did you know that i have a bike? a real bike, with tires and everything! it's actually a hard tail mountain bike by gary fisher. jg got it for me back in 1998. and that's about the last time i rode it.
i don't know what possessed me to get back on the bike. i think i shocked jg when i suggested that we go for a ride. he rustled up all the gear in less than five minutes. pretty good considering all our possessions are in unmarked filing boxes.
deyoung museum
i had forgotten how much fun riding a bike is. by some miracle, my bike is still in perfect working order. my helmet and my gloves are pretty much brand new.
bison paddock
you might be wondering why i let my bike rot for a decade. i have jg to blame for that. he took me on a real mountain biking trail the very day he gave me the bike. i loved the challenge, but i did not have the skills. i didn't even know how to unclip my shoes from the pedals. each time i came to a stop, i would fall over with my feet still clipped to the bike.
yesterday was a perfect day for a ride. the weather was pleasant and half of golden gate park was closed to traffic. i had fun zipping around without worrying about cars. we ended up at ocean beach. by pure coincidence, we met up with these two clowns across from the beach chalet.
beeze+amanda
we stood around catching up and then decided to have a picnic lunch. they drove to get sandwiches and we rode to meet them at the sloat beach parking lot. we went past an impediment of sort along the great highway. see for yourself:
i was moving at a pretty good speed but i managed to steer clear of it. hitting that thing would have meant going over the handlebar.
safely parked
we took our time eating and watching surfers negotiate the monstrous waves. i was more interested in the dogs playing fetch along the water. one lucky couple had two waffles.
some unlucky person lost a good looking dog.
the picnickers
after lunch we went our separate ways. beeze and amanda left in their piece of german engineering. jg and i got on our bikes and headed home.
the ride back was difficult for me. the grade was gentle but it was steadily up and up. i had to walk my bike for two short stretches. jg was very patient during my slow trudge home, a lot more now than he ever was when he took me on that fateful mountain biking trip.
12.42 miles round trip
in less than two hours. can you believe it? i'm sure that's a joke for any regular bicyclist. but for me, an average lazy hiker, it's incredible that i could cover that much distance in a day.
over all, i had a great time blast riding my bike. the only complaint i have is that my a** is a bit sore today. but that's because i didn't wear my padded shorts. with all the proper gear, i can imagine riding every sunday.
My first ride I rode straight down a concrete embankment, landing in a big mess at the bottom. I feel your pain. Good for you for going! I feel that way every time I get on my bike, how much I love it,...
» from g
01.12.2009
i admire that your helmet matches your bike and i laughed because the first thing i thought of was that you were not wearing a skirt. now that i mention it, your blog next week will probably showcase a 15 mile bike ride in a skirt.
