Matthew Jellick

As long as I can remember, my world has been viewed through a kaleidoscope lens, sitting atop a bicycle. From riding to elementary school with my sister as a kid, to peddling the Pacific Coast Trail with my dad as an adult, I have heard life pass by on my bike, listening for the secret, searching for the sound.

Living abroad for over a decade, I have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of riding I have been able to do on different continents. In South Korea, I was able to literally bicycle the entire length of the country, from Seoul to Busan, covering nearly 500km. In New Zealand, my parents visited, and we took a bike tour on the South Island. And while Ethiopia ranks among the most dangerous places in the world to try and bicycle, my luck changed upon my return to Asia, here in Shenzhen.

Rental bikes are for the masses, so for myself, I bought a Trek during the early stages of my time here to be able to traverse the paths without an APP. A Trek is what I have ridden 2,500km from Washington State to Rosarito, Mexico, and overall, are quality bicycles which have placed themselves into my recollection of my memories, specifically during that blissful phase in Portland, Oregon, the first “Platinum Bicycle Friendly Community” in America.

And while Shenzhen is no Portland, still, it tries, as can be attested to Monday through Friday along the Dasha River Corridor (because of course, it is closed to bicycles on weekends, naturally). Here, I am able to ride, almost uninterrupted, from my university in Tanglang to Shenzhen Bay in Shekou. About a 50-kilometer roundtrip ride, I use it as both a physical and mental escape from everything else, allowing me to concentrate on the here and now, the wind and the sea.

During this winter “vacation” when I am not allowed to leave Shenzhen, I will have plenty of time to ride along the bicycle paths here, but none will ever even come close to replacing my daily rides along the Pacific Ocean, from beach city to beach city, peddling parallel to the coast as the waves dance upon the shore. It is these Southern Californian rides which actually go to give me respite from the chaos of my overseas adventures, and without them, I feel lost in my mind, body, and soul. Yet Shenzhen continues to try, so on early afternoons as the sun sets into the bay, I continue to ride, imagining those rides on the other side of the Pacific.