You never forget your first bike ride. Gliding impossibly through the air, liberated from the gravity of your own nerves, wind at your back and nothing but open road ahead. Many of us recall the triumphant moment as one of our most treasured childhood memories. For plenty of others, that formative first ride doesn't come until later on.
In the video below, a group of guys (bros) in their mid-20s teach their friend Ben to ride a Citi Bike in what appears to be East River Park. Like many first-timers, Ben is nervous at first, but his close buddies—inextricably bound by an appreciation for their friend and frontwards baseball caps—manage to persevere. Questionable soundtrack choices notwithstanding, the two-minute clip is a genuinely heartwarming Friday afternoon watch.
I am 25 years old. I never learned how to ride a bike. Today that changed. This is my story pic.twitter.com/HyIDnBze9b
— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) April 7, 2019
Citi Bike apparently felt so too, agreeing on Twitter to refund the extra charges added when you take out a bike for more than 45 minutes.
Both Citi Bike and Gothamist would also like to remind you that tomorrow is car-free Earth Day, meaning all motorists are getting the boot from Broadway between Times Square and Union Square from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Additionally, there will be some sort of bike-share programming until 4 p.m. along St. Nicholas Ave from 181st Street to 190th Street. The skies, which seems to have unblackened in the last few minutes, should be clear for the morning at least.
We'll give the last word to this young bike ambassador, who was moved to deliver an exultant speech after his first ever ride, and whose spirited wisdom you should carry with you into the weekend: "Everybody! I know you can believe in yourself!"