The Tour de France is on, and I check to see how Lance is doing every day. He's my favorite biker guy for lots of reasons.
1. He's an amazing cyclist
2. He looks a lot like my Tommy (who is also an amazing cyclist)
3. He seems pretty friendly when he's interviewed. A nice guy in real life?
4. His story is humbling. Sigh... If only I could be as excellent at what I "do"
Here in my house we bike in the summer. The garage is filled with bikes. I have two (not counting the tandem) and I have graduated to clips on my pedals (they still spook me when stopping is vital and immediate. I constantly fear slowly toppling over like a falling redwood in front of a family with small children... sadly it's almost happened more than once.) Tommy often bikes 17 miles to work, and the mileage he puts on his bikes during the year is crazy. He's fast and can hang with the speedy guys in the nearby cycling clubs. I'm a turtle to his rabbit when we ride. But he hangs (back) with me. He's modest about how good he is (and how great he looks in his bikes shorts) And I love him for it.
Biking in the summer is a celebration. A hot summer day, a long afternoon with hours to spend, and a destination somewhere promising ice cream, a cold drink or a nice dinner is totally a wonderful event.
Tom preps our bikes. He checks the chains, brakes, tire pressure, and makes sure we have the right bags for carrying wallets, locks, sweaters (for me cause I get cold). He also rounds up the sunscreen and various tiny tools in case the bikes need adjustment, tire changes, or total rebuilding while we are out. (He's very organized.) Meanwhile, I figure out what biking outfit makes me look fast and thin, (A girl can dream) and attempt a hairstyle that will fit inside my bike helmut and won't look too scary when the helmut comes off later in some public place. We fill water bottles; grab the cell phones and cameras (I make sure there's lipgloss at the ready) and we zip out of the driveway.
I love our bike trips because we get to talk a lot. And, I love to talk. We are miles away from errands, work and chores and there's nothing to do except pedal down the road—so we talk. About everything. It's a great way to get caught up on the good, the bad and the ugly.
We've made decisions about things small and huge: dinner, banking, movies, office gossip, investments, theater, religion, world peace, arranging furniture, teen agers, jobs, goals... nothing is off limits. We laugh a lot; see a lot and burn calories. It's been a way to stay close and connect. I know we both feel the closeness, and like little kids we can't wait to get on our bikes again—together—and fly away (Tom faster than me, of course).
Warm sun, Tommy, our red Schwinn Peloton bikes and a chocolate dipped cone—makes a great reason to celebrate any day.
Life is Every Day—cycle through it!
Where's your bike?
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