Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Let the bike season begin

Shaking off winter's dust
London, ON
March 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


It was time for the rubber to hit the road.

So yesterday I rolled out the beater bike, topped off the tires, wiped the dust off, and pointed the front wheel away from home.

The mission was identical to other first rides: spin the legs and make sure they still work; shake the bike down and make sure it still works; feel that wondrous feeling of balance you only get by riding a bike.

The data from the Garmin was far from impressive, but I don’t ride for numbers. I ride because once not so long ago I couldn’t walk or speak after my brain had an unplanned reboot.

I ride to prove to myself that I still can. That I can spin my legs and feel the wind on my face and the ripples of the asphalt through my fingertips. That the faster I go, the more balanced I feel. That I’m not just surviving post-stroke, but I’m thriving.

Maybe that’s how I feel about everything I do. Maybe every article I write, interview I do, or talk that I give is a giant middle finger to the universe, another affirmation that I won’t simply let uncontrollable things happen to me without at least trying to control them right back.

Maybe that’s why a Very Bad Thing may not have been Very Bad at all.

Because I used to just ride without giving it much thought. But now it’s an experience to be savored.

Just like every other experience - on a bike or not - since that life-changing moment where it could have all gone away.

#ldnont #london #ontario #canada #cycling #cyclist #cycle #bicycle #pink #bike #cyclinglife #bikelife #firstride #instabike #random #streetphotography #photography #apple #iphone #shotoniphone #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded #lifeinthemargins


Related:
On-the-road selfie, October 2022
Back in the saddle, April 2022
The corn grows tall here, September 2021
Wheel meets grass, August 2021
And we ride... April 2021
Back to 2 wheels, March 2020
The first ride, April 2019
Cranked, July 2006

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