The other day, our neighbor Sunny wanted to celebrate after finishing her first set of boards (she's in medical school). We all walked over to Sully's to have a few beers (I only had half a pint - damn you, LDL!) and shoot the breeze and stuff. In the course of the conversation, I mentioned that I had moved to the PNW in 1978; Sunny commented that I must have been just a kid. When I told her how old I am, she was surprised and went on about how she thought I was so much younger. I do not have more than my share of vanity, I think, but it pleased me.
Thirteen years ago right now - when I was the age Sunny thinks I am now - I was in the middle of a bicycle trip across Europe with Diane. I was pedaling a heavy Schwinn ten-speed, with two front panniers and two rear panniers and a tent and sleeping bag and tarp and usually groceries to boot, maybe about fifty pounds of gear. And while we didn't set any speed records, I pedalled all over, up and down hills in France and Belgium and England (there are no hills in the Netherlands) without even dropping out of top gear.
Today, Otis and I went for a ride on the Burke-Gilman. We got off the trail at NE 70th and 58th NE, near Magnusson Park, to come home through the neighborhoods. We hit that first hill westbound on 70th and it was like hitting a wall. We walked it. We hit more hills, and I started gearing my 21-speed down to keep going: 3-7, 3-6, 3-5, 3-4... 2-4, 2-3. What is this? I have no heavy gear, I have a great bike, I'm just out for a neighborhood ride (we would up doing 20 miles), and I feel like I could never make a trip though Europe again.
I don't know if this is a gee-I-feel-old story, or a gee-I-need-to-work-out-more story, or a youthful-personality-doesn't-equal-young-body story. I do know I'm getting back on the bike tomorrow.
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1 comment:
I'd just put it down to not knowing any better when you were younger. That's my excuse, anyway. Plus, I've never seen a hill in the Netherlands that looks anything like Seattle's. Can't speak to Belgium, I only drink the beer.
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