Greetings from behind the handle bars.

Hello, my name is William. You could label me the average person, and you’d be right. In fact, as extremes go, it’s accurate to say that a person such as myself is the bland chicken soup of cycling. The avoiding-chicken-soup of cycling. The anti-extremism of cycling. Just someone who wants to ride a bike. So, what good is a bland chicken soup cyclist? Perhaps the world needs some chicken soup. Or perhaps more. For many years, my cycling perspective, personal views and feelings were posted on several succeeding blogs. Kokusai, sdfixed, and then sdcyclist were the titles. Some here may have read them in the past. Periodically, a need for a change would come and I’d delete one blog and open another. A few months ago I deleted mine all together.

I came up with bikesd.org. That is, I dreamt of it back in December of 2008. More of a loose concept, a fuzzy idea in my brain one morning while riding into work. You’re probably wondering why this is my first post. And how someone can just come up and say such a thing, when it’s evident two others here have done sooo much work, or actually, all of it. One of our contributors and I sat in coffee shop once and talked about this idea. That contributor took the idea to another. They made it a reality. While I pondered if it might work, if anyone would listen, or stirred over the colors of the borders, two sat down and put it out there. They didn’t as much take “my” idea, as much as they took “an” idea and made it the reality you’re reading today. To which I am grateful. Because San Diego is a community, and my selfish writing and point of view is only a small portion. Now, in this format, I can contribute to a greater, more diverse view, and be a part of something important. The fact that they’ve allowed me to post my ramblings here is laudable. So, when I use the bold statement, that I came up with bikesd.org, there is NOTHING more qualifying to say other than some people took a fuzzy idea and dream that was in my head (and probably a few other’s heads) and made it a reality.

What do I write about, what am I going to be contributing? The view from the handle bars. Things seen while navigating our city’s streets, waiting at stop lights, locking up somewhere to sit for a bit, at local cycling events, all of it from my perspective, from behind the handle bars. Part personal view, part commentary, part anecdotal stories, it’ll just be bits and pieces from my point of view. My history, just a rider, in San Diego; not a weekend crit racer, not a downhill racer, not a neon commuter, not an activist, not an anarchist… Just a rider. Since about May 2000. If you like the writing, let me know. If you think it sucks, let me know. I ride through downtown 2–3 three times a week, I always LOVE meeting other cyclist and talking about what we see, how we think about cycling and life and everything in general from the view behind the handle bars.

It’s a big deal to contribute here, essentially riding in the shadows of giants, my hope is to provide just a sliver of humor and perhaps a poke of insight.

I think 2010 is going to be a HUGE year for cycling. HUGE.