Biking in and around Cadrieu has been a favorite activity of mine ever since I bought the Chatette. It came as no surprise, since I was up and out early every morning in New Orleans riding my blue Schwin Coaster in the hood. I love bikes with foot brakes! It was so easy to let go and ride hands-free into those stunning morning sunrises in City Park.
Here, I ride along the path beside the river or on the main road. Most mornings I'm just wandering around Cadrieu, but some days I go as far as Montbrun or into Cajarc. I've even mastered the fun of "hands-free" on a hand-brake bike, but it did take a little doing. I like that feeling free stuff.
For the last five years or so, I just hadn't felt much like riding. It was a huge effort. I barely road my bike at all and asked myself why: was I getting lazy; had I replaced it with other activities; or, had I made a choice to walk Dali further and more often instead? Finally, I realized when I began to feel this way and why.
Back in 2007, I was riding my blue bike all around New Orleans as I was dealing with huge and unexpected problems on Columbus Street. I'd stopped by the house to run in and speak to the next round of contractors, parking the blue bike in the drive. Within 15 minutes, while we were standing in the living room with open windows; it was gone...stolen. I felt stupid, but more than that I felt violated. I told a friend: "I feel like someone cut off my legs." Kind of hard to ride a bike if you don't feel like you have any legs, huh?
But, me and my legs are back. I'm loving riding again. Last evening, I rode with a pack of hang-gliders over head. I'm looking forward to other rides around the crops and being chased by the irrigators as the summer eases in a little more. You just might see me riding hands-free into rainbow-making irrigators feeling free. Wishing you a weekend of feeling FREE!
It was a wonderful Sunday Niels-it began with a bike ride and ended with a bike ride and in between a morning coffee and an early evening wine at the wagon with friends (not overalls people but good guys anyway)...it doesn't get much better than that! Happy Sunday to you too-Love, Laury
Posted by: Laury Bourgeois | June 25, 2012 at 07:05 AM
hello from rainy Denmark, comfortable seated in our farmhouse, having a bike with a broken chain, so I'm not going to bike today in any case, but it is nice to bike here in Denmark after having not being biking for years in Tromsø, where it is either too steep or too icy,at least for me, (many natives are biking no matter the weather and the mountains) but actually I feel really free, when I just walk on my feet ! Have a nice Sunday, Niels
Posted by: Niels Windfeld Lund | June 24, 2012 at 02:52 PM