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New York's Lesbian and Gay Cycling Club |
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Why I Ride By Bob Nelson
May is Bike Month, at least for the last few years now,
and the city’s bike community comes together to mount all kinds of sports
and cultural events, including bike races and tours, lectures, workshops,
films, political gatherings and art events. Among the
latter was “Why I Ride: The Art of Bicycling in New York,” a multimedia art
exhibit curated by two members of the Veloprop art collective, Carol Wood
and Elizabeth Stuelke.
I found the parts of the exhibit I saw to be inspiring,
moving and not a little humorous, especially a piece satirizing the parade
permit that bike rides of more than 50 people are now supposed to obtain.
The catalog for this event has some memorable photographs and essays
that helped me understand that we are not one but many bike cultures.
Still, we all share the perils of biking in the city.
I’ve often told friends that as a gay man, I feel perfectly at home
in New York, but as a cyclist I suspect that many New Yorkers behind the
wheel would as soon hear the rumble-thump of my body beneath their wheels as
look at me.
It turned out I wasn’t the only gay person who
contributed to the catalog, but I think I struck a balance between camp and
activism. I hope you enjoy the catalog, downloadable
below, and my essay, which appears on page 30.
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