Scribner, 2014, 333 pages
This book
chose me, right from its spot on a library end-cap. It begged to be read and I
couldn’t refuse. So I took it home and barreled through it, gobbling up Bruce
Weber’s two-wheeled trip across the country in record time. My reading was
record time, not his journey. It took him around three months, a little longer
than his first trip. Yes, this is the memoir of a man cycling across the US for the
second time. Day after day of cycling, averaging around 50 miles a day, took
Bruce from Oregon to New York City. For a cyclist like me, though
I’ve never ridden farther than across the skinny state of New Jersey, this book rang true time and
time again. I could feel the aching "sit-bones," relate to the
constant calculating that overtakes the mind as we measure time against
distance, sense the flood of relief that happens when the narrow highway
shoulder finally opens up or an alternate route suddenly appears. Only cyclists
know the particular muscles that ache when you climb back on your bike after a
lunch break or the specific rush of camaraderie that you get from seeing
another cyclist along your lonesome route. Weber’s book will be most
appreciated by those who wear toe-clip shoes.
For those less wheel-inclined,
though, Weber’s story can still be enjoyed. In a blend of recollections about
his own life - stories about his mom and dad, past and present romances, and
the death of a longtime friend – along with the nitty-gritty details about his
cross-country journey, Life is a Wheel is a smooth hybrid of travel story and
memoir. Weber unabashedly compares life to riding a bicycle: you're mostly
thinking about the next pedal-stroke, the next hot shower in the next motel room,
the highway in the distance you'll need to cross. Sometimes the ride itself
becomes so absorbing that as the miles to home become less, you may even began
to wonder, "What will I do when I get there?" And as much as you long
for the breath-taking ride over the continental divide or checking off your
longest day of mileage yet, when the ultimate end approaches, you suddenly wish
it would slow down. For a writer who has specialized in writing obituaries,
Weber understands the suddenness with which life can end. Cycling 4000 miles
creates a microcosm of the journey of life: a definite end in sight, a lot to
do along the way, and the danger of forgetting how brief it all really is. Life
is a Wheel reminds us to keep pedaling, notice the scenery, and not wish away
any of the time or distance because the end comes all too soon. I recommend
this book heartily for any cyclist, anyone who loves to travel, or anyone who's
ever noticed the similarity between riding a bike and journeying through life.
