RIDE, BABY, RIDE

I had my bike stolen last weekend. I loved my bike, it took me absolutely everywhere and we made great partners for a little over three years. I felt empowered as soon as I jumped on it – it was a big speed upgrade from the cruiser I previously had, and the fact that ‘non-athletic and uncoordinated’ me could ride a fast bike like my fast cycling friends, whoa! It was huge.

The speed was cool, but I fell in love with way more than just that. It was a mix of using my own strength to continue pedaling up giant hills, it was the deepest most perfectly paced breaths, the sound or lack-there-of of wheels on pavement, and that thump of the heart when the cleat clips into the pedal. All this combined with nature and city and cosmic energy zooming past me on every side was absolutely mind blowing – how much I could discover in such little time. How I could feel so much yet nothing at all, one with everything yet completely alone.

A few months after I got that bike, I flew over my handlebars and broke my chin open. I felt there were only two options after the accident; either generate a fear of cycling and retire my bloody handle bar tape forever OR take the lessons that my bike offered and keep pedaling. I chose to take the lesson – the big ol’ thirteen-stitch wake up call on my chin. I’d been sitting on some changes that were piling up dust, and there was nothing like a nice pavement sweep to help me clear those off.

I took a closer look at the relationships in my life – with work, partner, friends, alcohol, and of course, with myself. It put an end to a few of those and committed to loving myself – and loving myself meant getting back in the saddle. My cycling tribe was fully supportive, as they know the flow that comes with pedaling, and they held my hand as I got comfortable with my wheels again.

When my bike got stolen last weekend, I knew there were only two options; to see this as a set-back, financially and to my routine, OR to take it as an opportunity to upgrade my ride and continue experiencing the thrill of feeling fully alive as I balance a geometric frame on wheels down the not-so-trusty backside of Hawk Hill and beyond. I went for the ladder – recognizing it as an investment to my overall wellbeing, because cycling feels so damn good.

I picked up this gorgeous CAAD10 Cannondale yesterday and took it for our first spin today in bright pink lipstick and some stretchy pants, because I love looking snazzy on a first date. Oscar Martinsson captured this gorgeous shots as we sped through Golden Gate Park and onto The Great Highway. We made a mandatory coffee stop at Andytown and I was back home ready for a photo session at 10am. What a gift to begin a morning like this – I can’t wait for more upcoming adventures with my Ramona.

Stay tuned. Stay spinning. ∞ ♥

Photo by Oscar Martinsson