Damn, it’s hot. I should have worn shorts, but I wanted to fit in at my first bike event. I worried I wouldn’t be taken seriously in my denim shorts and biker boots.

My research on bike events online did not prepare me for the crowd that flocks to my bike before I get my helmet off. I fight the urge to tell them to keep their hands off my bike. I answer many questions about my ride, where I found it, and where I live. It seems for every person that walks away, two more approach. ...