, who are more connected to their environment, who use less of our precious natural resources, and who are more likely to teach their kids to ride bikes. And the cycle continues!

 

Photos by Willie Weir

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS is posted every other Friday. Willie Weir is a columnist for Adventure Cyclist magazine. His books, Travels with Willie and Spokesongs, will inspire you to hit the road, and 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.

Comments

Anonymous August 4, 2011, 7:08 PM

Woops: There is a link to the proposed changes in the third-to-last paragraph.

Anonymous August 4, 2011, 5:59 PM

I'm curious to know what you find in the TA is "bad." I read that it's rather ambiguous on when to implement bicycle-friendly (Well, friendlier) rumble strips. I'd be curious to know what language you would like to see changed in the current TA. Can you post a revised (with additions, deletions and modifications) version of the TA?

Don't get me wrong, I want bike-friendly highways! I've ridden on highways where a 9" shoulder has a 6" rumble strip and hit one. It nearly knocked my glasses off! THAT doesn't seem safe...

Danny August 4, 2011, 2:41 PM

Keep up the good work guys. I dream that one day bicyclists will be treated as equals on the roads in the US.

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