A Celebration of Junk Miles
Bicycling US|Fall 2023
No longer dreading my next bunch sprint, I felt like I belonged on my bike again.
By Adam Schram
A Celebration of Junk Miles

Straddling my first hand-me-down Schwinn, at just 12 years old, I felt like I had the entire world in front of me. My first mile-long solo ride around my neighborhood was one of the most liberating moments of my young life-for the first time, I embraced the raw sense of freedom that we cyclists know so well, that feeling that I could blast off from my home block and never turn back.

Cycling was my greatest escape as a youngster. It was meditative and explorative, and I could make whatever I wanted of it. It carved out time that I could have all to myself, which was becoming sparse as my childhood waned. Riding helped me feel capable as I accomplished the silly, arbitrary goals I'd set for myself, and that pride swelled when my friends followed me on my aimless ambles through the mountains. Sure, we'd race each other up kickers and sprint for Strava segments, but we never thought we'd wasted a day if we did nothing more than spin through the hills of Appalachia.

Then I learned about junk miles.

Denne historien er fra Fall 2023-utgaven av Bicycling US.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra Fall 2023-utgaven av Bicycling US.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

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