Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 228

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Easy As Falling Off A Bike
by Angharad
part 19 dozen.(228)

Thankfully he hadn't hurt himself nor damaged the bike in his fall. "Hey this is good fun," he gasped puffing his way to the top of the hill.

"So they tell me," I replied.

"Hmm I might have to get myself a decent bike," he said to no one in particular.

"What's wrong with that one?"

"Well it's an entry level, isn't it?"

"If you're going for the Tour de France, you really need to get a bit better on hills, or the mountain stages are going to crease you."

"What?"

"That is a good bike, until you get fitter buying a more expensive bike isn't going to make your ride much better or faster."

"I thought if I got a machine like yours, then I'd be a bit quicker up hills and things."

"It would be such a slight help it wouldn't be worth it sweetheart. If you get fitter and develop a better technique, then it would be worth it. But that is a nice bike, better than my first one."

"Oh it's better than the last one I had," he said obviously trying to recall what it was.

"The thing is, it depends upon what sort of riding you want to do, if you're not wanting to do race type riding, effectively going somewhere as fast as you can, then maybe a mountain bike or a hybrid would be better or even a tourer."

"What's a tourer?"

"A bike designed for riding for long distances on touring holidays, so they're pretty robust, have slightly wider wheels and lower gearing than a road bike, which you are on at the moment, they usually have steel frames and are more comfortable.

Mountain bikes are designed for climbing, sometimes off road, may have suspension, usually have thicker tyres, and tend to be lower geared, so called granny gears. They have smaller diameter wheels than road bikes, tourers and hybrids."

"Mountain bikes have smaller wheels?"

"Yes for manoeuvrability, although cross bikes often manage in the same sort of terrain."

"Cross bikes? Just how many types of bikes are there?"

"Loads, and we haven't touched on fixed wheels or folders yet."

"I just want one that I can sit on and pedal and go for rides with my fiancee. What about those two seater things?"

"What a tandem?"

"Yeah that's the one."

"Dunno, never ridden one, but I believe they are very different to an ordinary bike."

"Maybe we should get one of those."

"I think I'd need to borrow one first and have a long look at it."

"That way you'd get us up the hills," he beamed at me.

"I think that is why I wouldn't suggest a tandem would be any use. You need two good riders who both know what they are doing, otherwise they can be dangerous."

"I'm sure we could soon learn."

"I hadn't finished..."

"Oh!"

"Dangerous to a relationship, a bit like teaching your wife to drive."

"Oh!" he shook his head. "Maybe we won't get a tandem after all."

"I'm happy to get one but only when I know you are as strong as I am."

He looked a bit downcast.

"How long have you got this bike for?" I asked.

"For a week I think and if I buy it he will take the rental cost off the price."

"It's pretty well brand new by the look of it. The guy who ran the bike club at Sussex had an Allez, he used to fly on it."

"So could you catch him on that?" he asked.

"Doubt it, it might cost the price of four or five of those, but he was a better rider, end of discussion. I mean Nicole Cooke would beat me if she was riding a penny farthing. She is good and I'm mediocre."

"So what does that make me then?" I could see disappointment written all over his face.

"The nicest man I know. Come on the light's fading, last one home is a pumpkin!" So saying I clipped in my pedals and slowly rode off towards home, along the top of the ridge, then when we started to descend, I shouted, "BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEE," and cranked up the gears. At the bottom of the hill I was doing over fifty miles an hour, Simon was way behind. The buzz was terrific although my face and fingers were frozen and my toes weren't far behind.

I slowed down, freewheeling for some minutes before he caught me up again.

"That was fun," he said when he got alongside.

"Yeah it was, come on let's get home." Back on the flat, I started building up to my cadence and once more Simon was well behind. I got back to Tom's house about ten minutes ahead of him and he was puffing like a steam train.

"Geez, you are so much fitter than I am."

"I've also ridden with one or two better riders who have shown me how to improve my technique, gear changing, not riding in too high a gear and all that stuff, developing a cadence and keeping to it."

"Once you're fit again, you can show me all this."

"Simon, in a weeks time I am going to lose fitness so quickly it's untrue. Now is the time for you to practice, because once I'm back on a bike, I will be looking to recover my fitness."

"That's not going to be for a week or two."

"Probably two months, but I will get fit again."

"Maybe I could do it with you."

"You'd be better doing it now, it will motivate me to catch you up."

"Do you need to wash the thing down after one ride?"

"Simon, you paid nearly four thousand for this bike, you can see my Scott is in mint condition and clean. I keep them clean because until now, I have never been in a position to have a second race bike, so I look after them."

"Yes good idea, can you look after this one too while I go for a shower?" he leant the bike towards me and strolled out of the garage. I was speechless.

I went in about twenty minutes later and Stella said, "I put the kettle on, wondered what had happened to you."

"I got the job of wiping down the bikes."

"What Simon has one as well?"

"He's rented one for few days."

"I don't believe it, I must get a photo to show Daddy, he'll laugh himself silly. Is he any good?"

"What do you mean? I think he's the most wonderful man in the world."

"On a bike, I meant."

"No he's crap, but don't tell him I said so."

"Nah, I need to get a bike and show him up."

"You are riding no bikes for a couple of months."

"Yes mother!" Stella kept a dead pan face for several seconds then her eyes gave her away and she smirked then giggled. So did I and we were like helpless schoolgirls by the time Simon came down from the shower.

