Yes! I’m now a cyclist
My boyfriend told me now that once I completed my first 25-mile bike ride; then that would make me a cyclist. I said, “As long as I don’t have to wear the matching bike outfit with the clip in shoes and the helmut. Have you seen my hair? This hairstyle doesn’t deserve to be covered under those hideous helmuts. Well, I lost out on the helmut fight. But, at least I found a cute fire engine red helmut to somewhat match my brand new red Fuji bike.
What have I gotten myself into? I haven’t ridden a bike since I was in grade school. Seriously! And, I’m the one who talks about THOSE bike people who ride their matching outfitted asses in what seems like the middle of the street when I’m trying to get through traffic. They have such a sense of entitlement. And, they don’t obey the traffic laws. Most of them NEVER stop at stop signs. They slow down at stop lights VS coming to a complete stop. Up until recently ,they didn’t even stop for pedestrians while in the middle of the cross walk.
I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve envisioned myself pulling one of them off of their bikes by the back of their knapsack or jacket, if they came any closer to hitting me while in the cross walk. Then I remember, that I’m no longer that reactionary person and I dial it down.
Forget about riding my new bike in the street; even in the bike lane. That WAS a No-NO for me. We were recently in Amsterdam, bicycle Capital, when he talked me into renting bikes for a ride through the city. I relented because he told me that we would ONLY stay on the bike path. Within the first three minutes on the bike, I was winded. And here I thought I was in shape. I was exhausted and my tushy hurt for three days afterwards.
Now that I’m back in Santa Monica and have my own bike, I’ve been riding three to four times a week. Yes, me! I even ride in the street a little bit. I ride my bike to work from Marina Del Rey to Santa Monica . I ride my bike to meet friends for lunch at the 3rd Street Promenade. When I’m on my bike, my mood is instantly catapulted into a state of bliss, compassion and utter optimism. It’s such a magical experience. There’s no other mode of transportation, outside of of this, where you can pull up to an intersection or at a dismount your bike and walk area on the beach bike path, and make small talk with other cyclists. We sometimes make eye contact, shoot one another that smile that lets you know they too can relate to this amazing feeling of freedom atop of this 2-wheel small metal framed contraption called a bicycle.
Last week, while riding in the bike lane, side by side city buses and cars, I shared the lane with another cyclist. She had on a tank top and was casually cruising along in the same direction as I was. By the time I caught up with her at the stop light, I was able to pass her up. I called it, “Tag you’re it. “Catch me if you can. It was soo much fun. At the next stop light, she called out something to me that I couldn’t make out; as I did have to focus on traffic. By the third and final traffic light, we wished one another a safe side and a great day. As i ride up and down the bike path from Santa Monica to Hermosa Beach, I sometimes lock eyes with people who show their sign of approval with a nod and a smile. It's a whole other wold on the bike.
The older we get, the less easy it becomes to stay open to trying new things. I’m having fun with my new form of transportation, exercise and leisure. I lovingly suggest you check out bike riding in your town. You might want to start by simply renting a bike for a couple hours and hitting a bike trail to see if it’s a right fit for you. Happy riding.
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