With all of the excitement about the upcoming inauguration, you may have missed President Bush’s last press conference on Monday (1/12/09). Over all it was one of the most interesting and candid conferences of his that I’ve seen but one line in particular had me jumping out of my seat. George W. was speaking about the responsibilities of being president and said:

You never escape the presidency; it travels with you everywhere you go. And there’s not a moment where you don’t think about being president. Unless you’re riding mountain bikes as hard as you possibly can, trying to forget for the moment.

That’s really what he said — check the transcripts!

President George W. Bush and his Trek mountain bike. Photo by Joyce Boghosian.

I’ve known for a while that President Bush is an avid mountain biker and that he rides a Trek mountain bike but little did I realize really how much cycling affects his life. Amazed at his statement, I started pondering all of the reasons that people ride and all of the great ways that bikes improve lives. This is a new one for me. There are the reasons we’ve all heard, they are great way to get healthy, save money, and reduce carbon emissions.

Of course there are other wonderful cycling side-effects.

• Bikes are a great source of inspiration. I have a friend who was inspired to ride because he was fighting to live. He started cycling to help him stay mentally and physically strong during his cancer treatment.
• Bikes are a great weight loss tool. Another friend was over 300 pounds when he started riding, now he’s a healthy weight and an avid cyclist.
• Bikes are great stress relief. I started riding, in part, because I had a stressful job that I hated. I got a bike, rushed home everyday to ride it, then ended up quitting that job, getting a job at a bike shop, and now I rush to work every day on my bike. Definitely, not too stressed any more.
• Bikes can improve relationships. This week I spoke with a customer who told me that cycling, and doing Cycle Oregon as a family, had changed the dynamics of her family. Her friends are amazed how her teenage son now apparently enjoys being with his parents. Not typical of this youth or many other teens. I’m told that bikes are responsible since this shift in behavior occurred as a result of the experience they had as a family during Cycle Oregon.
• And, let’s not forget that bikes are fun. One great side-effect is a big smile. Of all my cycling memories the best were fun, provoked laughter, and make me grin as I reminisce.

Now I can add, “cycling can help you forget being president” to my list of reasons that people bicycle. What’s your reason?