Well, I bought my e-bike today.
I went straight from the hospital and my tests to the bike store in Saratoga, where a platoon of nice and helpful people helped me to choose the bike and show me how to use it and get me the things I needed – a helmet, a saddlebag, foot clips for the pedals, water bottle holder.
I see that supply chains have been disrupted everywhere, so many things are back-ordered or just not available now. I had no idea how many things we bought from China.
The bike was not as expensive as I thought.
I did as Casey suggested (my e-mail friend) and just put in on my credit card. I’ll pay it off month by month. So this new adventure begins for me, I admit to being excited and more than a little anxious.
My body and I have never been on good terms, I need to deal with that.
But the whole thing has triggered old things in me, and I’m struggling to understand them.
We got the bike into my Rad 4 and I got it home. It is very hot here today (and every day) and I decided to do the sensible thing, and wait until Saturday when I wouldn’t be so tired from my tests and when I could go for a ride in the morning.
So, of course, I decided to go on a ride this afternoon right away. I had to try it.
I remember that riding a bicycle is very hard if you are not confident. I used to ride bikes all the time.
I wasn’t confident today. I felt frail and weak, even silly. I suppose hours of medical tests didn’t help.
The only way this is going to work for me – yes I am frightened – is if I get to know the bike by myself when no one else is watching me and I can stumble and experiment.
I have to master things myself. I’ll get up early and head out in the morning.
My first mistake was taking it right out on the busy highway in front of the house. I was really doing a clown act weaving back and forth before I got the pedals right.
The bike was weaving and I wasn’t sure how to steady it, not with cars rushing past me at 60 miles an hour. A tractor-trailer almost blew me into the marsh.
After a number of humiliating and scary twists and turns – no falls – I started to get the hang of it. I haven’t been on a bike in years and haven’t had a good aerobic exercise in a while.
But I settled down a bit.
My angina kicked in quickly, I was sweating profusely and I was far from sure of myself. I did not dare to try to take my camera out.
This, I thought will be both painful and frightening and challenging. All good reasons for me to do it. I have to do these things alone, or I will never master them. I have to make my own decisions and my own mistakes.
There was one stretch where I got things going and I did feel some exhilaration and joy and did use the electric battery to smooth the ride and pick up the pace, which is good because I was wondering if this wasn’t going to be a disaster, or already was.
I went a quarter of a mile and figured out how to kick in the battery and ease the pedaling.
I will treat angina separately and in conjunction with my cardiologist. I have a feeling this will be good for my heart, and I will get over the fear in a few days.
Honestly, I don’t really know if I can medically do this, I suspect that’s one of the things I am anxious about. But if I have heart problems, then I will have to address them, not avoid them.
And in our troubled country, that is possible to do. Whatever I need to do, the bike will help me to do it. I love my life and wish to keep it for a while. I also want to deal with this troublesome echo from the past. If he is watching, my Dad will be pleased.
I feel healthy and strong, and that is important to recognize. A part of aging is that some things will hurt. That’s just the way it is.
I won’t quit this and I don’t want to quit it.
This feels like a good and important thing for me to have done. I’m going to talk to a therapist this coming week to understand why I have so much trouble trusting my body.
I like the bike very much. I just have to get to know it. And practice on a vacant lot, not a busy highway.
You are an inspiration! Remember that where your eyes go that’s where the bike will go! My biggest struggle is to not look at the ditch on the side of the road! I also like a big mirror on my handle bars so I don’t have to turn my head. Happy trails to you!
You rock, Jon! I know you’ll come to love and enjoy your bike!!!
Good on you, Jon. Baby steps help at first. It takes courage and determination to turn challenges into wins. If your writing is an indication, you have both in spades. I have a male friend a couple of years older than you and he hated exercise. Then he got a bike. Now he is an avid rider. He has lost 60 lbs, just by cutting out Dr. Pepper and riding every day. Took him a while to learn to love it. Now there is no stopping him.
Yes!
Roger taught me how to ride a bike when I was nearly 40 yrs old. I have not ridden much and would love to try again. I have no idea if a bike and I will get along or not. I would not mind trying to ride in a park. I am terrified to ride in traffic. Maybe one of these days I will investigate if, likeDestry, I might ride again!
Cheering you on. Next stop — the Tour de France.
School parking lots are good places to get the hang of your bike, until school starts – if they ever start again. State parks too. Good luck.
use the throttle. The faster you go the easier it is to balance. Good for you!!! DON’T let Maria ride it or it will be gone!
