Kim Pandy has been finding freedom on bikes her whole life. She talked to us about riding as a form of meditation, and how she’s found ways to work that into her everyday life.
How long have you been riding bikes?
I learned when I was nine, and from then on I’ve been riding whatever bike I could find. I used to ride BMX bikes, and then I went into mountain bikes.
Do you mostly ride by yourself, or with other people?
No, I don’t like riding with people all that much. I kind of zone out when I’m riding. For me, it’s like a form of meditation.
When did you start going out on rides by yourself?
Oh, as soon as I learned how to ride. I was always the middle child, so as soon as I was able to stay up and I felt confident, I’d just disappear and ride through the neighborhood. My mom lives in River Forest, my dad lives in Oak Park, so I’d ride back and forth to their houses.
Are you still able to find time to ride?
Yeah, ‘cause right now I don’t have a car, so I bike everywhere I go. Usually, if I actually wake up and go to the gym, I’m up biking at 5AM, and then that’s three miles to the gym, three miles back, and then I bike to work, which is two miles. Or, if I really want to kill time, I’ll take the long, extravagant route. I get out as much as I can, ’cause if I didn’t, I’d lose my mind.
There were a couple years there where I didn’t have a bike and all I did was drive. You can’t really zone out when you’re driving. On a bike, you can be paying attention, but still get that form of meditation. And there’s the added bonus of getting a workout too.
Where is your favorite place to ride?
Here in Oak Park, I’ll just do a big circle on main streets like Thatcher and North Avenue. I used to live in Washington State, and there was this crazy hill on my ride to work that was like my Everest. Right before I moved, I was maybe 100 feet or so from the top, from not having to hop off my bike and walk it up the rest of the way. I had a mountain bike that wasn’t made for climbing big hills like that, so maybe if I had a different bike I could have made it, but I was so close. And then I never made it up, ‘cause I moved back here. But that was my determination when I was out there. That was my fun times.
Do you ride all year round?
My intention is to do that, but we’ll see. Out in Washington I was riding through the rain and the cold and it didn’t bother me, but it doesn’t really snow or get cold there like it does here. I’ll definitely have to get the right weather gear, and work my way into it, but if I’m determined enough, I probably will.
Are you finding any ways to challenge yourself here?
Since there are no hills, my biggest thing is speed at this point. I have a bike that I’m borrowing that’s kind of a grandma bike, so the challenge is just carrying that down the stairs. But I got my the Salsa Journeyman this year, so I’m excited. It’s my first time riding drop bar, which is interesting, but I think it’ll be good. As soon as I get that bike, I’m gonna time it coming to work at a pretty decent pace, and then I want to see if I can get here in less than ten minutes. I live 2.1 miles away, so if I can essentially beat a car here, that’s my goal.
Do you have any advice you would give to someone who wants to start riding and isn’t sure where to start?
Just do it. It’s so cliche, but yeah, the biggest thing is getting comfortable and finding that balance, trusting yourself and trusting the bike. Once you get there, it’s worth it.