Somewhere about 1964…

I received a bicycle for my 9th birthday. As fortune would have it, I have been able to keep that bicycle, and it is ride-able shape today.

It was not always so. In 2005, Wonderful Guy took it to a local bike shop, and had my antiquish bike all fixed up. Notice the white wall tires, new pedals, and bell! (We live in a very bike friendly town. There are no fewer than 14 bicycle sales and repair shops around this small city of 131,000!)

This was the same year I injured my knee in a skiing accident that required surgery (another story, another post) . Suggested therapy for recovery from said surgery included, among other exercises, bicycling. This old ‘girl’s bike’, was just the ticket. The cut-away allowed easy mounting/dismounting. It was not too tall, which allowed easy and secure maneuverability. The ‘bad’ leg could go around with the pedal, or not, as needed, during the loosening up stage of exercising. We rode ever so slowly around our neighborhood in the summer evenings, loosening and strengthening the knee. It worked, and the knee is all better, even if I haven’t had the courage to try skiing again. (Maybe this season, I hope. Maybe not. But maybe. Agrh! I am so conflicted!)

The next spring, for my 51st birthday, Wonderful Guy presented me with this! He thought enough time had passed, and I deserved my next new bicycle.

I had always thought I would like to bicycle to work, but didn’t have a good bike to ride. Well, that excuse was not a viable one any longer. So how was I going to go about doing this? I needed to be prepared. What route would I follow? (I wanted to avoid the busy streets.) How long would it take me? What did I need to take with me? How would I carry it? What sort of condition would I be in when I got to work? What if I had a flat? Or an accident? Or….
STOP ALREADY! Did I want to or not? I very much did, but I was paralyzing myself with the need to be prepared for all possibilities. I elicited a promise from Wonderful Guy to rescue me if I called for help. I plotted a basic route. I packed only the bare necessities- a local bike route map, my lunch, a change of clothes, my cell phone in a (gi-nourmous) daypack (we use for dayhiking!), and a water bottle. And on a Friday late in May, I left the house for work, on my new bike. Took me about 35 minutes. It was nerve-wracking at times not being familiar with the route, but the morning weather was pristine and glorious, and I was hooked.

On seeing my effort to ride my new bicycle, for our anniversary (which falls not long after my birthday) Wonderful Guy gave me a flat repair kit, and a saddlebag in which to carry my lunch, work clothes, and other items I determined I required. The last two summers, I have averaged about 800 miles riding to and from work. Not bad for an old lady!

Even though snow is in the forecast for tonight, and the temperature will dip below 0° (Shiver. My. Timbers.), I am thinking longingly of when it will be above 50° in the morning, and I can start riding again. Oh, I know. I might be a wimp. There are those who ride no matter what. ("There is no bad weather, only bad gear"…blah blah blah….) I see them out there, but I am what I am, and that is a fair weather rider!

Eldest Daughter provided the bling for my bike….I am also 2FAST4U! (This is usually read as I am passed by others….)