Like riding a bicycle
I've been cycling since as long as I can remember. It's not new to me and yet....
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| Full gear + injuries...does this mean I'm a "real" cyclist now? |
Since winning an entrance to the Cape Town Cycle Tour, thanks to the kindness of those who donated to Greenpop for my bday fundraiser, I've been on the steepest of learning curves.
Let's just say my fair weather cycling did not prepare me for peddling up Chappies in a headwind!
As I mused earlier last week on the socials:
When I was a new mom, we moved to Cape Town & Chapman’s Peak drive was closed for a long time, so we used it to push toddlers in prams & tricycles.
That’s my baby T taking a nap in the middle of it, and me wishing I was taking a nap on the eleventieth false summit in a headwind & heat!
I’m a rookie cyclist training for the 2022 Cape Town Cycle Tour.
One of my great fears (other than Chappies which I faced this week…Chappies 1, Me 0) is riding with other cyclists, simply because I never have before.
Is there a cycling group in the Noordhoek area that wouldn’t mind me tagging along?
I need to face this fear before it gets the better of me!
Well that got me a lot of attention from the many local cycling groups -- I'm now a member of three different groups in what we affectionately call The Valley, that's the area in Cape Town's gorgeous Southern Peninsula that includes the suburbs of Noordhoek, Sun Valley, Fish Hoek, Masiphumelele, Ocean View and Kommetjie.
On one end of the spectrum is a small group of rookie lady cyclists from Masi & Ocean View, and on the other a hardcore group of 175 skrik-vir-niks iron men and women. What's so interesting is in the same second I will receive polar opposite must/must not do's. As with all things, we learn from those in the know, but ultimately only we can choose what's best for us.
It's been super humbling to have to give in to all the gear I have so long mocked. I am now the not-so-proud owner of silly pants with built in maxi pad. WAY more comfy than just a gel seat cover let me tell you. Although I still don't understand why they have to be short? Are people not aware of the skin cancer risks of being exposed for long stretches? Also the little cycling jersey and the helmet do not provide nearly enough protection from our searing southern sun. I tried out these ridiculous arm warmers but they just keep falling down my chicken wings, so that's pointless. These things are designed for speed I suppose. And that's really not my scene as I clutch my brakes on the downhills.
All of this is NOT cheap! And I only bought sale items, but when I came off my bike today I was VERY grateful for the gloves I can tell you. My knee is not looking great, but hey. I had to cancel my hike tomorrow, no yoga either and I wish I was on my long ride now instead of in my hammock with an ice pack, but I do trust the process. As a kind fellow cyclist pointed out at the scene of the accident, "Who knows? You may have been spared something far worse."
When I was a girl of 8, I had a blue BMX that I adored. One day at the top of a steep hill in Pretoria's Waterkloof Ridge I slammed on the brake...yes, just one. And that's how you learn a lesson the hard way. You should never pull on just the front brake, because you end up flipping over the handlebars. And for a scaredy-cat it was utterly terrifying. I went flying down the hill and ended up scraped and bruised and worse, dead sure I never wanted to get on a bike ever again!
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| My dad & brothers in action...D is still an avid biker - that's us on a family cycle in Plett recently |
It was only when we lived in Japan that I got over my significant fear of cycling. We had granny bikes that were built for comfort rather than speed and they got us absolutely everywhere. It was awesome to cycle in a country that is so respectful, sans fear of crazy motorists and with proper bike lanes. Lekker.
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| Cycling under the cherry blossoms...because life is but a dream |
I started to find cycling really really fun. I used to whizz down the underpass between our apartment and the little Eikaiwa where we taught English. This after dismounting and walking the bike downhill initially. It's one of my husband's fave anecdotes about me. Possibly because it sums up my many contradictions quite neatly. Afraid of my own shadow but doing it anyway!
Since teaching my own kids to ride and enjoying our occasional holiday forays, cycling has been a genuine pleasure again.
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| My munchkins learn to ride |
And now I have to face my mannnnnnnny fears and amp it up a little. Because life is short and for living!
I'm grateful for the new support crew I'm discovering in this new pursuit.
As I sat in a disheartened painful heap at the side of the road after my accident earlier a sweet fellow cyclist stopped to commiserate. As is my wont, I launched into the whole sorry story, starting with how disappointed I was initially that my son had decided not to join me and she knew just what it is to feel your teenage children pulling away. But in this shift there are new gifts.
My boytjie turns 14 on Friday.
I made him a "cringey" video to celebrate and tried not to die of nostalgia in the process.
There is an interesting synergy at play, because as our teen kids start to prioritise their peers, so we their parents start to come back to our own as well. My darling friends, the precious family we choose, a whole holy trinity of my sacred soul circle celebrated birthdays this weekend and that is just so heart filling!
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| So much laughter & love with these dear dear friends |
And my spiritual sanghas have been nourishing my soul tremendously as my body gets stretched in all these new directions.
So while I am a timid soul -- people keep saying I'm brave...I am not! and not in the least bit "sporty" -- I find myself a wee bit braver at almost 46 than I was at 8, ready to get back in the saddle as soon as this poor knee allows. That's progress on this spiral way.
In the midst of doubting my life choices after watching videos on the technical bits of the CT Cycle Tour and researching so much that I forgot how to pedal, I found this:
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WE ARE -- a Beautiful & Powerful People. |
Someone asked me yesterday, deeply perplexed no doubt, what my motivation is for wanting to do this mammoth challenge in the first place. Certainly not competitive. Since we moved here I have taken my children to the roadside to cheer on the cyclists...and the runners in the Two Oceans Marathon, because it is so beautiful to feel like we are part of something bigger than us. It is so very important.
As I spoke about it, another in our conversation said, "You sound like you're talking about church."
And I am. This is my religion. We are here together to support one another. To love one another more.
My darling boy has been going through a really difficult time and he came out of his new high school the other day noticeably lighter. It was such a relief! He explained: "A wonderful thing happened today. I was a bit short paying for my lunch at the tuckshop, when someone I don't even know just came up and paid the difference and then walked away." His eyes sparkled with the wonder of an act of kindness.
Let's be that for one another.
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