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In this episode, I will explore the origin story of Bicycle Day and why it is celebrated. I will also tell ya why riding a bicycle on Bicycle Day is a bad idea.
The Original Bicycle Day occurred April 19th, 1943, when Dr Albert Hoffman, the chemist who discovered Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, took the first fateful dose of 250ug of LSD**.. intentionally**
This ladies and gentlemen, is what I refer to as a stay-at-home dose because 250ug LSD is pretty strong.
Without the luxury of knowing the importance of set and setting, the good doctor took the dose while at work in his laboratory. 40 minutes later Dr Hoffman wrote one entry in his lab journal that day:
17:00: Beginning dizziness, feeling of anxiety, visual distortions, symptoms of paralysis, desire to laugh…
Well, how was Dr Hoffman supposed to know? He was the first one to ever drop acid. The good doctor wasn’t feeling well, so he asked his lab assistant to help him get home.
Since the wartime sanctions prohibited cars from being on the city streets, the two men rode to Hoffman’s house on bicycles. By the time he got home, the full terrifying adventure of Dr Hoffman’s Acid Trip had begun.
The furniture took on grotesque, threatening forms that were in continuous animation. He felt that he was either going to die or never return from his psychological break from reality. For all he knew, he had gone and poisoned himself.
In hopes of mitigating any more of the substance from being absorbed, he had the lady next door bring him some milk. When she showed up with 2 litres of milk, Dr. Hoffman recalled that she looked like a “…malevolent, insidious witch with a coloured mask”. He then proceeded to drink all the milk anyway.
I guess that makes sense…
Hearing of Dr. Hoffman’s ordeal, his family doctor came by to check his vital signs. Other than dilated pupils, he was under no physical distress. As the peak of the trip subsided and reality began to return, Dr Hoffman recalled how this terrifying ordeal gave way to a beautiful experience of gratitude:
“The horror softened and gave way to a feeling of good fortune and gratitude, the more normal perceptions and thoughts returned, and I became more confident that the danger of insanity was conclusively past.
Now, little by little, I could begin to enjoy the unprecedented colours and plays of shapes that persisted behind my closed eyes. Kaleidoscopic, fantastic images surged in on me”
So thats why we celebrate Bicycle Day on April 19th, like every other year, with an enthusiastic dose of LSD. Remember if you really want to honour Dr Albert Hoffman, be sure to take part responsibly by knowing your dose, as well as having your set and setting properly secured. And for God sake, don’t ride I bicycle.