Sweena Kahn

I love the mornings when I clip on my bright purple helmet and bike the 8.5 miles from my apartment to my office. There is a magic that unfolds on rainy mornings with slick, shiny roads. I lose myself in the contemplation of my surroundings, anticipating how to smoothly maneuver around trucks making sudden stops, cars changing lanes, movie crews erecting sets, and delivery carts creaking along in the bike lane. Some might see this as a terrifying start to the day. But after 2500 miles of city road under my wheels, I see it as a beautiful exercise in negotiation and strategy.

The bike lanes of the New York City streets are formidable and dangerous, and I haven’t always been as deft as I would have liked. I have fallen, been struck by a car emerging from a parking spot, and at times, I have just plain stumbled. In the moment, it has been challenging, uncomfortable, cold, windy, and even scary. Still, I have loved every minute of this daily, sweaty adventure. So it’s moments like these that have shaped me into who I am - someone exhilarated and driven to navigate this dynamic and at times risky world.