Oh, bike riding is so wonderful! It's so easy! So fast! You can stop and smell the roses! It's so fun! It brightens my day!
and blah, blah, blah..
but let's be real-- sometimes--
sometimes it kinda sucks.
Sometimes, you wake up extra early in the morning so that you have time to put on studded tires so that you can ride the icy roads to get to your bus stop to get to work.
While installing a tire, you pinch the tube, causing a flat. You patch it, get on with it, and ride out the door only to discover that your rushed job didn't hold.
In desperation, you grab a can of instant-flat-fix, only to let half the can foam everywhere. A third of the can finally goes in the tire. The tire pressure is low, but rideable.
About a mile down the road-- you realize that a third of a can of foam isn't going to cut it. You're flatting again and not even halfway to the bus.
You ride the flat, until finally jumping off to scamper onward-- pushing, shuffling, running. You're overdressed and sweating, worrying- will I catch my bus?
And you finally get there-- only to discover that the bus arrives 15 minutes later than anticipated. Huh.
..
And somehow, even on a crap ride such as that--
it still makes me happy.
3 comments:
But, hey, it wasn't raining! For me, nothing equates to crappy riding liking a soaking downpour. Those are the days I really ask myself why I'm commuting by bike even though there are two cars in my driveway. Not that I get deterred by the rain (deep snow is another story), but it's enough to sometimes make me choose to "work" from home for the day.
For me, riding is partly about overcoming challenges. Being able to say "I did it!" at the end of a ride.
Crappy days are more challenging!
Yep, the tough days make for more interesting stories and better bragging rights. Ask me about the time I rode the STP in 40 degree rain with a headwind the whole way... Val
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