Band of Bike Positive Mamils edge close to Sportive as sun returns
FINALLY the yellow orb in the sky has arrived and I can’t get enough of it. Like a neanderthal emerging from a cave after a seemingly eternal winter, I’ve thrown myself into sport like there’s no (sunny) tomorrow.
The Bike Positive group I joined in February has clicked back into gear and there is, dear readers, a distinct possibility that I’ll be able for the 100 km Sportive around south Wexford, which is on the horizon in midJune.
As a part-time Middle Aged Man in Lycra (Mamil), I’m getting to grips with the contraption I got for the 40th – mistake by mistake. As someone who enjoyed cycling in my childhood, it is great to be back in the saddle. Travelling along the byways of the county recently the penny dropped of how uninformed I am about the vehicle under my posterior. I mean, it is all that is separating me from certain injury and yet I know diddly squat about its mechanics.
I witnessed a few punctures being repaired during last weekend’s cycle which was an education in itself, but considering the fact you’re travelling at 50 km/h at times, it should probably figure somewhere on my to do list, above signing up for Spotify, the musical streaming service and getting that Pineapple polo shirt online.
So the cycling is going great, even if some of the Band of Brothers who signed up for it have been noticably absent as of late. I’m sure they are off climbing mountains on their own in preparation for the big Sportive! As I work with some of the public figures, who shall remain nameless for now, I won’t cast any more judgement until judgement day itself.
Cycling wasn’t the only sport I threw myself into the past month. A knee injury put paid to my soccer for the winter, so, having gotten some physio, I’m back fit and able to play again. In preparation I went for a run on my lunch hour the other day and have been feeling pains in muscles I haven’t used since Hallowe’en ever since, but am I put off, never!
The idea of Bike Positive is fantastic, as it moves you on from casting admiring glances at your bicycle to actually getting up off your arse and cycling it. I, for one, always feel the better for a good cycle. It is as if your mind unwinds and processes things you didn’t even know was bothering you as you pedal your way through the countryside, enjoying the smells and the sights.
Having a target is a great motivator and cycling in a group with experienced cyclists who are more than happy to impart tips and advice is something I very much appreciate. Being out on the mountains, testing your body, is a great reminder of how fortunate you are to be healthy and able bodied, as not everyone is. You also feel that by cycling you are a force of positivity, in a way, because you are out exercising, not in an exhibitionist way, but as a health conscious person who made the choice not to watch that Ok Tv show.
Talking about reviving old habits, I got a mix tape via WhatsAPP – the social messaging app – the other day, with a playlist of hits from down through the decades, some of which I haven’t heard in a decade. It brought me back to the hours spent making mix tapes, which would be worn to snapping point through repeat listening. These mix tapes were among the most treasured possessions of my youth and would only be shared with the most trusted friends, friends who would be willing to exhange their most prized mix tapes in return.
Everything in cycles!