My family’s napping, so here goes…
I’m so HAPPY :D These past two days have been heaven…relaxing, fulfilling, and just neat. Drove Whitney & Joey down here in the MINI, and the first thing Joey said as we pulled into the garage is, “Harold, is that your BIKE? Why don’t you every ride your BIKE?”
…good question…
The saga of my lovelorn Cannondale: I bought it in the spring of 2002, when I was on a biking kick. I’d had a crappy Giant mountainbike when I was in college, and since I was out in cosmopolitan South Lexington, I thought…hmm…maybe a road bike of some sort. Then my father goes, “Son, I’ll buy you whatever kinda bike you want”.
So, I jumped into the deep end and bought an all-aluminum Cannondale T800 touring bike:
It’s like a racing bike, but made more solidly in all respects, and it has 27 speeds (3 front cogs and 9 rears), like a mountain bike. Everything on it was top-notch and made to last.
And I rode it for 6 months or so and then put it in the garage. :-( What happened? I moved from bike-friendly Lexington to Georgetown, and people here are not so friendly to cyclists. Specifically, I got the crap scared out of me one day going down a hill as I was passed by a car, almost losing control at 35 mph into the path of the car. So, I hung it up. The bike had beaten me.
Been reading lots of Josh’s posts lately about his 30+ mile bike soiree’s into the Minnesoda countryside, and Joey infected me with a bit of devil-may-care, so yesterday at 3 pm, I became a cyclist again. Joey wanted to ride his trike, and my flat-tired, never-moved Cannondale called to me once again.
I didn’t know if the thing would even move, after 3 years of neglect (chain rusted? tubes dry rotted?), but I aired-up the meaty touring rubber, threw on my old helmet and set out.
In a word cycling rocks. It’s exercise, transportation, and good for the environment all at once. I’m out of shape and my tailbone is sore, since it’s not used to the saddle, but it’s all coming back to me :D
“HAROLD!! I can’t keep up with you? [pant]”
“S’ok, Joey, I’ve got 20 years and 20 gears on you!”
:) now, if only UK will kick the snot out of UofL, this will be a good day!