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Laziness and hope

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A couple evenings ago I thought to ask whether there would be a cycle rally the next day to celebrate Victory Day in Bangladesh. The answer was yes…but I was tired and questioned whether I had the energy or even courage to ride a bicycle in the morning. People always collide with each other during mass rides; I’ve been lucky so far, but who knows? And all the effort of getting ready that early and getting onto a bicycle… But I remembered that in the morning I would feel better, so I agreed to go. I set my alarm quite early, walked the dogs, and rode to the meeting place. By the time the rally started there were over 600 cyclists, many dressed in red and green (the colours of the Bangladesh flag). Off we rode, to a part of town I never visit because it’s too far by car in everyday traffic. I whooped and hollered and grinned; brushed against a few people but did not collide. The several cyclists in the ride who fell over were not injured. While we rode I imagined a post-cheap energy future where the streets could be full of cyclists. Just because we would then be riding for transport, not recreation, doesn’t mean it couldn’t still be fun, the way it used to be sociable and enjoyable to cycle among the crowds in Hanoi when it was still a biking city. And the way we currently feel lazy to walk or cycle, but often enjoy it when we do it, perhaps a world with less fuel, less pollution, fewer road injuries and deaths, lower travel costs, and more sociability would be enough to compensate for the conveniences we would miss.