STUDENT VOICE: BRINGING A PIECE OF COPENHAGEN’S BIKE CULTURE BACK HOME —

One of the earliest significant events in so many of our lives is the day that we learn to ride a bicycle without training wheels. I will never forget the day when I was finally able to hop on my big girl bike and ride for as long as my little legs could bear it. For years, I rode my beloved purple Schwinn all around town. I loved my bicycle and I loved the freedom that riding my bike gave me. Somewhere along the line there were fewer and fewer bike rides on my agenda and my beloved purple Schwinn began collecting dust and rust in the garage.

Flash forward through several bike-less years, and I found myself studying in the land of bicycles, Copenhagen, Denmark. Surrounded by bicycles wherever I turned, I thought fondly of my purple Schwinn and wondered why our beautiful relationship had ever ended. What happened? When did biking becoming “uncool”?

In Copenhagen, biking is not just something you do for fun when you are a little kid. Biking is a lifestyle. It is engrained into every aspect of the Danish culture. For many children, they learn to ride a bicycle before they can even walk properly. The Danes bike to classes, the grocery store, work, bars – virtually everywhere. In my opinion, it is impossible to immerse yourself properly within the culture without riding a bicycle.

Once I mustered up the courage to join in on the biking culture, I rented a beautiful white bicycle fit with a basket. My bike and I ventured all across the beautiful city that is Copenhagen. I discovered areas I never knew existed thanks to my bicycle. Finally, I was back on a bike remembering what I had loved about it so much.

If you really think about it, biking just makes sense. Not only does it get you from point A to point B, it is healthy, quick, essentially free, and most importantly, fun. So my question is: if biking is such a great thing, why is it not as engrained into the U.S. culture as it is in Copenhagen and other European cities? The answer unfortunately lies in the fact that the U.S. and its cities and towns are too big and are built for cars, not bikes. However, it is promising that several cities have developed bicycle programs and ordinances that are encouraging their citizens to ditch their cars and hop on their bikes. (For example, Spartanburg’s very own B-Cycle program has a hub on campus!)

I think we’ve forgotten the joys that riding a bike provides. There’s a sense of freedom you feel when you are riding a bicycle. It reminds you of a simpler time in your life when your biggest worry was where you would ride your purple Schwinn after school. So for now, I encourage everyone to remember the good times and to wheel the old faithful purple Schwinn out of the garage and simply ride.

— Sara Frances Koontz