Author Topic: A revelation

librarian

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A revelation
« on: November 02, 2007 »
Today I just rode Penelope the Pink Peril.  I only went about 8 miles in about 45 mins or so.  I went round the local park, off road, up and down the bumps.  I went up and down, over tree roots, along grassy tracks.  I did stoppies and skiddies!  I was only going about 5 mph a lot of the time.  The bottom gear is 17", which is silly (you can walk much faster than that) but huge and pointless fun.  Then I rode along the paths and tracks down to the lakes, and along the cycle paths liberally dolloped with freshly-fallen wet and slippery leaves (not something I'd subject the road bike to).  Penelope got muddy and got twigs stuck in the derailleur.  I got muddy.

And it was FUN.  Really good fun.  I felt like I'd had a really good workout (I had - I was having to work, unlike much of the time on the road bike when I'm just cruising along).  I'd practiced some new skills, like descending a steep slope that steepens at the bottom, with a sharp turn.  I hadn't worried about average speed, distances, times, heart rates or anything.  I just rode my little pink bike.

And it taught me a number of things too.  Like it is OK just to get out a bike and ride for a short distance.  It's OK not to average 14mph everywhere.  It's OK not to do 100k, or 200k or anything like that.  You can still have fun and ride your bike while never getting more than a couple of miles from home.  

Just because I don't ride 200k's every weekend (or indeed any weekend), I'm still a cyclist because I like riding my bike.

...

I think I'd got into the wrong mindset about cycling - that you always have to go further, faster, harder, higher.  You don't.  It can just be fun.  I'm quite happy to contemplate doing a 100k or even 100 mile ride, but I'm now going to enjoy Penelope, and the local mud patches, too!