I haven’t been on a bike since July 1995! Long, long time ago! It was 2 months after the birth of my second daughter and I wanted to get back into being active so up on the bike I hopped. I went out on the busy road only to discover that in the year since I had been on the bike last, I had lost my nerve. Maybe it was because I hadn’t regained my full strength and was too ambitious too early, but the rush of the cars and buses close by me made me feel like I wasn’t in control and I returned home and put the bike away for a later date.
Roll on that later date! 30th June 2019!!! I must add at this point that although I hadn’t been on a real bike in the last 24 years, I had been on an exercise bike (I know it doesn’t count but had to mention it!) To be honest the thought of riding a bike wasn’t bad, but the thought of going out on the road again was scary. But today I faced that giant!
There it lay, my sons’ old bike which had been banished to the back of the shed a couple of years ago, forsaken for the comfort of the front seat of my car but today it was going to see the light of day again!
Tires pumped, chain greased, brakes checked …. I swung my leg over the crossbar and pressed my right foot on the pedal. With a little wobble I slowly pressed my way down the drive and back again. A few more adjustments, saddle height and tilt and away I went again. A couple more rounds of the garden to test the brakes and I could feel my confidence levels rising. Although not in the right attire for a jaunt on the bike (I was wearing flipflops) I decided to take the plunge and venture out onto the road!
Anyone who knows where I live will be laughing at this point as I no longer live in a busy capital city but have ventured further afield to the quiet peaceful back roads of rural Ireland, so it’s not as big a deal as the last on-road venture … but we are not going to dwell on such trivialities, we are going to glory in my grand achievement!!! Off up the narrow country road I went, the wind blowing my hair and my cardigan gently behind me as the sun in the present Irish heatwave of 20C warmed my face and the tarmac below me. It was a picture of summer bliss!
Small achievement you say! Maybe! But I am a woman of simple pleasures and I am not of those who despise the day of small beginnings. Every journey starts with a single step and today I put my foot forward and started mine!
