Our online world presents a polarized view of transportation. Comments sections are full of vitriol against bicyclists. Some bicyclists demonize car owners.

Yet, when I log off, my real world is full of people that accept the necessity of various forms of transportation.

For example, this morning, I loaded up my Canyon road bike onto the back of my Volvo. My destination was a group ride which goes through the suburbs of Chandler and Gilbert. I go on most Sundays, and I’ve been trying to make a habit out of it.

I’m getting to know a few of the guys there and we’re mostly middle-aged men in lycra (MAMILs). I get a lot from the experience. I get to socialize, improve my cycling fitness, and learn how to confidently ride in a group. We respect traffic laws, ride two across, and choose reasonable routes. Many motorists give us plenty of room and the cities have provided painted bicycle lanes.

A group of cyclists, which is often called a peloton, creates an aerodynamic advantage. As a result, our average speed is about 17 or 18 mph, despite it being a conversational pace ride. Conversations usually range from family updates to travel plans to bicycle groupsets. Those chats are frequently interrupted mid-sentence for mandatory call outs to the group, like “debris” or “bump” or “slowing”.

Some weeks end up a little faster paced, but the group usually ends up defaulting back to our normal chill format by the next week.

For me, my road ride this morning was a very different vibe than yesterday. Yesterday, I ran to the grocery store on my eBike. I only needed a few things and, as I’ve written about in previous posts, I try not to take an entire car when my bicycle can serve the same purpose.

The .78-mile one-way trip only takes about 3 minutes on my legal eBike. This is in a normal Phoenix suburb with a normal grocery store. No expensive high-rise condo needed. No brutal short trip causing unnecessary wear on my engine.

It’s also a stark contrast from last weekend. Last Sunday, my best friend and I went to a car show in downtown Phoenix. It’s called Kyusha Club and features pre-2005 European and Japanese cars. It feels like an event you would see in Los Angeles, although it’s in the heart of Phoenix.

The cars that attended were diverse. Everyday cars like Civics and Miatas showed up, but there was also a Ferrari Testarossa, a Mercedes 190 AMG,  a very modified Toyota Supra, and multiple Nissan Skylines. The atmosphere was family friendly, and a Phoenix fire truck even rolled through the show with the crew clearly checking out different cars.

All these communities serve a good purpose. They bring people together over a shared interest. They exchange ideas, skills and goals.

Toxic people also exist in all groups. The car community has the street takeover crowd. The road cycling community has groups that ignore any traffic law. The commuter bike world has the chronically online crowd.

Yet, when we all take a step back and think about our world offline, the reality is that most of us are average people looking to meet similarly minded people without getting shouted at or endangered.

My hope is that by continuing to share my perspective as a bicyclist in a car-dependent city, I can encourage others to think about the person, rather than the vehicle.