Chilenos on Bikes

Three years ago in Chile, I saw a few bikes riding around the beautiful Las Condes neighborhood near Santiago Chile. Reminded me of when I was seemingly the only parent who rode my kid to school on a trailer bike. Today, there are more cyclists than ever. The once empty bike rack in the garage of my parents condo now overflows with bikes. 

The unfortunate thing is they ride the sidewalks. Of course the roads aren't exactly set up for cyclists, and the way some Chilenos still drive, well it's tough to blame them. They definitely need to jump on the urban bike planning trend for their great city. With the massive amount of people in Santiago alone, cycling could become the mode of choice to beat the horrendous traffic. You never know, it could happen. But for now, as you walk the streets, I advise you stay in your lane and look both ways before switching sides. That's what I do as I navigate the pair of blocks to the gym.

Here I ride a variety of exercise bikes to keep me entertained and my leg muscles twitching. It's not the same as riding the Andes mountains tortuously visible from the gym, but it's enough to burn off the cervezas, Pisco Sours, y empanadas tambien. Translation, my suit still fits so I must be doing something right.