Biking

Awhile ago I wrote about going to the gym with Mike. Well, we never made it. I couldn't stand the thought of going, so we skipped it. I felt bad, though, so we moved on to Plan B...getting an exercise bike.

I put out an ad on Craigslist offering to buy used exercise equipment, including treadmills and bikes. I got tons of responses, but after taking a good, hard look at our apartment I realized that there was no room anywhere. Mike disagrees, but that's not surprising since we have very different decorating styles. I like open, airy spaces. Mike likes things crammed in and is okay as long as there's a tiny path to get from room to room. Still, the idea of shoving another piece of furniture into our already crowded living room was intolerable, so I moved on to Plan C...using my actual bike.

Mike loves biking, but had mostly given up on it by the end of last summer because of his asthma. Before then he'd done fundraiser rides and used his bike from commuting. Now that he's on Advair and is semi-stabilized he's eager to hop back on, and he wants me along for the ride. Last summer I bought a cheap Huffy with intentions of joining him, but his ability to breathe waned right along with my enthusiasm, so we never went anywhere. However, this summer I'm determined to accompany him on a ride or two.

On Monday I had to go over to a friend's house to pick up an application to work for her company this summer. I had beaten traffic and gotten home earlier than usual, so instead of driving there I figured I'd enjoy the beautiful day and walk. But then I got the bright idea to ride instead. Why not start breaking in the bike early?

I walked around to the back of the house to retrieve my bike. It had stayed out all winter, and to my dismay I saw the handlebars, chain, and fenders were covered with dots of rust. Mike had assured me that he could Dremel it off for me but in the meantime it looked decrepit. I figured that nobody would notice me on the mile-long ride to her apartment, so I threw my leg over my bike and pushed off.

I thought the rusty chain was interfering with my ability to pedal...or, at least, that's what I told myself as I struggled to get the bike going. I got to my first huge hill, and had to hop off my bike and push it up the hill. I consoled myself that this was a hill that Mike and I avoided walking up since it was so steep, so I shouldn't feel bad about not being able to bike it. I felt dumb pushing my rusty bike along the sidewalk, but I was already too tired to care.

Once I got onto Brady Street I was able to pedal again, but as I turned my bike to head towards Cathedral Square I noticed the going was rough again. I glanced at the curb across the street and noticed something that I'd never noticed while driving or walking...the entire street was on a slight uphill. I groaned, got off my bike, pushed it a bit, and then climbed back on. I was starting to feel like I'd taken on too much.

The street eventually leveled out and I made it to my friend's apartment without much more trouble. I rode the entire way on the sidewalk, fearing the fast-moving rush hour traffic. I saw commuters on their shiny, slim bikes and felt like a poser, but I kept on pedaling.

Once I got to my friend's house I was seriously considering calling Mike and asking for a ride home. But I wasn't sure my bike would fit into his car and I felt like a pansy begging for a ride home, so I just went into the apartment building to get the application. Afterwards I came back out and faced my bike with no small amount of animosity. I was starting to hate biking. Screw the ozone layer, I was driving everywhere from now on.

The one good thing about the ride there being mostly uphill is that the ride back was mostly downhill. I barely had to pedal at all, and the huge hill I walked my bike up was almost scary to coast down. Eventually I pulled up to our apartment at the same time Mike did, and he walked me to the backyard to lock up my bike again. As we walked to the front door I asked him to carry me, but he couldn't quite do it as I wrapped my arms around his neck and clung to him piggyback-style. Apparently a few more hours of biking wouldn't hurt.

The next morning I was eager to get out riding again, so I suppose it won't be too tough of a habit to take up, especially since my summer job will be within biking distance. Mike wants to try a long-distance ride, but it'll be awhile before we get to that. He has to get all the rust off my fenders first.