My story begins …

the way many stories told by women begin: I met this guy.

The guy in my case is an avid biker, by which I don’t mean motorcycler, I mean actual bicycler. Somehow he got me interested in biking, too. I hadn’t been on a bike in (literally) years, but now I’m practically an addict. I work four days a week, and much of the year I can only ride on the other three, since it’s either too hot or too dark to ride before or after work. I find myself looking forward to rides like a child looks forward to a birthday. Absolutely not what I would have expected of myself before I met the aforementioned guy! I call him “Biker Buddy” and he is an incredible biker. I would probably have given up on riding by now if it wasn’t for him. I have even gotten to where I’m comfortable riding by myself sometimes, but if I’m going very far I prefer the camaraderie of having him along. It’s a security thing, too. We don’t live in an isolated area, and many drivers are not on the alert for bikers, so riding can be dangerous – all the more so if you’re alone.

I’ll have to admit here that I didn’t exactly become a “bike” rider myself. I went one wheel higher and got what’s called an “Adult Tricycle”. It’s the kind of vehicle you usually see in trailer parks whose residents are politely described as “55 and older.” One wheel in front, two in back, with a big basket between the rear ones. That basket has been a great asset in hauling things home from yard sales, the plant nursery, the local tree with ‘free all you can pick’ grapefruit, and many other places. As noted, I hadn’t been on a bike for years, and I’m not some 20-year old Barbie doll, so I wasn’t completely comfortable with the ‘balancing myself on a bicycle’ idea. I’m a 50-something, full-sized (or more) woman on a tricycle, and apparently that makes me an anomaly around here. There are other bikers out and about, but I’m the only triker we see. Also, I added a brim to my helmet and I clip a rear view mirror onto my sunglasses, and those seem to brand me as unique, too. Biker Buddy says that when he rides by himself drivers never wave him across at intersections, but when I’m along they almost always do. I told him that’s because they want to watch me cross in front of them! It’s a pretty sure bet that they’ve never seen anything quite like me.

Biker Buddy has been a very sweet, understanding, patient, downright gallant fellow as I’ve been learning to ride. At first we would have to stop every 10 minutes so I could drink some water and just breathe a while. My endurance and stamina have since improved, and now we don’t do that nearly as often. But he has never complained. He’s never chastised me or called me weak or made me feel bad about detaining him. He could have ridden to wherever we were going and back 4 or 5 times in the time it took me to get there just once, but he never mentions it. And he’s very knowledgeable about bike (and trike!) maintenance, so he’s been invaluable there, too. The best accessory I’ve ever gotten for any of my trikes has been Biker Buddy. He’s the man! He’s marvelous! He’s spectacular! And he’s probably reading this, so I have to be complimentary if I want him to keep riding with me …

This blog will be a series of stories about adventures Biker Buddy and I have had on our excursions. One of my goals in life is to be not boring, and that has been known to get me into some odd situations. Ever since I got my first Adult Tricycle, I’ve been bringing Biker Buddy along for that ride. All of these stories are my memories of the actual events. If you were a part of any of them and you remember things differently, write your own blog.

Now kick back and join us as we ride – me on my trike and he on his bike, which puts us On5Wheels …