I Want To Ride My Bicycle
September 9, 2005
A Picture Tells a Thousand Words…
Then comes the rest of the story! We bought a bike from the teacher that was here before us. He sent us a picture via email and it looked like a great bike so we bought it. It’s awesome to have especially as we have no other means of transportation at the moment. Unfortunately it’s not nearly as nice as it appeared in the picture. The brake calipers are plastic and the derailers (?) look to be made from tin foil. It took some work to get it running, but I finally did it. Today I took it out for a little ride.
How freeing to get on a bike and ride. The slight breeze caused by moving through the air is refreshing. It’s not a cool breeze, make no mistake, but it’s cooler than the ambient air and that’s all that counts. I zoomed through the guard gate and down the road. I was out! Out of the village and on my own for the first time in three weeks.
I shifted up and sailed on. I used to ride my bike all the time and this felt really good; almost as if I had never stopped riding. I took a right on the second dirt road, the one next to the secondary school, and blazed a trail. There’s a shack with a sign that says it’s a bank! Never saw that before. Onward, past the soccer fields, curve to the right, dodge the puddles, avoid the ruts, and I am free!
The road curves around and eventually intersects with the first dirt road I passed. Left turn there, no way I’m going back now, this feels too good. Sailing past kids playing, dodging puddles, waving to the trucks and motorcycles, checking out the old guy with a rifle that must be five feet long. By this time I’m sweating like a whore in church so I stop for a slug of agua and ohmygod is it hot! It’s really friggin hot here. The sun seems to bore holes in you when you’re not looking. I must continue to ride so as to cool down (I’m a genius aren’t I). Down the slope and up the next rise and if I ride one more inch I am going to fall over and die.
Upon turning back I come to the realization that it has been at least twenty years since I did any serious riding (have I even been alive that long?) and I am hammered. My legs hurt, my ass hurts and I don’t have the slightest idea how far I am from home. I don’t wear a watch but I am guessing that I have been riding at least an hour. Needless to say the ride back took slightly longer than the ride there. I even contemplated letting the air out of a tire and hitching until I realized that all of the cars I had seen were going the other direction. I arrived back home, swimming in sweat and gasped, “how long have I been gone?”, knowing full well I have been gone at least two hours. “Maybe thirty minutes”, came the reply. Holy cow am I out of shape!
I immediately strip naked and leave a river of sweat on the floor to the bathroom. Hot water is not necessary at the moment, I just need refreshment. I want to challenge myself to ride more often, but the heat just kills me. I wouldn’t have believed that a human being could sweat that much and still live!
A Picture Tells a Thousand Words…
Then comes the rest of the story! We bought a bike from the teacher that was here before us. He sent us a picture via email and it looked like a great bike so we bought it. It’s awesome to have especially as we have no other means of transportation at the moment. Unfortunately it’s not nearly as nice as it appeared in the picture. The brake calipers are plastic and the derailers (?) look to be made from tin foil. It took some work to get it running, but I finally did it. Today I took it out for a little ride.
How freeing to get on a bike and ride. The slight breeze caused by moving through the air is refreshing. It’s not a cool breeze, make no mistake, but it’s cooler than the ambient air and that’s all that counts. I zoomed through the guard gate and down the road. I was out! Out of the village and on my own for the first time in three weeks.
I shifted up and sailed on. I used to ride my bike all the time and this felt really good; almost as if I had never stopped riding. I took a right on the second dirt road, the one next to the secondary school, and blazed a trail. There’s a shack with a sign that says it’s a bank! Never saw that before. Onward, past the soccer fields, curve to the right, dodge the puddles, avoid the ruts, and I am free!
The road curves around and eventually intersects with the first dirt road I passed. Left turn there, no way I’m going back now, this feels too good. Sailing past kids playing, dodging puddles, waving to the trucks and motorcycles, checking out the old guy with a rifle that must be five feet long. By this time I’m sweating like a whore in church so I stop for a slug of agua and ohmygod is it hot! It’s really friggin hot here. The sun seems to bore holes in you when you’re not looking. I must continue to ride so as to cool down (I’m a genius aren’t I). Down the slope and up the next rise and if I ride one more inch I am going to fall over and die.
Upon turning back I come to the realization that it has been at least twenty years since I did any serious riding (have I even been alive that long?) and I am hammered. My legs hurt, my ass hurts and I don’t have the slightest idea how far I am from home. I don’t wear a watch but I am guessing that I have been riding at least an hour. Needless to say the ride back took slightly longer than the ride there. I even contemplated letting the air out of a tire and hitching until I realized that all of the cars I had seen were going the other direction. I arrived back home, swimming in sweat and gasped, “how long have I been gone?”, knowing full well I have been gone at least two hours. “Maybe thirty minutes”, came the reply. Holy cow am I out of shape!
I immediately strip naked and leave a river of sweat on the floor to the bathroom. Hot water is not necessary at the moment, I just need refreshment. I want to challenge myself to ride more often, but the heat just kills me. I wouldn’t have believed that a human being could sweat that much and still live!
posted by Bronx to Timbuktu at 4:30 PM
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