Bikephilia (EN)

Fresh, Free and a Bit Frantic: Find Out More About My Bike Compulsion

Athlete, me? Not at all. My cycling skills didn’t develop much since that first ride without security wheels… As stated in my short bio, I Bike as a child and drink coffee as a Pro. Anyway, this lack of “maturity” has never refrained my passion for bicycles. – and, perhaps, this could actually be some sort of confirmation. What ‘s better then a non-trauma to fuel a healthy addiction?

In fact, I’m just playing with these thoughts in order to drop the term Bikephilia.  But it’s not as complex as it sounds.  All it takes is a quick trial, so you experience the euphoria of being breeze-kissed, finding balance and freedom en route to any direction you wish.. It also comes with an involuntary smile on the way. Zero desire to cease the journey. And a peculiar kind of bliss – that always returns when I see a pair of slim wheels or have the opportunity to snap a cool photo of them.

In Brazilian Portuguese, we have a cute nickname for bicycle, Magrela, that can be translated as skinny. It resonates with such elegant design that makes people and places instantly looking more stylish, at least from my passionate point of view! This also allows me to persist with the fancy wording, claiming the bike is the ludic element in the images.

Now, seriously. These are examples of how the ordinary become extraordinary, depending on the way you envision it. Whether a bike is nonchalantly parked in front of a luxury store in Sweden or embellishing an arid construction area in Sri Lanka. Whether one outfit is really unique or it’s the unique context that makes it seem edgier. Or if I choose to name it Bikemania, Bike Magia or Bikephilia, although it wouldn’t affect my great love for bikes.

Since I am already showcasing a lack of skills that makes me happy, I must confess a bizarre bike ritual: singing in the ride. Picture myself on a public bicycle playing with the amazing acoustics in the streets of Liubliana…. shamelessly enduring outdoor karaoke and feeling like I could revive Freddie Mercury. Don’t stop me noooow!

Whilst performing my own musical scenes all over Slovenia, I collected other fun adventures involving  Magrelas:  an electric bike ride through the country’s lovely vineyards, an afternoon encouraging a pal’s first bike commuting to our Workspace and the night I returned from there so distracted (singing, perhaps) that I ended up in front of a road sign pointing out Austria. Next morning, same friend texts me, – literally – ‘Why did you come back so late? Steamy sessions with a local guy?’

No. I only sweated riding the bike!

Here, in Southeast  Asia, the scooters are called bikes and good old bicycles are losing more and more space on the narrow streets. Traffic becomes increasingly dangerous, as well as the air pollution, and it turns my poor skills into a hazard. That’s why I’m not riding a bicycle lately. But I keep reminding those  “ludic” moments and compulsively shooting my object of desire. So follow me on Instagram to see more pictures like these! And if you’d like to be inspired by other stories of bikes in the world, I recommend the book Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne.

EDIT: A couple of weeks after writing this post, I  surrendered and got  myself a MTB. Let’s add here some small accidents and mentions in Sri Lankan and Brazilian media,  now I am feeling almost like a Junior Pro!

Xoxo, Prats

Photo Credit: Apart from the last image (promotional material from the movie Eat, Pray, Love), all photos were taken by me. Isn’t it a compulsion?