“I never see them”

My dad told me he never sees bike riders in Mineola anymore. Granted, the streets aren’t swarming with them (except for the cycling club send-off of the lycra crowd to the North Shore training routes from the Mineola Bike Shop) and I did not see one child, even at school dismissal time. However, I have seen about twenty regular folks just getting around, including these people. Almost every one of them gave me a warm hello (or at least “the nod”) in passing. I think perhaps one simply doesn’t see utilitarian/transportation bike riders unless you are looking for them (although it’s hard to miss the guy in the purple). We are the hidden, the marginalized, in many places where riding a bike used to be normal.