 |
| Shaking off winter's dust London, ON March 2023 This photo originally shared on Instagram |
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
Lines by the side of the road, June 2022
Cast a giant (round) shadow, June 2022
Back in the saddle, April 2022
Let's roll, shall we? March 2022
The view from my handlebars, September 2021
The corn grows tall here, September 2021
The shadowed bicycle, August 2021
Wheel meets grass, August 2021
Riding my bike to see the corn, July 2021
Bright lights among the stalks, July 2021
The orange machine heads west, July 2021
Today was a day... June 2021
When cows become cyclists. Next Geraldo. June 2021
Hanging out with the cows, June 2021
Golden hour by the side of the road, June 2021
Early morning rides through the countryside, June 2021
Cycling from pink to orange, June 2021
Hitting the road, again and again, April 2021
Pink bike. Red protector. April 2021
And we ride... April 2021
Back to 2 wheels, March 2020
This is why I ride, May 2019
The first ride, April 2019
Where old bikes go to die, April 2019
Pink bike in a blue studio, August 2015
Kindly make room for cyclists, November 2014
Rolling out, rolling on, April 2014
Do bikes belong here? October 2011
Scrubbing away the years, March 2010
Where the rubber hits the road, July 2007
Cranked, July 2006
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment