Blue Skies

Smits on bikes

As some of you may be aware, my parents are currently busy in China, teaching at a school there. They’ve apparently decided to utilize a very popular mode of transportation in China, the bicycle.

A few days ago, we got this picture of them with there new Giant bikes :

Lucky for them, they got them at local prices too!

I guess our family has had a fairly strong history with the bicycle, from flying down the streets assisted by training wheels, to cycling circles in the drive when bored while living on the farm, to a trip my father and I made in the Netherlands, cycling around the country when I was fourteen or so.

Another interesting thing about bikes in my history… as a kid, I just couldn’t seem to get the hang of the things. I got to look jealously on as my siblings rode around, but I couldn’t get the whole balance thing down. Then one evening I got really fed up with not being able to do the same, and I tried it again. I ended up falling off the silly thing, but got up, got back on, and I’ve never had a problem since! I’ve even adapted to using clips within one trip, and without the dreaded falling over!

Why a bike trip?

I know some people have asked questions like this to me before. This question also popped up for discussion on our cyclist email / forum system.

One response stood out among the rest and, with permission, I would like to share it with you. You’ll find it after the break :

Continue reading Why a bike trip?…

Warmer Weather!

Here’s another quick picture; yesterday was warm enough, that no jacket was required! The double T-shirt was still somewhat necessary, which is actually comforting since the temperature is sure to be significantly warmer in Ontario when we pass through in August.

First bike trip of the year!

So on Monday, Eritia and I went out for a bike ride, up Wilson Street escarpment access, through Ancaster, down to highway 52, and back again. This was my first excursion on my new bicycle, and the first excursion since I started regular workouts in January.

Despite any misgivings I had on starting out, the trip went great! Made it up the escarpment without being short on breath or feeling that my legs were tired. My knees felt it by the time the trip was over, but that was a bicycle seat height issue that I fixed once I got back.

Here’s a picture from when we’d just returned :

The weather was cloudy and somewhat wet as you can see, but it was quite mild out, and the cycling shorts didn’t feel too cold, although you can see how red my legs get.

I also learned how to deal with foot clips (without falling over!), and after some trial and error found out that my left leg is the one to free up first, since I use it to stabilize myself when stopped. That way my right leg is ready to provide the initial power to get going again.

Wednesday Eritia and I went out again, going along Cootes Drive to Dundas, up Governor’s Rd, Weirs lane, and then down the highway 8 escarpment access. Word to the wise, Wiers Lane isn’t fun if you aren’t used to long, steep, twisty climbs. Eritia made it up without stopping, but I confess I walked the last bit.

Flying down the escarpment mostly made up for the Wiers Lane experience, though. Cold day, however, which wasn’t so great. Knee warmers may feature in my inventory some time soon.