I went for a ride today. Most of you wouldn't think it a long ride, just shy of 17 miles, but for me it was quite an accomplishment. It was the longest ride that I have ever done (as a overweight, middle aged adult: we did these kind of trips standing on our heads when we were kids). Also, of particular note, it was NOT done on a bike path, or series os paths as most of my longish rides are done on. It was gone on God-Honest hilly, windy roads! It took me through West Newbury and Groveland where I stopped and had a nice snack in a beautiful park overlooking the construction of the new bridge linking to Haverhill.
Then I climbed out of the valley and took a left headed back toward the sea. It was along this road that, I think, I got my mojo back!
Now, some time ago, well over a year actually, I crashed my motorcycle. My tires, specifically my back tire, had a traction issue going around a corner and I high-sided. It hurt. I broke my leg. Ever since then I have lost the desire to do the thing that motorcycle riders enjoy more than any thing else on the planet: go fast around corners.
Well, today I found myself going way too fast on this hilly back-road to the coast when all of a sudden the ground dropped out in front of me and I dropped with it. I leaned deep into the first corner going I-don't-know-how-fast but it wasn't fast enough. I dropped it into the smallest cog there was an laid into it. I must have been going thirty or more when I banked my way out of that down-hill sweeper only to realize that neither the neither the hill, nor the corners stopped. I banked over hard to my left and that's when it hit me: I was riding near the limits of what I could ever do on a peddle bike, making a turn that I would be hesitant to take on my motorcycle these days and, even as my left knee is getting closer and closer to the ground.... I'm still peddling! Fuck! All I could think about was that left foot coming down after I banked it just that one inch too much. My foot was too close to the ground. But I couldn't stop! I needed the speed, I needed the centriffical force, the counter-steer, the
tilting horizon. I managed to collect my thoughts enough to get my damn left foot into the "up" position as I arced through the apex of the corner. The thrill was amazing, but short lived as there was a stop sign right in front of me at a blind intersection! I stayed stopped for an extra second or two to catch my breath and gather my thoughts.
Of course by then I realized that what I needed wasn't to be cornering on my peddle bike, but on my motorcycle. I had lost my fear of corners on an inappropriate vehicle at an inappropriate speed on a random day with no agenda other than trying to ride far, far for me. I peddled the rest of the way home. limping in through the last mile and collapsed on my front lawn. I looked lovingly over at where the motorcycle is parked and thought quietly to myself: "I can't wait".
Then I climbed out of the valley and took a left headed back toward the sea. It was along this road that, I think, I got my mojo back!
Now, some time ago, well over a year actually, I crashed my motorcycle. My tires, specifically my back tire, had a traction issue going around a corner and I high-sided. It hurt. I broke my leg. Ever since then I have lost the desire to do the thing that motorcycle riders enjoy more than any thing else on the planet: go fast around corners.
Well, today I found myself going way too fast on this hilly back-road to the coast when all of a sudden the ground dropped out in front of me and I dropped with it. I leaned deep into the first corner going I-don't-know-how-fast but it wasn't fast enough. I dropped it into the smallest cog there was an laid into it. I must have been going thirty or more when I banked my way out of that down-hill sweeper only to realize that neither the neither the hill, nor the corners stopped. I banked over hard to my left and that's when it hit me: I was riding near the limits of what I could ever do on a peddle bike, making a turn that I would be hesitant to take on my motorcycle these days and, even as my left knee is getting closer and closer to the ground.... I'm still peddling! Fuck! All I could think about was that left foot coming down after I banked it just that one inch too much. My foot was too close to the ground. But I couldn't stop! I needed the speed, I needed the centriffical force, the counter-steer, the
Of course by then I realized that what I needed wasn't to be cornering on my peddle bike, but on my motorcycle. I had lost my fear of corners on an inappropriate vehicle at an inappropriate speed on a random day with no agenda other than trying to ride far, far for me. I peddled the rest of the way home. limping in through the last mile and collapsed on my front lawn. I looked lovingly over at where the motorcycle is parked and thought quietly to myself: "I can't wait".
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