Cycles of Life and Seasons on the Minuteman Trail

To get from my home out to better places to cycle I often ride the Minuteman Bike Trail. This trail runs from Somerville to Bedford. There has been a lot of commentary about trail use – pointing fingers at cyclists for going too fast, rollerbladers for talking up too much room, and walkers for not paying attention – seems like everyone has a beef about the trail. However, this piece is neither about trail use nor a forum for whining about trail etiquette.

Riding the trail allows me to experience the cycles of the seasons. There are stretches of woodlands and meadows. There are wild herbs that grow along the sides. There is wild life that inhabits the surrounding area. Given that the trail runs through cities and suburbs, it is quite a microcosm of nature.

Right now the last few leaves have fallen off the trees. The winter is perhaps the only season where you can clearly see the sky from the trail, as the trees create a thick canopy during the rest of the year. The colors are various shades of grey and white, almost as if you were looking at a black and white photo. It is cold, but quieter than the bustling summer. The light is weak and by 4:30 PM it is pitch dark on the trail. When the snow flies, much of the trail will be impassable on a road bicycle. (They don’t plow the whole thing which is really too bad.)

I find the spring most exciting on the trail. My favorite pagan holiday is Imbolc which celebrates the new growth under the snow. When that new growth starts peaking through and the energy of spring is in the air, I feel newly alive. The first few times in the spring when I ride the trail, I enjoy the efforts of the plants coming up through the last of the snow. It is a messy time – wet and muddy, but it is a harbinger of the beginning of biking season and the promise of warmer biker friendly weather to come. The buds start to form on the trees creating a sense of expectation. There is a new life on the trail.

The summer is the most active time on the trail. The leaves of the trees create a canopy which provides welcomed shade to users. There are squirrels and chipmunks that scamper across the trail trying to avoid being run over by the cyclists. I once saw a doe and two fawns on the trail. In parts of the trail there are berries that people pick and herbs that they collect. It is a time of fullness and abundance.

A sadness comes over me when autumn starts to set in. The leaves change from green to bright orange, yellow and red. The colors are brilliant and sometimes you can look out and see a landscape on fire with color. The leaves fall onto the trail creating a difficult and dangerous surface for cyclists. The landscape changes again and winter returns, only to yield to spring in a few months, and thus the cycle continues.

Riding the trail through the seasons reminds me that we live in cycles. There are the cycles of the seasons, but also the cycles of our lives. I am in the autumn of my life. I am forty-seven years old and I am noticing changes that come with age. I am also aware of benefits of my experience and tend to appreciate the wisdom of it. My father is in the winter of his life and although I grieve his decline, I also know that the cycle of life is unavoidable. There are also smaller cycles in our lives, such as the cycling season.

The cycling season, has its cycle, that in this New England area, reflects the cycles of the seasons. Winter for base miles, spring starts more intense training, summer for racing and then fall ends the season with a return to base miles in preparation for the next round. There is something comforting to this predictable progression, and for me there is hope. Last summer I was teaching bicycle riding and was too busy to train well. So, I abandoned my racing goals and had a full summer of teaching (which also runs in cycles!). Now that we are back at the beginning of the cycle, I get to reassess and reconsider my goals and start over if I want.

However, just because cycles repeat themselves, does not mean they are the same for us. The good news is that we are human and that we grow and learn. Each year brings new growth and change, and although the season may look the same we are not. Change is the only constant. It is more like a spiral. We are at the same x coordinate, but have moved on the y. (If you didn’t get that don’t worry.) In other words, we are starting a cycle over but with all the experience we have gained from the previous ones. So, as I ride the Minuteman I am aware of the fact that I am not the same cyclist I was last year and I will not be the same next year as well. I have the potential to grow and hopefully become a stronger rider. Each season has its joys and difficulties, but if we wait we can be assured that these will change, as cycles do.

Reflection on the Meanings of Kits

I am a roadie and almost always ride in a kit. The most important reason for this is that cycling clothes are comfortable and utilitarian. I need the back pockets in my jersey to put my pump, inflator, snacks, and asthma inhaler. I store the clothing I end up shedding mid-ride there as well. The tights or shorts have a chamois which helps with saddle soreness and wick sweat away. Although I did want to point out that wearing a kit is sensible, this piece is not meant to be an advertisement for cycling duds. Instead, I wanted to reflect on what wearing a kit means.

I started out curious about why it is called a “kit.” I found out that the terms us mainly used in the UK for “the particular clothing worn by a sports team.” I couldn’t find the etymology of that specific meaning although kit as referred to that of "outfit of tools for a workman" is from 1851. Before I was a cyclist I had never heard the word kit used in that way.

When I wear a kit, regardless of which one, I am saying, I belong to the clan of cyclists. When I am in my kit other cyclists (also in kits) nod or say hello. If I am stopped for some reason, inevitably another cyclist will stop to find out if I need help. There is a sense that cyclist will look out for each other. I have helped many other cyclists mostly with changing flats and providing extra tubes. There is a sense of community among road cyclist and the kit is the uniform.

Now specific kits convey certain information about me and my associations. For instance, I belong to two clubs and obviously each club has a kit. This can be awkward at times for me. I was wearing the kit of one club and a member of the other saw me and was aghast. Now there are good reasons why I belong to two. The club I started with is like a family to me however, that club doesn’t have a developed woman’s program. When I decided to try to race, I wanted a club with a well established women’s program, so I joined the second one. But wearing the kit is saying I belong to this one and eyebrows are raised when you have two. However, I am used to this, being mixed-heritage Asian American. I have always felt I travelled in two worlds (at least).

I also have a kit from Stanford where I got my MA, as well as kits from rides I have done. These kits also elicit reactions from other cyclists. I was wearing my Stanford kit when another alumnae came up to me and started asking about my experiences there. There is a way that the kit creates connection among cyclists and communicates belonging not only to the sport but to specific organizations.

I want my kit to express me. It is, in part, a “fashion” statement. I like my Japanese cherry blossom kit because it reflects my Japanese heritage. I also like my “Wild Things” kit with the monsters on it from the Shel Silverstein book The Wild Things. It reflects my playful side and the fact that I read that book a zillion times when my daughter was young.

However, the kit is not unproblematic as an outfit. It is spandex and tight. I don’t usually mind this, however I can feel like I am being objectified, especially by those outside the cycling community. I have had guys in a truck suck their teeth at me while I was on my bike and men whistle or come up and try to talk with me. It is an issue I will explore more in another piece, but it makes me uncomfortable at times and scared at others. In a perfect world, I wouldn’t have to worry about this, but in this one I do.

Overall, however the kit is not only utilitarian but also a communication – about belonging, about association, about connection, and about personality