I often see pictures of people cycling through majestic snowscapes & always wondered what it’d be like, though I have grave doubts about my revolutionary ardor against 5 inches of snow! I doff my hat to you for such dedication!

Once something becomes habitual & taken for granted, it is very hard to “revert”, if you will, to whatever preceded it. I know this personally when I was without broadband for a couple of months! I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting convenience & efficiency, but sometimes stepping back & enjoying the simpler pleasures can be rather delightful, too.

Your family might not be convinced enough to start cycling everywhere themselves yet, but I’m sure they see how much you enjoy it. Being close to ink will turn you black, as one of those generalising but nevertheless useful Chinese saying goes, never underestimate the power of repetition & proximity. It might take time, but the reward will be sweeter because of it - just like when you finally tackled that hill without resorting to the lowest of the granny gears. :-)

I believe that you are correct that our bicycle revolution will be furthered along in more subtle demonstrations.

I commute to work everyday and also to church every week and I try to project my joy to my friends and co-workers. It is such a blast to ride a bike, and I think ahead to the future when I will be too old (I’m 44 now) to ride. I don’t want to regret not having ridden one more time.

I know that I can come off as a fanatic when I ride and it’s -10 F with 5 inches of snow and a headwind both ways, but I still love it.

Of course, my advocacy hasn’t yet convinced my family, my oldest son and wife will still drive 3 blocks to get the milk. My youngest son (13) will still ride everywhere. That may change when he gets his drivers permit.

We do need to demonstrate the benefits of riding to our surrounding community. The effectiveness, the economy, the physical benefits, the sheer joy of coasting downhill.

hsieh hsieh ni for your efforts in our glorious revolution Qian!