When I was in school I remember piloting my one-speed, balloon tire Schwinn bicycle with twin rear-view mirrors, an electric horn and wire saddlebag-style rear baskets to school, on my paper route and around town. It must have weighed close to what I did.
Like most of my peers, I eventually decided bikes were dorky, until I didn't care about that any more and discovered the miracle of multiple gears.
Although the style of bike has changed, I still like the way the world looks from a bicycle seat.
Just eight days ago, the surgeon gave me clearance to ride a bike again, since no "torquing'' my abs is involved. I've done that just about every day that it hasn't rained on my 24-speed Trek hybrid (how did anyone ever ride a one-speed?). Although the "trips'' I have taken would not qualify as a workout any more, poking around the flatlands of Delmar and Slingerlands in low gears for an hour or so daily has been been a real treat.
I try to remind myself that while a really ambitious ride or actually anything hilly is still out of the question, I am so fortunate to move my body, feel the bike respond, and glide around this idyllic part of the world, observing people doing things like tending to their lawns, picking up their mail and doing other activities that until a couple of months ago I thought of as mundane.
Not any more.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Jay! Glad to hear you're back on your bike. Sorry to hear you've been sick. I was planning to send you a get-well card (and I still will), but encouraged to find you oh-so-active here in the blogosphere. I'll be following along!
ReplyDeleteI can just see you cruising the hood (and I would bet that you are giving your abs a little bit of a workout!) Ride by my wildflower garden along the sidewalk on Oakwood Place - it's a little bit of meadow in the middle of Delmar. However, ignore the stuff on the porch - I am resisting putting the beach equipment away - I would have to admit I'm not on vacation anymore.
ReplyDeleteI got back into biking on my vacation. Your blog today reminded me of a persistent biking question - how is it that those of us with more than sufficient padding still get such sore bones!?! Hoping you have good padding on your seat, or your bicycle's seat - or both.
Thinking of you and Emily each day.