When I moved from NYC to Spain, I asked 2 strangers twice my age to be my biking buddies. We formed an unexpected, lasting friendship.

Courtesy of Lauren Schenkman

In 2017, at age 31, I moved from New York City to rural Spain to teach English for a year. On the way to school on the first day, I spotted a thin, tantalizing trail winding through the dehesa, a landscape of rolling hills, burnished grass, and lonely cork and oak trees. I loved mountain biking, but the previous summer, I had been chased by dogs on a solo ride, and I'd fallen badly. I was too afraid to explore that landscape alone.