On bikes

March 3,

1,200 miles in.

82,000 feet of climbing. One smelly red Patagonia jacket. Bike ride from Auckland to Milford Sound complete.

A little reflection on what bikes mean to me…

I was 3 years old when I learned how to ride a bike.

My mom often tells this story. We were out in the neighborhood, and it just clicked for me. My brother Ben was at school, and when he got home, we raced off together on two wheels, big bro leading the way.

Me and Ben ripping up the neighborhood.

This feels like the start of something big.

We grew up on bikes. As suburban kids with too much time and too few options, bikes were our freedom. They took us anywhere we wanted to go and made anything feel possible.

After college, when I was grappling with my identity, I found my way back to bikes. A buddy introduced me to mountain biking. “You should try it,” he said. “You love hiking. You’re a beast on the bike. Mountain biking is like marrying the two!”

Sold.

As my love for bikes grew, so did my appreciation for where they took me. I’d always loved nature, but this was deeper. This was peace. Trails became sacred, and I learned to treat the outdoors with the utmost respect. That’s what outdoor recreation does: it’s the gateway drug to caring about the planet.

These days, I’m not the guy sending the biggest lines. Plenty of my friends ride harder and faster than I do. I’ve never worked in a bike shop, and I struggle with anything beyond basic maintenance. But bikes have shaped my life. They’ve deepened my connection to nature, inspired me to move to places where I could ride more, and led me to a career in climate. Most importantly, they’ve brought me lifelong friends.

I have ridden a simple bike across New Zealand, from Auckland to Milford Sound. I’ve also pedaled a gravel bike across Vermont’s dirt roads, from Massachusetts to Canada. In my ~27 years on bikes, I’ve covered some ground—sometimes for transportation, sometimes for fun, sometimes because I had a crazy idea and was too stubborn to quit when it got tough.

Me at Milford Sound, NZ after a 1200 mile bikepacking journey.

I love bikes.

They take us places. They open up worlds. They create freedom. They’re green, they bring people together, and they make us healthier and happier. They deepen our connection to the natural world.

Oh, and they’re the greatest invention in human history :)