Like riding a bicycle
June 16th, 2008Reading tales of this year’s Oklahoma FreeWheel Cross State Bicycle Tour makes my thighs twitch with delight.
Basically, take the entire staff of the tv show, “The Office,” (this includes Stanley, Bryan, and Phyllis) put them in cycling shorts and jerseys and you have the 800+ population of the Oklahoma FreeWheel in a nutshell…quirky personalities included.
And…
As we stopped at a rest stop at Weleetka, a small hole in the wall place that looked like it was poor as a church mouse, we discovered that there had been a brutal murder on Sunday involving two young girls. There were a few girls at the school trying to sell some baked goods to raise money to help pay for funerals, and they were invited to our evening campsite later to try to raise more funds. At the end of the day, the Freewheel riders had contributed $4,000, prompting an emotional thank-you from one of the fathers and the principle of the school the girls had attended.
And…
My favorite town. Seminole. Now, I admit that I am biased. I work there twice a month, and I got to be involved in a little of their planning. But the reason I liked them best is the way they executed their contingency plan in the face of a crippling thunderstorm.
And…
As we all said goodby today, we promised we’d see each other next year. I can’t imagine not going back, despite the wind and rain and hills. What I thought was a bike ride that I could cross off my “bucket list” of things to do and then move on was so much more. Hopefully I can keep that FreeWheel spirit with me until next year where I’ll see all my bicycling family again. And hopefully, I can persuade others to become a first-timer like I was this year.
Though I do have an Oklahoma century ride to my credit, pedaling from OKC to Eufaula in one day, I’m afraid that kind of riding is behind me. My own bicycle hasn’t been ridden in years, though it remains one of my most prized possessions. What was a racing thoroughbred at heart, became relegated to commuting through congested L.A. streets and road tours along the coast from Mexico to San Francisco. (Of course, the only thing still original to the 35 year old classic is the frame and well oiled Brooks leather saddle.) And as much as I’d like to take my treasured steed for a spin, all I have to do to squelch that idea is look at that old, hard saddle and feel my old, soft ass.
June 17th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
That’s a classic old bike. It looks like a Peugeot, but it’s hard to tell from the photo. With a little TLC, it should be perfectly ridable. Just give your butt the time to adapt to the saddle and position again.
I ride Brooks Professionals on my commuter bikes. The ‘new’ one is a ‘96 Bianchi, and the old one is a Centurion from the late 70s or early 80s. Trust me, with some basic care, a steel frame will outlast us and eventually end up at the estate sale when we’re gone.
June 18th, 2008 at 7:43 am
Yes, it’s a Peugeot PX10. I’m sure it would be rideable, after refurbishing every component. Although I notice the Phil Wood sealed bottom bracket still feels very smooth.
One reason, of many, I stopped riding was overcoming the 1/2 mile of gravel road between me and blacktop. I tired of driving the bike in order to ride it.
Funny, my first 10 speed was a Centurion that I sold to a brother-in-law when I just had to have the Peugeot. My wife’s Gitane came a year later. It too is in storage, nestled with the Peugeot. And there is a third bike that I hesitate to sell; an old Hermes with a lugless frame. I spotted it at a yard sale and threw some spare components on it. It was the last bicycle I’ve ridden to date. (My surname is Hermes.)