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Summer and cycling seem soulmates, with each encouraging the expression of excitement and the rejection of restraint. Mateus Kaplan, however, does not count on the calendar to coordinate his journeys, as he has made his ride a perennial peer, enlisting it as his lone form of travel.
“It’s kind of like my therapy,” the 26-year-old said last week at his Philadelphia Navy Yard-situated place of employment, Mark Group, Inc., 4050 S. 26th St., which requires a roughly four-mile trek from his Point Breeze abode to reach. “Each time I’m out there, I learn to experience the city in a different way, and I’ve been able to make so many observations about myself and my surroundings.”
No matter the type of excursion or the elements facing him, including this year’s polar vortex, which he saw as a sign of “taking the good with the bad,” Kaplan revels in the receptivity that his body and brain have to taking on challenges. Logging as many as 14 hours on his trusty friend each week, he loves the freedom that relying on two wheels, instead of four or more, can yield.
“There’s something innately gratifying about being able to hop on your bike and go somewhere,” he said of his eight-year tenure tasking himself to be content with abandoning the allure of cars, trains and buses, including The Navy Yard’s shuttles. “What I have found, especially in South Philly, is that people from all walks of life are enjoying themselves by riding. It’s one of the last great simple pleasures that we have.”
In maximizing that delight, Kaplan has added physical and psychological strength while also enhancing his environmental consideration. As a Mark Group home performance coordinator, he promotes the proper use of energy and uses that allegiance to respecting resources as further inspiration when his siren calls.
“People hear ‘green’ and ‘eco-friendly,’ and it’s not always tangible to them, so, like with most things, we need to back up claims with substantive support,” Kaplan said. “With cycling, it’s pretty apparent that we’ll feel better about ourselves and protect the earth in doing so.”
Be it through mountain biking or cyclo-cross cycling, the unflagging peddler feels fortunate to retain such regard for the discipline and never contends that his wheel-based world will ever run out of wonder.
“Well, there’s always more to learn no matter who we are,” Kaplan said. “For me, what I like about racing are the unknown aspects, the adventure, the opportunity to push through obstacles to see what you can do because our doubt can be as intimidating as any terrain.”
The perpetual pursuer of peak performances has partnered with a cycle to convey him throughout South Philly for eight years. Finding it a convenient location for linking up with prominent cycling destinations while serving as an interesting realm in its own right, he has enjoyed noticing how novel his passion has become for some and how long-standing it has been for others.
“That mix is pretty amazing,” Kaplan said of analyzing neighborhoods. “You can find grandmothers, ultra competitive guys and kids all covering the area. Nothing matters when it comes to wanting to get out there and enjoy ourselves.”
The free spirit began his obsession with cycling as a Venezuela-born boy, deeming it a primary way for exploring his South American homeland.
“It was an easy way to get from point A to point B, and I really loved the joy that came from it,” Kaplan said, noting that he particularly loved riding down high hills. “You can definitely say it’s only grown to be even more important to me.”
He made his way to the United States as a teenager and attended high school in the northwest suburbs before matriculating at Temple University as a Spanish and Latin American studies major. City life started to prove pivotal, as it helped him to realize the exorbitant nature of gas prices and encouraged his adoption of an auto-free existence.
“I bought a car at 18, but I sold it shortly afterward,” Kaplan said. “Bicycling just became more convenient in so many ways.”
Between classes at Temple, he took on food delivery tasks and became engrossed in learning more about riding’s benefits to his frame and his fortitude and had his epiphany when completing an 80-mile expedition on a single-speed bike.
“It was such a hot day, and I remember being so tired and dehydrated,” Kaplan recalled. “However, I was totally enamored with the experience and since then, I’ve been hooked, with time working at a bike shop also giving me a sense of community that compels me to get out there and be among likewise enthused people.”
For the last three years, he has used his competitive nature and quest for camaraderie to compete in numerous events and has prided himself on seeking incredibly challenging outlets for his enthusiasm, including the Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic. Regardless of the sort of adventure on which he embarks, Kaplan strives to better his sense of belonging to a community, a practice that in Philadelphia figures to win great favor because of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia’s plan to implement sharrows and signage on 13th and 15th streets from South Street to Oregon Avenue.
“We’re companions, in a sense, and I think we can build on Philadelphia’s reputation as a cycling-oriented city and even start to get along better with drivers,” Kaplan surmised. “There’s plenty of space for us.”
He helps his fellow enthusiasts to enjoy that ground by leading two group rides following work and looks forward to guiding more folks to rationalize riding as more enlightening and rewarding than inserting a key into an ignition.
“I love being out there,” Kaplan said. “It’s great to have so much control over the direction of my life.”
Contact Managing Editor Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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