All parents recall that feeling of watching your child take off on their bicycle for the first time. You remember letting go of the bike and watching them whiz down the sidewalk, shaky but confident, and feeling so proud. You may also recall the feeling of watching them slowly wobble then right themselves, and it suddenly dawns on you that you didn't really cover the “stopping” part very well. About that time, your child usually runs their bike into the grass (or something more solid – ouch!) to slow themselves down, eventually falling over – hopefully unharmed - and ready to try again.

I experienced all this at the age of 33, but in this case, I was the child, not the parent. Against my dad's better judgment, he had just installed clipless pedals on my bike. Shaking his head, he watched me as I barreled down the sidewalk, only to “get stuck” and fall over a few houses away. I had a VERY bruised hip that entire summer, and I continue to fall over about once a season...whether I get “surprised” by a quickly-changing light, or I simply lose my balance as I prepare to dismount. My dad is convinced I'm going to kill myself on those “crazy pedals,” and I am equally convinced I can't live without them.

“Staying upright is half the battle, appreciating the view is the other half.”

I have been cycling for about 25 years now. My ex-husband bought me my first bike before we were married and I have continued to upgrade the model – both bikes and husbands! Cycling brings me great joy and has been part of some of my greatest accomplishments. In 2001, I rode my bike through the Laurentians with a group of people, and a language, I didn't know and in 2008 I won the cycling leg of a relay triathlon. In 2015, I biked around Denmark with my cousin on a self-directed tour, ie. "here's your map, get yourself to the next hotel." I can ride 30 minutes in my basement or 200 miles outside and be equally happy. I happily admit I'm a fair-weather cyclist and my “lower limit” temperature keeps getting raised as I get older. Right now, it's at about 10degC.

The terrain where I ride is very flat so long rides are the best (only?) way to challenge myself. I have ridden through three counties in one day and also changed time zones. Most Sunday mornings I see more deer and roadkill than cars, and sometimes a lone coyote crosses my path. I have discovered tiny, overgrown cemeteries and been offered a drink of water being pumped directly out of the ground. There is no better way to navigate a new city or learn the back roads of a rural area.

There is something so exhilarating, yet so peaceful, about finding your own way - legs pumping, sun beating down, with the day ahead of you and your feeling firmly clipped in. 

 

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