Benjamin Launches Dork Cycling
Meet Benjamin. He’s a self-classified dork, a “shy extrovert” who has mostly kept to himself for years but now is coming out of his shell. He is engaging with community like never before, and now he feels “addicted.” Socializing, meeting new people & hanging with friends. Attending Dork events was an important part of this growth.
Benjamin first attended a VEGAN Dork Dinner event. He found the atmosphere relaxed, accepting, and friendly. Benjamin describes, “right away, I found the community to be super friendly.” He was comfortable with these people because he understood the context of the event. It was a place where shyness was accepted, a community designed for mental health. This was a place for dorks, like him.
After going to the dinners a few times, he was introduced to the game, Werewolf. This was something fun, so he started attending Dork Games too. Benjamin recalls, “also, they encouraged me to try some things which were a bit outside of my comfort zone such as the Dork Dancing and Dork Sports events.” He experimented with our resilient dorks events as well.
Within our community, Benjamin is in a different mood, trying new things. “It was great to find such a non-judgmental group to try new things with,” he explains. Now, he feels inspired to give back and share one of his favorite hobbies with the community. Benjamin is ready to launch a new kind of Dork Sports event: cycling.
Benjamin has a history of cycling. He first got into cycling 2 years ago, when he bought some bikes with his good friend and shortly thereafter, decided to enter a cycling competition…
“2 months into cycling and super inexperienced we decided to join the Coupe De Hue cycling competition. Little did we know though exactly how competitive this competition was, and when me and him showed up we were 2 beginners amongst a fleet of very serious cyclists! We spent the entire competition (about 70km) far behind everyone else being tailed by an ambulance wailing its siren the entire time (not fun!). Needless to say, we haven't joined another cycling competition since.”
For Benjamin, Cycling isn’t about competition. It’s something simple, fun, and rewarding. So in the past he started doing some morning bike trips. He is not so serious about cycling, as others in Da Nang: “I don't really care about going as far as possible or as fast as possible. For me it has always been the activity itself which I enjoyed, not increasing my limit. I have found it a wonderful hobby to stay active and get myself outdoors.”
Riding a bike doesn’t need to be something only for competitive athletes. It’s for anyone with interest in getting outdoors, exploring, and riding with others. While it can be done alone, he finds it even better with others. That’s why he wants to offer this space for dorks. He thinks that dorks may really enjoy trying this out. From personal experience, he knows cycling is something that helps with mental health. It’s worked well for him.
Benjamin plans to host the event during sunsets on Saturdays, likely weekly, and will launch his first event after Tet holiday. He sees his casual cycling event lasting 1.5 hours, so dorks have sufficient time to “get out, explore new places, enjoy each other's company and get a great workout at the same time.”
“I've really enjoyed this hobby and I think that the Dork Community will also really enjoy it as well. I think this activity aligns perfectly to what the Dork community stands for. Getting the blood pumping, getting outdoors and around other people is sure a plus for mental health in my book. I am really looking forward to cycling with all of you and I can not wait to see you there.”
We are excited to see how Benjamin leads his event, showing dorks how cycling, too, can be something good for mental health. To find more information about upcoming events, please follow the Dork Cycling Facebook page.
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