Running after bicycles
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Shenzhen,
China
Friday, November 30, 2007
This may be the Kingdom of the Bicycle, but it amazes me just how eccentric the role of the bicycle is all over China. The bicycle is in the main viewed as a slightly faster means of transport than walking. However, it was apparently decreed at some point hence that the bicycle should not be the cause of any exertion unless it is heavily overloaded with something to sell, be it ducks, scrap metal, iced drinks, or anything else you care to imagine. Seriously, when I'm out running, the bicycles are great because they repeatedly give me a target to try and overtake, and whilst I'm far from a world-class athlete, I guess that I run past 70% of the bicycles on the road.
Indeed, running past the bicycles and getting away from them is also an essential act of self-preservation, as bike-handling skills, even in the Bicycle Kingdom are minimal. The preferred method of forward movement is the erratic sway, a technique which is perhaps only surpassed by the lateral drift and the oblivious ride into the face of the oncoming traffic. Believe me, Chinese kids are deprived and seriously suffering from an absence of kerbies, bunny hops and any inclination to climb a hill. The bicycle in the Kingdom of the Bicycle is in truth little more than a Zimmer Frame.
