As a kid growing up in (flat) Michigan, I developed a real love for biking. I remember getting my first "10-speed" in 1976 at the Montgomery Ward store and riding it the 5 or 6 miles home on a cold, November afternoon. It was orange (eeuw!) with some kind of irridescent sticker thing on the frame, and the handlebars were wrapped in a fuzzy "faux suede-ish" tape. It was cool. No matter that it weighed about 40 pounds...I rode that bike everywhere. I remember warm summer evenings cruising for hours with my Sony Walkman blaring Asia or .38 Special.
I left that bike in my Mom's basement when I went off to college, and essentially put the hobby in storage, too. Over the past year or so, however, something stirred in me again, and I would occasionally muse that "I would love to get a 10-speed bike again." I must have said it enough times that my husband was sick of hearing it, and for my past birthday, I was given the gift of picking out a new bike.
At the bike shop, I felt a little like Rip VanWinkle. What I referred to out of habit as a "10-speed" in high school (and which cost me about $80), is now called a "road bike" and equipped with 24 gears. WAY cool. And I can practically lift my new bike with my pinky. WAY WAY cool. I got a helmet, which we never wore as kids, and am getting myself outfitted with all kinds of tight clothing. Clipless pedals? I'm still working on that...
Needless to say, my new bike wasn't $80. Oh, and my body isn't 16 any more, either...still working on that, too. :)
"Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." I John 3:18
2 comments:
Hooray for you!! So glad you're starting a blog, and equally glad to hear you're picking up your bike again! Wow ... there's hope. I got addicted to mountain biking after I first got married (when Don and I lived in VA) -- we biked everywhere during those early years, until the kids came ... ugh. I haven't gotten on a bike since. SAD.
Best wishes on this major adventure! Can't wait to read more ...
Guess what? You got me thinking I might be crazy enough to join you. I am sure I have the same obstacles as you and maybe even more. Tom just said it would be fine with him if I can work out the details. THat takes care of the first obstacle. I'll keep plowing through them and see what happens. One obstacle is my bike. It is almost new, but a hybrid and I don't know if it will be streamlined enough. I'll look into it.
Maybe you won't be there with all strangers. I am also worried about keeping up with the seniors. When I biked a lot and had just moved to New Jersey I met up with a 70 year old guy I had seen biking around. He rode all the way up Rea Ave Extension from Goffle Road. Needless to say, I walked half of it. He took me on a 25 mile ride from hell. It was good for my ego, if you know me.
I'll keep you informed.
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