I became a cyclist during lockdown, and I’m shocked by what I’ve seen

My housemates lived in dread of my footfall. There I was in my cool university share-house, bikes in the hallway, mould in the bathroom, dashing about downstairs while apparently my roomies were cowering upstairs thinking that I was pacing in a blind fury, so fierce was the sound of my feet.

It was only years later they figured out I wasn’t angry, just in a hurry.

I’m a heavy walker. A stomper. And I walk a lot. I’ll time my meetings or appointments so they can include the hour-long walk to get there and the hour long walk to get back. I’ve figured out the right side to walk on every street and little street in my city, how to chase the shade, how to pass under the best trees and by the loveliest buildings.

I’m also a driver, and of…