The Female Bicycle Ride

I have taken many interesting modes of transportation to arrive at study sites. I have arrived on foot, such as walking from a pousada to a river, where I have moved around by my own two fins. I have gone by fishermen’s boat, one of which had a motor, many of which have only had long sticks to push the boat. I have gone by my trusty Kayak, which I have named Furioso. Furioso has done me some good, but he has a hole, encountered on the first day of use, and therefore slowly leaks air, until about every 30 minutes I have to re-inflate part of him. I have traveled by taxi to get to study sites and by bus. But by far, one of the most unique ways I have gone is by the Brazilian Bicycle.

(Colin with Furioso my Kayak)

So I’m in Cumbe, a small little mangrove community of mostly fishermen, which is on the Rio Jaguaribe. I am staying with an environmentalist and school teacher named Joao Luis, and on our first day leaving his house heading out to do research, he asks, do you know how to ride a bicycle? Me thinking this is a strange question, says of course. I’m wondering if it is uncommon for women to ride bicycles here, perhaps this is a strange brazilian cultural thing I have yet to encounter. He grabs his bike on the way out of his house and down the dirt road. We stop at his sister’s place and I think oh we must be picking up a bike for me to ride. Because clearly there is one bike and two of us. However, he just stops to switch bikes, trade the one he has for a bike with a little rectangle metal piece on the back. You know, like if you had a backpack or a crate you could use bungee cords and strap the thing you had to carry onto the back of the bike. However, once we hit the street, he says hop on the back and let’s go to the mangroves.

So just to clarify, his definition of knowing how to ride a bike, was really asking if I could sit on the back of the bike, on the metal rack, and balance myself, my backpack of field supplies and my fins while he pedaled us to the field site. Now this is very tricky. Picture a bumpy dirt road, filled with potholes, trash, and poorly constructed speed bumps. Now picture a rusty old bike with tires that are far from full. Are you also picturing a couple of spots on the road where there is soft sand? So the bike kind of swerves? And to add an extra challenge I am not sitting facing the same direction as Joao Luis, I am not sitting like I am a second passenger on a motor cycle. Oh no. I am sitting facing the side, with my legs awkwardly crossed trying to keep myself from falling off the bike, trying to keep my feet from touching the ground, or the pedals or the wheels of the bike, while Joao pedals us slowly up and down this pot-holey road with spots of soft sand, to the mangroves. Now after hearing this story, if a Brazilian were to ask you, do you know how to ride a bike? What would your response be?