h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike...

...and that's what I did.

It started with cycling through the fields with my son on Wednesday. That was roughly 12km, I think.

I cycled alone on Maundy Thursday, where I chose a route that went uphill for quite a bit.

On Good Friday, it was through the fields again, with my son and my husband this time. My husband wanted to go on and on, and he kept telling me that we'd have the wind from behind on our way back. Ha!
Anyway, I ended up having cycled 20km that day.

On Saturday, my husband and I cycled to Bad Vilbel, to call in at a friend's.
It was a lovely tour through the forest which is covered in blooming wild garlic. It was all downhill, so naturally, it was ALL uphill on the way back.

I had to get off my bike and push it at the last, very steep, hill.

That was 10km, but there was more to come!

In the afternoon, my husband suggested that we cycle to visit his mum who is in hospital at the other end of Frankfurt.

So husband, son and I set off for a lovely tour along the Main.

We had to go along busy roads to get to the Main, though, and my husband disregarded every single traffic rule.
That stressed me so much that I decided not to cycle back with him!

I had left my bunch of keys on the front door of my mil's house, which I only noticed when I wanted to lock my bike at the hospital, so I wasn't really relaxed anyway.

I said I'd take the home, then set off on my own.

Well, you can bet that I didn't get home the same way I had come. I crossed one of the first bridges to be on the 'right' side of the Main, but the path suddenly stopped, so I had to carry my bike upstairs to cross another bridge, then downstairs again, then again up-and downstairs on the bridge we had crossed on our way there. And THEN I took the wrong exit, so I hadn't a clue where I was!

I cycled in the direction I guessed would be right, and at sme point found myself in an area which was familiar.

Oh well, I made it home in the end, and the neighbours of my mil had found my bunch of keys so I was happy.

Yesterday, we cycled to the hospital and back again, and this time we took yet another route. It's a lot lovelier than the one we took on Saturday, and my husband didn't disregard the traffic rules (I had told him I wouldn't cycle with him any more because of his reckless behaviour).

Today, I'll have a break from cycling. I don't expect to get to cycle a lot for the next few days as my sister will come visiting.

Congrats on all the exercise, well done

I have been walking a lot these last three weeks and in 2 minutes I will do it again

I have found that my muscles are a lot sorer after walking than they are after cycling.

I am inspired Bel! maybe even to seeing if I can remember how to ride a bike. I have a dim and distant memory of doing it once upon a time. You make it seem rather fun.

It *is* fun - at least in such fantastic weather as we're having right now. And the path along the river is wonderfu. Can you imagine that I've lived here for more than 20years and never knew it was there?

Bel, that's a marathon! How on earth do you do that Did you get saddle sore?

I take my hat off to you, I can't even ride a bike, my balance is dreadful. I used to walk those sort of distances but can't do it now which is a pityl

I think you deserve a rest with your sister after all that.

Take care,



Websailor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S-52tduwy4

so how come on ones put this in









oh! some has - err! me

trys "no one"

wow, that's a lot of cycling, Bel.

I got out my bike today and had a good cycle round - I looked at a couple of villages that have moved, lock stock and barrel, due to the huge open cast mine that will swallow the original villages soon.


But absolutely no hills here, thank goodness.

I was surprised I managed these distances, as I've only started cycling regularly not long ago, but it's flat along the river, so you don't really notice you're doing so many kilometres. It's just the hills at my front door, so to speak, which kill me.

Is yours hilly country, Bel?

Where I live, there's nothing particularly high, but there are a lot of uppy downy bits - there's one particular point on a path I often walk where it's common to see cyclists picking their bikes out of a gorse bush. This sudden dip appears in an otherwise-gentle path!

My bottom's sore just from reading the first post.

Having been forced to ride a bicycle 10 miles to school every day - come what the weather - on my sixteenth birthday (when I could drive my motorbike to school) I vowed that I would never ride one of the damned things again. In the following 46 years I have kept that vow and have no regrets whatsoever.

I'm glad I can cycle. KB, it is a hilly area here, but that's usually not a problem. One day I may be fit enough to muster the last hill after a 40km cycle, but not yet.

I've managed to lose 2.5% fat in each leg (and 0.8kg fat in total) and built up some muscles (not much, but it is a start). Progress is very slow, but I intend to get there.

Very impressing, B'El!

This time of the year I miss cycling. Sunny, warm and good bike routes. My home town is a very biking friendly town where the bike routes are well kept even during wintertime.

Reading about bicycles makes my teeth hurt. Why, I hear you not asking?

Because I cannot ride a bicycle. Nobody believed this. My parents forced me to try.

When they saw the dentist's bill, they stopped insisting.