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Comments

I Can See It Now Angharad,

What with what you had in this chapter, I can just see them now all getting on bikes and becoming the Cycling Camerons with Tom there as well and Spike on a toy bike. I remember years ago, an author wrote a very cute children's book Mouse On A Motorcycle, so seeing Spike on a bike would be so cute.
May Your Light Forever Shine

    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine

The Mouse and the Motorcycle

LibraryGeek's picture

written by Beverly Cleary, noted Portland, Oregon author. The sequel is Runaway Ralph.

Yours,

JohnBobMead

Yours,

John Robert Mead

Roll up, Roll up, Roll up…

…and see the latest act in Angharad's Circus; The Amazing Cycling Camerons!

Just a silly thought,

Gabi

Gabi.


“It is hard for a woman to define her feelings in language which is chiefly made by men to express theirs.” Thomas Hardy—Far from the Madding Crowd.

Given the level of society

The Camerons move in, it would have to be a high wire act.

KJT

"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose"
Janis Joplin


"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin

Geez

What a pig. Can't even wipe down his own bike. Thinks he knows it all, and can't take the advice from someone that is better than he is. How did he get through school, and ahead in his fancy job with an attitude like that. He better get out of his laziness or She needs to put a foot in place. With or without clips.

Right after Cathy's SRS and

Right after Cathy's SRS and she has recovered and is trying to get fit again with bike riding would be a great place to borrow from Gabby and introduce Drew/Gabby and Gabby's Mum, Jenny, into the story line. Cathy sounds very much like she knows bikes, racing and such, so it seems plausible that she would know the Female World Bike racing champ and the female juvenile bike racing champ. Just a thought. J-Lynn

Slight hitch...

The Drew/Gaby universe is considered fiction within the Cathy universe. Just in case no-one's given an explanation somewhere in the nearly 500 chapters after this, there's a scene in one of the earlier Cathy chapters where she recalls reading the story of Drew, then has the cheek to dismiss it not only as fiction but also highly improbable!

(Pot...kettle...black!)


As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!

Simon's listening...

... Also a pain. he should clean his own bike!!! He needs to learn how. Guess growing up privileged did something to his mind...

Thanks for the story and the "education" along the way.

Annette (a novice)

But He Needs to Be Told!

Yes, he should clean his own bike but what's wrong with telling him so? It doesn't have to be done in a nasty way; polite but firm would be the way. But letting him get away with just "leaning the bike [Cathy's] way" (or whatever it said in the text) so she could clean the bike for him is not a good way to continue the relationship. (IMHO but based on forty plus years of marriage = she should be training him right!)

And, yes, thanks for the education about bicycles (although I don't intend to go beyond reading about them, thanks).

Yours from the Great White North,*

Jenny Grier (Mrs.)

* Yes, we're to get another 30 to 50 centimeters of snow starting Friday night and continuing non-stop until Sunday and, wouldn't you know it, we have to drive to Montreal on Saturday and back on Sunday! [Sigh!]

x

Yours from the Great White North,

Jenny Grier (Mrs.)

Assumptions about Simon?

I have the feeling... that Simon's feeling what it's like to really ride a bike & make close friends with a saddle - Bet he's sore, and in pain!!!! Yes, he may be a prat at times, but I think he's learned a thing or two about not only Cathy's athleticism, but his own as well!

He's not the kind to quit, tho, so I expect he'll keep with it - with Cathy's prodding & support - and perhaps Stella's...urging!

Can't see Tom taking it up, but maybe that rascally varmint....

Great job, once again Angharad!

YW

Every time I see an adult on a bicycle I no longer despair for the future of the human race.
~ H.G. Wells

He conquers who endures. ~ Persius

If he's feeling it now...

...wait until he wakes up tomorrow. He'll be hurting in places he forgot existed.

Arwen

Oh yes!

And in places he didn't even know he had places!

Though, it is conceivable that he'll luck out and get by with little actual pain... Being in general good shape doesn't necessarily make you in shape to ride. If he rode, the way he does much of other exercise (assuming there is a noticable amount)... Well anyway. He diserves the pain. :-)

Playing Catch up

Since I can't always get access to your story, I tend to grab when I can and have a reading orgy. This time it almost overwhelmed me, I started with 216 and read up to date, 227. Because i am a slow reader it took me the better part of 3 days.
I am seriously concerned over the health of Stella. She has been near death two times in this reading. I was looking to the hospitaliztion of Cathy as she underwent her correction procedures but Stella's condition puts a completely different slant to her possible care and recovery. Stella wont be in any condition to "special" her as nurses are wont to do with relatives and friends. This makes the whole of the venture more dangerous.
I am glad to see you beginning to add more humour into the chapters. It helps to relieve the tension created by the events in the prose.
Thank you so much for offering this wonderful saga to us. I am certain your other fans are enjoying this as much as I.
227 days without interruption. That is truly extraordinary. Magnificent!!
I wuv ooh Angie!

Stella

Basically has her health. She is fragile at the moment, but at this point it looks like a blip in a long and healthy life. Only the writer knows for sure, but I suspect only Cathy is going to have the occasional problem here on out.

My Peugeot 18speed mountain

My Peugeot 18speed mountain bike has 26" x 1.75 tires. some gears are repetitive, no fenders! cute racing stripe.
Great chapter, we know Angharad rides. I want to see Nicole dismount the penny farthing.

Cefin

My Peugeot 18speed mountain

My Peugeot 18speed mountain bike has 26" x 1.75 tires. some gears are repetitive, no fenders! cute racing stripe.
Great chapter, we know Angharad rides. I want to see Nicole dismount the penny farthing.

Cefin