I’ve always been into cycling, but it was a few years ago that I started shifting from cycling as a sport to cycling as an overall lifestyle choice.
My personal fleet now includes a go-to daily town bike, & a cargo/utility bike along with the road racers & tourers I’ve always had. At this point I rarely drive in town, a town of 60,000 is just too small to justify it, but lately I have been doing a couple of 150 mile round trips per week. There really isn’t a choice, I’m handling my mother’s estate, emptying out her house. etc, & that’ll be done when it’s done.

In the meantime, it’s surprising how easy it is to slip back into that, “well, I’ve got the car out, I’ll just use that” habit when for local transportation it’s actually faster, easier & more enjoyable to use a bike.

People are kinda like cats. We’re ok with expending energy when we need to, but generations of evolution have led us to being lazy when we can be, or resting up & saving our strength for when we really need it. That instinct to avoid greater than absolutely necessary effort might not be serving us well in a time when resources can be gathered with relative ease, & for me at least, remaining fit enough to walk by the car & grab a bike has to be a conscious choice made daily.

I think the mindful effort to overcome wasteful & destructive habits has to apply across the board. It’s a matter of choosing to live more agreeably & sustainably.