I don’t know if I fully agree that riding a bicycle is for everybody, or that it’s the best possible treatment for any condition. However, I do know that, for me at least, riding a bike to and from work for the last several summers has given me more energy, revitalized my health and the way I feel, and helped me to lose 60 pounds since 2015.
While I was visiting family in Calgary for the last couple of weeks, I had the opportunity(ies) to drag my dad and cousin out for bike rides, something neither had really done this year after commuting by bicycle previously. Both were (hopefully) motivated by my eagerness to get out and enjoy the sunshine, and getting the first ride of the season in always helps make subsequent rides easier. Keeping that in mind, I hope both will continue biking when they can, because the benefits of incorporating cycling in to your everyday life are immense!
*The most striking statistic from this video is that in the Netherlands (and other Nordic countries), they consider every euro invested in bicycle infrastructure to be worth 8 euro in returns across the economy.
**As mentioned in the video, perhaps the *most* striking statistic should be the number of people killed in car crashes each year (33,000 in the US alone), but for some reason we accept this in society.