Jon, I’ve biked across 28 states including a ride from Seattle, Wa to Bar Harbor, Me. I’m 69 years old. My suggestion is to load that bike back into your car and go to a quiet street in town and ride it a little further each time you ride. Much safer and you’ll gain confidence. Stay off those busy state roads for awhile and soon enough you’ll be signing up for cross-state bike rides like I did. Best
AWESOME!
Jon, So SIMON COWELL helped you on this very wonderful journey !!!! You look very happy with the new bike.
My experience of getting back on a bike after a 20 year hiatus was that Yes you can forget how to ride a bicycle! Good for you for sticking with it!
Keep going Jon!
Jon, I am so blessed in Collingwood, Ontario. We have miles of old railway track, that runs through five towns. It is well maintained and flat with a fine gravel surface. We have such privilege on the shores of Georgian bay, to see so much of nature. The geese are already practicing to leave and autumn is in the morning air. So many song birds and egrets, swans and jays. In the spring you can go through the lilac bushes, or just ride to the store, about 15 kilometer from where I live, and buy a beer. I find lots of friends who will take the ride if I promise to buy them a cold one lol. My youngest son bought me a buddy rider for Mothers day two years ago. Which is a really cool seat that sits up front on your bike and can apparently accomadate up to a 20 pound dog. Though i could never bear that weight . So we go everywhere! Luna, my 5 and a half pound Maltese is enjoying her second year on the bike. She might not always come when you call, were still working it. But take that bike out and she is heeling to the bike and trying to reach up on it. We often buy ice cream. t’s my best thing this summer all things being what they are. I’m excited for you! Bike adventures await.
I won’t call this advice, just a report on my own experience. The toe clips on the pedals made me very nervous…I exchanged them for the old-fashioned pedals of my long-ago youth and liked the riding much more. Not advice, you understand, just reportage 😉
I hope you enjoy this new hobby! I would love a bike like yours, but even though we live in the country, I would be afraid.
Why? People here drive like lunatics!
Good work Jon. Right now it is work. All learning processes is work. Once you have conquered your fears, your body adjusts to the new movements it’s being forced to do..you will then experience the joy of it all. Keep up the good work. Perhaps as time goes on you and Maria can do this together and share another milestone in your beautiful love story.
My most enjoyable bike rides were when I packed by bike in the car and found a lightly traveled road. Get a bike for Maria and the two of you can go for rides together.
I am a hiker not a biker. One essential of anything on a road for me is either a safety vest or a safety shirt. Visibility is key. That is why construction workers wear them. Happy trails!
I’m so happy and excited for you!
Hi Jon…I feel your pain and fear! Let me share what worked for me. Although outside, fresh air is great…I ended up with an indoor bike. Doing both indoor and outdoor is probably more mentally healthy as there’s nothing like nature. I bought an inexpensive, portable, small indoor bike for $150.00. What I like about it is it’s portability. I keep it in my studio near my computer where I watch Zoom presentations etc. You can build up stamina with this bike, then apply it outdoors. I use it on hot, hot days and bad weather days. Also, I can adjust the pedal levels on the bike for a more uphill ride. My suggestion is to build up slowly…10 minutes, 15, 20 etc. And don’t be hard on yourself! We all have to start somewhere!
Hi Jon, i am so glad you bought your bike! I am looking forward to seeing a skinny Jon! Lol if I may ask can you explain why you picked the bike you did. My son wants to get one when he can afford it. But, he doesn’t know what kind to get. Any help would be great. Maybe you can explain in a blog.
Hi John – long time fan of your blog. As a Jersey girl who went back to cycling midlife and comes up to your area 5-6 times a year to check in with my body, my spirit and dear friends, I think it’s just great that you’re going to give this a go. The first couple of months as you develop your cycling legs and seat, it’s easy to get discouraged, but then you start to realize that your body changes. After a ride from Cambridge to Shushan and back, you find your inner child come out to see how fast you can go between the cornfields. Sometimes I hop off and dip my head in the river. Other times I curse the surrounding hills and my body’s inability to defy gravity. I stop and see things I otherwise miss. Most of all, I focus on the joy. One thing I have learned: keep an extra tire tube and small pump or cartridge with you and know how to use them, because as your distance grows, the further you will get from a bike mechanic. Enjoy the road ahead and hope I pass you the next time I’m up north 🙂