Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Dumpling's gotta brand-new ... bike

Yeah, I'm back on two wheels -- and it feels ... faintly terrifying, actually. Sharing the road with cars, having gears and TWO brakes, and riding on something light and nippy and that doesn't require significant heft to get it to move. I found myself speeding down the North Walls, around Eastgate, legs pedalling away furiously at my normal rate, desperately trying to figure out what gear I should be in so that I could get the (heavy) resistance that I was used to on my Dutch bike, and then realized that that's simply not going to happen. I have to adapt, which could be difficult, given that I'm almost 36 and thus set in my ways.

I am also having to be more assertive, taking my place on the road as if it's my due, rather than cycling along apologetically. And to be fair, the cars I encountered this evening seemed to respect that -- slowing down to pull out round me, giving me plenty of room. Still, it was a relief to get off-road and cycle alongside the river and back along to College Walk. Now, if I could just get some decent street lamps installed ...

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