Bike Swapper: Swapping Fear for a Bicycle
By Dawn DeGroot
(Editor’s Note: This is the first of a regular column over the course of the year by Seattlelite Dawn DeGroot, who was the winner of the New Belgium Tour de Fat Car-for-Bike Swap contest last July.)
Fear is a funny thing, whether perceived or real. Years ago, I was afraid to ride my bike in the city. I was afraid to ride it in the rain. I was afraid to ride in the dark. The list went on and on. I was paralyzed by the fear of doing something new, unfamiliar, and not in my immediate control.
Turning 60 made me take a look at my fears. I finally wanted to ride in the city, in the rain, in the dark. Then I saw a website that advertised New Belgium Brewing’s Tour de Fat’s annual Car Swap contest: an opportunity for car owners nationwide to swap their cars for a very cool hand-built bike by Black Sheep.
Now this sounded like a challenge to me. All I had to do was write a short essay explaining why I wanted to do the swap for a year.
I asked my husband whether I should do it. He said no, which really made me think about it. However, the more I did think about it, the more it seemed like the right thing for me to do.
My husband told me to just sell my car and buy a bike instead, but that didn’t seem like the spirit of the event or the experience I wanted to have at this time in my life. If I traded my car, the money would go to charity and in return, I would get a really sweet bike to ride in the city, rain and dark. It sounded like a perfect fit.
The Tour de Fat event in Seattle last July was amazing. The magical spirit of the event reminded me of Cirque de Soilel: the characters, the games, the energy and the bike parade in Fremont. This was the experience that I was looking for: something bigger than myself and my ideas.
It was a community of bike riders, of folks who believe in cleaning up the planet one less car, one more bike, at a time. Oh yes, I was in the moment. I made the swap: my Volvo for their bike.
So the journey began. The city, the rain, the dark, and all my fears were abruptly at my front door.
It has been seven weeks since the trade. I ride around Seattle with a sign on my bike that reads “I traded my car for this Bike”. It creates a lot of conversation – and raises many questions.
I’ve ridden to places that I never would have gone in my car. I see Seattle in a new light and it is an amazing city. It is bike-friendly and Seattle’s Burke Gilman Trail can get you just about anywhere you want to go – from Ballard to Marymoor Park and back in a day.
Seattle even has bike maps on the web and offers incentives for its One Less Car program. It is a whole new world out there, and all that kept me from it before was fear.
I have been the topic of conversations, but I see myself as a role model, someone who is taking a risk and having fun doing it. The outdoors is there to be enjoyed, and being on your bike is one of the best ways I’ve found to do it. Winter has not yet hit the Northwest … and that might be another story.
For now I feel like I have made the right decision by trading my car for a bike. It has challenged me to rethink my days and nights. I will ride in a car if there are two or more people; carpooling is cool.
However, when I ride my bike, I ride with purpose and pride. I encourage you to do the same.
