It all started on that trip earlier this year. No one mentioned that we were going around in a bicycle until we got there. Up to that point I didn't think that knowing how to bike was such an essential skill. The ending? I went around in a carriage which charged 10 times the rent of a bicycle and made me feel like a total wimp.
Back from that trip, I knew I had to learn how to bike. Luckily, I had a teacher who researched biking for 'advanced' ages! At that time it was his personal goal to teach an adult to bike.
It took three 1-hr sessions, a patient teacher, and a borrowed mountain bike to finally get myself on those two wheels:
First Session - Practice Take-off and Pedal a Few Turns
It was a grueling and frustrating first session. I was falling in less than 2 seconds.
Second Session - Find Your Balance
Got my prized wound on the second session. Note to self: Wear leggings.
Third Session - Go Freewheeling!
We found a gently sloping road. The first trick was to just roll down the slope and use the brakes as necessary. Next was to put one foot on the pedal and roll down the slope. The next thing I knew, I was biking down the slope with both feet on the pedals!
August 10 was the day I learned to bike here. The closed road in front of HSBC with Aaron's bike, my "training" wheels.
The next few days were spent biking on closed roads, trying to get used to the feel of the two wheels. Then came the day I was finally given the go signal to bike on the roads and go past the traffic lights!
After a couple of sessions, it became lonely biking alone. When one is on the bike, the other one had to walk/jog and we could never get too far. It was time to get a bike of my own. Good thing a friend told us about a surplus shop where she just bought her bike. On that Saturday, together with a hipster friend, we got this folding bike which I aptly named Foldie.
Since October, Foldie and I have been out almost every weekend.
I will not bore you with the details of how it felt the first time I went for a night ride or how I bitched everytime a jeepney stopped in front of me or how I felt the first time we got to Magallanes and stopped for shelter when it rained so hard. I'm just happy that I learned how to bike! Quite a bit late but still, I'm glad I did.
I have big goals in my budding biking career but the one that I want to do the soonest.. go biking in Vietnam! 🙂
PS: This sticker on Foldie sealed the deal.
PS: This sticker on Foldie sealed the deal.
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