Bike Fun & Folk Culture Go Together

More Photos Below!Gallery
I just did a weeklong organized group bike tour. At the last meeting there was a song performance skit. I thought it was awesome! It reminded me of the “One More Kilometre and We’re in the Showers” memoir of UK bike clubs — where all the clubs used to have extensive cultural aspects. Like singing and poetry writing. (That book’s title makes no sense, but it’s one of my fave bike reads.)

I can’t sing (or haven’t learned how) but it was so nice and “bonding” to experience the song-skit. It was intentionally corny, but for me it carried weight. Our big 500-person group bonded pretty well already, but I think extra culture things instantly take that further.

It also reminded me of one of the all time best bike books: the 1960’s kid’s book “Off to the Races,” where a kid tags along with his big brother on a hostel tour to a weekend bike carnival … which had lots of different kinds of social fun. Carnival … nice.

I could do with a social dance after a day’s ride. I don’t mean some kind of strange bump’n’grind faux-mating behavior sort of thing. But music that ppl can dance to who know social dancing. Such music also has solo dance options, which are also real dances. So it could be something like jitterbug, jive, blues, swing or a called contra dance. DJ or live music, both fine. Live would sure be nice!

Good food at events also has a measurably better effect than bad food. Care about conviviality is important.

I’ve seen how microbrews have figured out that bikers like beer and that their product synergizes with the fun of biking. But we need more than that.

Sometimes, too, I’ve experienced guitar playing around campfires after a ride. That, too, is really good.

…But there’s something perhaps even more special about group singing and dancing. Everyone can be included.

I’ve also seen a passive audience type performance during a tour and that was nice and close to what i mean. But participation is far more important and makes all the difference, by comparison spectating has a very low value. It was special that the song-skit we heard was done by a dozen of our fellow bike tourers. We were entertaining ourselves rather than spectating a performance.

Hey! I know! Hear something fun: let’s do a weekend re-enacting what happens in the Off to the Races book!