Back on the Bike

After about 10 days in the bike shop, my bike was finally ready. It didn't need 10 days of work, they just forgot that it was there. Ahhh, Belgium. I haven't really done much riding at all in about five or six years. There was a period in my late 30's where I was riding a lot, but travel and responsibility got in the way and my bikes just hung in the garage. Cycling seems to be the national sport of Belgium and everwhere you go there are cycling shops and groups of riders sporting team logo lycra. So it seemed natural that I try to get back on the bike.

I should make clear that I do not consider myself a cyclist. I like to ride my bikes. It is good exercise, scenic and generally enjoyable. I am not however, built like a cyclist. I am not tall and lean, but rather wide with short legs. Even if I wasn't fat, my torso is still built like a sail and I catch every bit of wind. I try to tell myself that the increased wind resistance makes it better exercise, but mostly it just slows me down.

Last year, the Tour de France's route took the race literally in front of my house. We didn't live here then, proving timing is everything, but there are photos to prove it.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.133177556714459.16096.114475351918013

Typical of this part of the world, our streets are mostly cobblestones which is why I think they picked us for that part of the Tour route. If you have never ridden a bike on cobblestones, all I can say is, they are no joke. The bumps are only half the issue. The bigger danger is the uneven and slippery surface. I have incredible respect for the racers who ride at speed over these things. I think I am going to have to become a much better rider before I feel comfortable clipping in to my road bike. As it is, I was riding my hybrid with much wider tires and felt like one slip and my teeth would be scattered across the road. Hopefully I can avoid injury long enough to get my bike handling skills back up to my high standards of mediocrity.

It was good to get back on the bike again this morning. My hinder is a bit tender from yesterdays ride, but not as bad as I expected. I wore my mountain biking shorts and a T-shirt because nobody wants to see my fat self squeezed into lycra like a neon Memorial Day bratwurst. (Something that has not ocurred to many of my Belgian counterparts). I figure I need to get below two bills before anything remotely resembling road cycling gear goes on my body. I tried to maintain as brisk a pace as possible, but my general level of fitness tells me that it may be a while before I join the peloton. Still, I am trying to tell myself that now in my mid forties, anything physical that I do is a positive. If nothing else, it offsets some of the beers that I am reviewing for this blog.