Voices of People Who Bike, Part 1: Who bikes, why, and memories!

Among the people who dig biking are the following special individuals. Their enthusiasm was clear when Bicycling Monterey posted a questionnaire in spring 2023; the 16 featured here were the first to respond! The questionnaire posed 40 questions, and we invited everyone to respond to only a couple questions or to as many as they wished. We’re highlighting responses in a series of posts, and this is Part 1. For “Voices” Part 2, “Encouragement, support, barriers, bullying,” click here; Part 3, “Including, inviting, drivers, and inspiring places,” click here; and Part 4, “Infrastructure, Socials, Community, and More,” click here. Your own comments, or questions, are also welcome anytime.

In this first post, learn
who bikes,
and hear their responses to:

Why are you interested in biking?

What types of biking do you find most appealing?

If you biked as a child or teen, what is a favorite memory of biking?

And if you biked as a child or teen, what is a least favorite memory of biking?

Who bikes?

—Skyla, Florida, age 12

—Epic, California, age 12

—Frederic, Pacific Grove, CA, age 15

—Gabe, Santa Barbara, CA, age 27

—Hannah, Santa Barbara, CA, age 28

—Sierra, Connecticut, age 34

—Rae, Monterey, CA, age 40

—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42

—Patrick, Monterey, CA, age 43

—Norm, Pacific Grove, CA, age 48

—Michael, Santa Cruz, CA, age 54

—Frances, rural U.S., age 59

—EJ, country, Illinois, age 60

—Cammie, Fort Myers, FL, age 71

—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72

—Dave, Monterey, CA, age 82

Why are you interested in biking?

Exercise, outdoor activity, feeling of freedom, choosing to not drive a car when I am able.

—Michael, Santa Cruz, CA, age 54

Because my grandpa taught me at a young age. It’s fun…sometimes!

—Epic, California, age 12

To care for the earth.

—Patrick, Monterey, age 43

Transportation, fun, health, climate change.

—Frances, rural U.S., age 59

For health and for saving the earth.

—Dave, Monterey, age 82

I love all outdoor sports and activities, so I just enjoy it!

—Cammie, Fort Myers, Florida, age 71

I’m interested because it’s a fun activity as well as movement/exercise, and you can see cool stuff while biking, and talk with people and explore your town or wherever you’re visiting. I appreciate the different perspectives it gives you and the different things you see while biking. Environmental reasons as well.

—Sierra, Connecticut, age 34 

Relaxation during travel. We carry our e-bikes when we travel. Only have e-bikes.

—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72

Health and enjoyment of nature.

—EJ, country, Illinois, age 60

It’s just really fun to ride your bike! Our neighborhood has a circle that we can ride around.

—Skyla, Florida, age 12

Earth-friendly transportation, exercise, fun.

—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42

It’s really good transportation, especially when I was living in Marina and coming to Monterey. There’s a lot of traffic in the morning, and with an e-bike, it takes me about the same amount of time as driving would. And you get to go along the rec trail, it’s just more refreshing, a lot nicer.

—Rae, Monterey, CA, age 40

I like to get a lot of exercise, I like to have fun, and I like to go places. If there’s a place that’s really far, and there’s something there that I really want, I bike there.

—Frederic, Pacific Grove, CA, age 15

I think it’s a really great way to explore a different city. You see so much more when you’re on a bike versus a car, and you can cover more ground than walking. And it’s fun to do with friends too!

—Hannah, Santa Barbara, CA, age 28

I am just really impressed by bikes and the experience of riding them and how fun it can be. And how fast you can get places. Because of that, I use it as my commuting tool—that’s most of the time I spend on a bike. In general, I just love the experience of riding bikes.

—Gabe, Santa Barbara, CA, age 27

I enjoy outdoor activities. I am interested in electric bikes.

—Norm, Pacific Grove, CA, age 48

What types of biking do you find most appealing?

Recreational and doing errands around town.

—Michael, Santa Cruz, CA, age 54

Mountain biking.

—Epic, California, age 12

Mountain and road.

—Patrick, Monterey, age 43

Commuting, although it would be even more appealing if infrastructure in rural and urban areas was better.

— Frances, rural U.S., age 59

I’ve done a lot of bicycle touring in the past, including coast to coast and the Lewis and Clark Trail from the Pacific Ocean to St Louis. Not doing much long distance cycling these days, but I still like to get out and about.

—Dave, Monterey, age 82

For leisure. There’s a bike path in Sanibel that we especially like to go down and ride on.

—Cammie, Fort Myers, Florida, age 71

Recreational, leisurely riding. I like the idea of running errands by bike, but I don’t really do that. I have friends who bike in Westport with their toddler and they bike to dinner, the store, the beach, etc. because they live close to downtown. I’ve never really lived in a place like that where it’s easy to ride.

—Sierra, Connecticut, age 34 

Rails to trails for the most part. When traveling we try to bike 2-4 hours every other day. When home we only bike 7 miles to a breakfast once a month, over country roads.

—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72

Leisure. In the past I also did bike-a-thons to raise funds for muscular dystrophy, etc. (for example, I would bike over fifty miles, and sponsors contributed per mile that I biked).

