October 12th, 2024 | by Marshall Opel
As so many of you know, Bivo is all about having fun on bikes. So we're especially excited to bring on someone who is broadening the definition of fun on bikes. Welcome, Marshall Opel! Marshall is the co-founder of Unplugged Wellness. Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, Unplugged leads supported bikepacking trips and community events aimed at helping people feel more alive. Details about Unplugged’s upcoming camp in the San Rafael Swell can be found here.
An idle, snaking line of amber tail lights stretched into the distance. Thousands of concert goers were on their way home after an incredible performance by Fred again.. last weekend. Not for our small crew. We were gliding away silently through the night on our pedal ponies.
As so many of you know, Bivo is all about having fun on bikes. So we're especially excited to bring on someone who is broadening the definition of fun on bikes. Welcome, Marshall Opel! Marshall is the co-founder of Unplugged Wellness. Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, Unplugged leads supported bikepacking trips and community events aimed at helping people feel more alive. Details about Unplugged’s upcoming camp in the San Rafael Swell can be found here.
An idle, snaking line of amber tail lights stretched into the distance. Thousands of concert goers were on their way home after an incredible performance by Fred again.. last weekend. Not for our small crew. We were gliding away silently through the night on our pedal ponies.
Bicycles are widely regarded as one of humanity’s greatest inventions. They’re relatively affordable, easy to use, good for the environment and even better for our health. Bikes represent freedom. They’re tools for mobility, fitness and fun. But most people don’t ride them. While there are many reasons for this, I’d like to share three ideas about biking that at very least might serve for some good conversation.
Bicycles are widely regarded as one of humanity’s greatest inventions. They’re relatively affordable, easy to use, good for the environment and even better for our health. Bikes represent freedom. They’re tools for mobility, fitness and fun. But most people don’t ride them. While there are many reasons for this, I’d like to share three ideas about biking that at very least might serve for some good conversation.
We're living in a golden age of bike technology and accessories, but these accouterments are not the point. Despite all the marketing we're subjected to, the map is still not the territory. We don't need gear to be riders. Stripping everything away, we get to the core of why we ride: for the feelings that riding gives us.
Former professional road cyclist Amber Pierce coined this phrase, and it says so much. Whether we're towing someone in or leading someone out, being a good wheel means staying steady and caring about others around us. With relaxed, alert attention on our immediate surroundings, not only do we prevent potential hazards, we get out of our talking heads, bonus.
Riding multiple times per week allows our bodies to become accustomed to the efforts we make on our bikes. Soon, we find ourselves not just willing but eager to gobble up the trails, paths, and roads in front of us. Biking is the most efficient mode of transportation, and its low-impact nature means we can keep riding right into our geriatric years. My friend Fred is in his 90s and still rides centuries. Why? Because it's fun and keeps him feeling young.
Biking isn’t the solution to all our problems but it can play a real part in making things better. To give and receive a wave or smile from a passing rider, to experience the thrill of crossing terrain under our own power. Riding bikes gives us healthy opportunities to feel at an embodied level, that we’re alive. There are secrets, gifts, and adventures to be found and they’re waiting for us on our pedal ponies.
We're living in a golden age of bike technology and accessories, but these accouterments are not the point. Despite all the marketing we're subjected to, the map is still not the territory. We don't need gear to be riders. Stripping everything away, we get to the core of why we ride: for the feelings that riding gives us.
Former professional road cyclist Amber Pierce coined this phrase, and it says so much. Whether we're towing someone in or leading someone out, being a good wheel means staying steady and caring about others around us. With relaxed, alert attention on our immediate surroundings, not only do we prevent potential hazards, we get out of our talking heads, bonus.
Riding multiple times per week allows our bodies to become accustomed to the efforts we make on our bikes. Soon, we find ourselves not just willing but eager to gobble up the trails, paths, and roads in front of us. Biking is the most efficient mode of transportation, and its low-impact nature means we can keep riding right into our geriatric years. My friend Fred is in his 90s and still rides centuries. Why? Because it's fun and keeps him feeling young.
Biking isn’t the solution to all our problems but it can play a real part in making things better. To give and receive a wave or smile from a passing rider, to experience the thrill of crossing terrain under our own power. Riding bikes gives us healthy opportunities to feel at an embodied level, that we’re alive. There are secrets, gifts, and adventures to be found and they’re waiting for us on our pedal ponies.
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