The Joys Of Cycling: The Flow

Have you ever been to the museum of science and seen that giant kinetic sculpture they have with all the little balls on rails? They all move so smoothly and flow so nicely. Or maybe you have seen the way water looks when it is running over smooth granite or the way plinko chips bounce around but always find a way to get to the bottom of the board on the price is right? What I am getting at here is that all of these examples are examples of flow, when something is just moving in such a lovely way. That is how I feel on my bicycle some times.

Traffic, pedestrians, pot holes, obstacles of all kinds become immaterial when you are in the flow. Its like you are a tiny drop of water effortlessly finding its way though an ants nest. Its a state of being more than a physical thing.

You will know when you are in the flow because a smile will form on your face and you will always find that green light, that tiny spot to fit into, that little bit of nice pavement between the potholes. Your commute will melt away before you and the sea of traffic will open up for you, and you will just move. Its a glorious thing.

It is often hard for new riders to get into this mode of cycling, as it takes a fair amount of concentration in what is going on around you. You have to judge what traffic is going to do well before they do it, you have to be scanning the road surface (potholes), the sides of the road (pedestrians, opening doors, people pulling out of drive ways), behind you (overtaking traffic, space for changing lanes), and in front of you (lights, traffic, random stuff) all at the same time. You also need to keep track of light timings, traffic patterns, and pedestrian hot spots. But once you get the knack of it the results are simply sublime.

When you are in the flow, the sea of chaos that is Boston’s streets suddenly organizes itself into orderly ranks. What looked like an impenetrable wall of cars is now suddenly overflowing with bike sized holes for you to utilize. Before you know it you are pulling up at your destination with a big ole grin on your face, and a pleasant hum in your legs.

Does anyone else feel like this sometimes?

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