Just A Small Town Girl…

My fingers squeeze the handle bars in a death-grip; palms face down with elbows locked in position. We slowly approach the back garage entrance. Feet flailing next to the pedals, an army of ants could easily overtake us at this point… but we don’t care. This is merely the crawl-up to the starting line.

Once we’re on the other side and the garage door is locked and bolted, I kick the dusty rock path with my right foot for some starting momentum, and then WHOOOOOOSH… we’re off! Cycling manically down the alley, our red and blue bikes instantly become a blur and we can’t help but grin with excitement and anticipation at what today’s biking adventure will hold!

Weaving through the tight side streets and long stretches of main road that make up our small town, we feel like kings! Pedestrians perceive us in awe as we narrowly zip past them, never decreasing our speed for even a second, because the bikes are completely under our control.

On our bike rides we always seem to discover new places, tucked away and concealed within the town. Most recently was the immense and secluded chalk bank that we stumbled upon. Riding around the chalk bank is like circling a glacier, so serene and silent. In that way I guess you could say that cyclists are akin to discoverers, so just call us Columbus 1 and Columbus 2!

As we begin to pick up a faster pace it only makes sense to stand up, elongating our legs in order to experience a fuller workout and causing us to look like a pair of bike riding pros, because how many people can ride standing up with as much confidence and effortlessness as us? The faster we pedal as we swoop downhill, the greater the adrenaline rush. My eyes begin to water as the soft wind whips my face and streams through my hair: I feel like I’m flying!

Going uphill always momentarily slows us down, yet we attempt these gradients solely for the purpose of a challenge and we will not be defeated. As we gradually reach the head of the hill (panting and wheezing all the while) finally we glimpse the flat stretch of road ahead and proceed to exhale and smile at our achievement… We did it!

Cycling around aimlessly now, we realise that we’ve run out of road (one of the disadvantages of cycling in a small town!) it’s time to turn in for the day. We cruise smoothly along the streets until we reach the alley that runs alongside my house. Opening the garage gate we stack the bikes in a corner. Trudging indoors our legs feel tingly and our fingers are branded with the lines and patterns of the handlebars.

All that’s left to do is to have a cool refreshing drink whilst we deliberate when to schedule our next adventure 😀