—EJ, country, Illinois, age 60

Riding with my friends, around my neighborhood.

—Skyla, Florida, age 12

Doesn’t matter 🙂 I like recreational riding, and transportation/commuting to school, errands, etc.

—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42

It was mountain biking up in Fort Ord, especially because they have a lot of trails there. But now that I tore my ACL, it’s been bike commuting.

—Rae, Monterey, CA, age 40

Commuting. Fortunately most of my commute is separated from motor vehicles, on a bike path. And then I do some trail riding, and I’m a road cyclist as well.

—Gabe, Santa Barbara, CA, age 27

Commuting.

—Frederic, Pacific Grove, CA, age 15

I like trail riding, we just did the coastal trail from Monterey to Marina, and that was really nice.

—Hannah, Santa Barbara, CA, age 28

Leisure biking.

—Norm, Pacific Grove, CA, age 48

If you biked as a child or teen, what is a favorite memory of biking?

Going down a pretty steep trail with new jumps and being up in the air a lot.

—Epic, California, age 12

Doing tricks off ramps.

—Patrick, Monterey, age 43

Being able to bike everywhere with my friends.

—Frances, rural U.S., age 59

Biking on the Monterey Bay coastal trail with my babysitter, my dad, or sometimes my mom.

—Sierra, Connecticut, age 34

Riding the bike I found in a dump (35 lb front-spring steel-tube singlespeed).

—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72

Elkhart hill, and just the pleasure riding around my small hometown. We rode all the time. Also the bike-a-thons I rode in, to raise money for a good cause.

—EJ, country, Illinois, age 60

I think I remember my dad adjusting my training wheels for me and me riding across the street from our old house. I also remember my first 20″ bike that was a little too big for me to ride, so I didn’t ride it outside for some time. I sat on it with the kickstand down and pretended to ride inside of our apartment.

—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42

I guess my favorite would be when I was learning to bike, and my grandpa was helping me. Then I got going and said, “I’m doing it, you can let go now.” He said, “I already did!” And he was down the street. I’d been on my own for a while, and I didn’t even know it.

—Rae, Monterey, CA, age 40

A favorite memory was biking to get ice cream in the town next to us, when I was like ten. It was great.

—Hannah, Santa Barbara, CA, age 28

I didn’t bike that much as a child. I’m from the foothills of the Sierra; I didn’t live in a community where we could bike anywhere. But my fondest bicycle memory as a kid is that my parents had gone out to a cancer fundraising dinner for a friend’s dad, and they ended up winning a bike; so when I woke up the next morning, I had a bike!

—Gabe, Santa Barbara, CA, age 27

I loved riding my BMX bike everywhere. We’d ride as a group, usually about five friends. We’d leave in the morning, and we’d ride all day long—to places that were too far to walk to, but that biking made easier and enjoyable. 

—Norm, Pacific Grove, CA, age 48

If you biked as a child or teen, what is a least favorite memory of biking?

Getting hit on my bike when I was nine years old.

—Michael, Santa Cruz, CA, age 54

It had been raining, and I missed crossing a crevice on the trail in the right spot. I flew off the bike into a dead spikey bush!

—Epic, California, age 12

I was about fourteen or fifteen years old and fractured my kneecap. It still bothers me.

—Patrick, Monterey, age 43

Being embarrassed because my bicycle was a used one and looked it!

—Frances, rural U.S., age 59

My dad was pulling me in the bike trailer downhill, and the trailer tipped over!

—Sierra, Connecticut, age 34

Riding back uphill after a day of play.

—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72

Falling. When my sister’s boyfriend’s sister was teaching me, as a young child, to turn around on gravel, I’d fall early on, until I learned to steady my balance.

—EJ, country, Illinois, age 60

Some young driver must have made a mean comment to me while I was riding, so I gave them the finger. They turned their car around and started chasing me on my bike, so I rode into a nearby park. I was going too fast, lost control and crashed into a bush, but they didn’t catch up to me.

—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42

No bad biking memories from childhood, but in adulthood, I was going down a hill and hit a bump and flew off my bike and tore my ACL. That was the bad one!

—Rae, Monterey, CA, age 40

Definitely! I was nine years old, it was Christmas 2016, and I got a new bike for Christmas, it was a gear bike with two hand brakes, instead of pedaling back to stop like a young child’s bike. It was my first bike with two brakes, and I was riding down my street. I pulled on the front brake and went flying off my bike. It was pretty sad. I was hurt for like a month!

—Frederic, Pacific Grove, CA, age 15

On the way back from a favorite bicycling destination—biking to get ice cream—my mom took a spill and dislocated her shoulder. That was not fun!

—Hannah, Santa Barbara, CA, age 28

I rode my BMX on an advanced course, but I didn’t have the skill. I flew over the top of my handlebars and landed on my stomach. It was not fun.

—Norm, Pacific Grove, CA, age 48

Thank you to all these people who bike for sharing their experiences!

If you have questions about any topics in this post, or about other topics, feel free to contact Bicycling Monterey anytime.

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