Cycling addiction=addiction to life journey

My eureka moment on cycling and life happened today:

I was cycling out to my art class this morning (8:00 am)..yes Sunday mornings. Loaded pannier with paint tubes and supplies.

Just below freezing..after 2 km. I got onto a protected path...and it seemed like a LONG 3 kms. ..the whole winding path was a sheet of smooth ice. Absolutely no dry patch nor watery puddle for cycling relief.

You know that horrible feeling on bike in a bad situation....DAMNED IF I TRY TO STOP, GET OFF BIKE ....and DAMNED IF I KEEP ON CYCLING. Either choice, I could fall down.

So I feeling abit doomed, I kept on cycling. My cycling shoes had nearly no traction to help me stop anyway and remount on the bike on sheer ice.

And right near the of the icy path, I fell down slow-mo, completely on my side, knocking my helmet on ice with bike slid out from underneath me. I had to turn the bike, and made mistake of even braking once, very gently.

So got up, then discovered chain was screwed up. Well, to hell. Walked with bike remaining 3 kms. on icy sidwalks and road intermittedly to get to my class.


I realized that another reason why I get cycling addicted...is that the journey of cycling has taught me parallel lessons in life journey. Sometimes in life, you get caught on the not-so-good path, so you MUST walk that path with the best of your abilities to ...get to the safer side/route.

Also same feeling of learning life journey's lessons on bike trips..Maybe jogging, skiing, snowshoeing and hiking does same thing.

I wanna learn more lessons about life..on bike. Come on, bring it ON!!!! :D :D

If I may be the mundane healthcare worker for a moment: please trash your helmet and buy a new one.

A fall/impact compromises the helmet, even if it looks ok you can't trust it. It did its job with your fall on the ice (it took the energy of impact instead of your head taking it) and it's best to get a new one.

Ok, healthcare worker nagging moment over.

(sorry, I can't help myself):o

you are really really lucky. An experienced cyclist i know broke his hip last winter going 5 mph.

what Knot said.

And, yes, I agree with the biking/life metaphor. Sometimes I honestly think that biking has saved my life several times.

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Originally Posted by KnottedYet

And, yes, I agree with the biking/life metaphor. Sometimes I honestly think that biking has saved my life several times.

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thx for warning about helmet, falling dangers. THis is the 3rd time in past 4 winters I've fallen. And all times, it's been cycling at a very slow speed because I could see the ice. lst time was going slowly up a gentle hill. Usually we don't get much snow at the mainland/foot of mountains here in Vancouver. But we get the black ice enough. Deceiving stuff..

How has cycling has saved your life?

Right now, cycling most likely is keeping me away from the diabetes 2 edge..and I didn't realize it until a few wks. ago.

Cycling has made me less fearful..of sudden change thrust upon me in life. It doesn't make my struggles easier, just less afraid.
Cycling has also made me more alert of how the same things might look different under different lighting, conditions (either environmental, situational or psychological).

So much of cycling's trip lessons, even same trip made every day but under changing weather conditions, have been great lessons to carry subconsciously for myself to other areas of my life. I am most grateful....to the simple bike. :)

This isn't the most exciting "life lesson" and it's been slow, not all at once.

Cycling has changed how I travel, and I don't just mean the commute. I mean walking down the hall, going upstairs, walking across campus.

I no longer look for the shortest route. I look for the most pleasant. I take stairs instead of elevators, even up to the 7th floor. I walk instead of bike the mile across campus. I don't try to be so efficient when I need to visit several places in a building. If I get back to my office and discover I forgot something, I make another trip upstairs.

It's a different mindset. Less of "Oh sh*t, I forgot X" and more of "Oh well, I'll take care of that this afternoon. It'll be a good excuse for a walk."

There's a little convenience store in a nearby dorm, which I used to buy all kinds of coke & candy at with a lady in my office. She still buys her junk food there, and I go with her just for the walk, and don't buy stuff.

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Originally Posted by Melalvai

This isn't the most exciting "life lesson" and it's been slow, not all at once.

Cycling has changed how I travel, and I don't just mean the commute. I mean walking down the hall, going upstairs, walking across campus.

I no longer look for the shortest route. I look for the most pleasant. I take stairs instead of elevators, even up to the 7th floor. I walk instead of bike the mile across campus. I don't try to be so efficient when I need to visit several places in a building. If I get back to my office and discover I forgot something, I make another trip upstairs.

It's a different mindset. Less of "Oh sh*t, I forgot X" and more of "Oh well, I'll take care of that this afternoon. It'll be a good excuse for a walk."

There's a little convenience store in a nearby dorm, which I used to buy all kinds of coke & candy at with a lady in my office. She still buys her junk food there, and I go with her just for the walk, and don't buy stuff.

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Great post!! (what Melalavai said!!)

Great stuff! Cycling has led me down a new path, a path of fulfilment and happiness that I never knew existed.

Cycling on ice (and falling) has also led me to the bike shop to buy studded tires. What a wonderful feeling and sound they make.

Thanks for the post, shootingstar.

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Originally Posted by shootingstar

thx for warning about helmet, falling dangers. THis is the 3rd time in past 4 winters I've fallen.

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Ok, I have to ask. Do you have to cycle to class in inclement weather?

You could get really lucky and be a part of a happy accident. Here's how it plays out: Your bike slides, you fall onto the paint tubes that squirt onto canvas that you roll onto thus creating THE painting that could make you famous. :D Let's call it the performance art piece. And then MOMA invites you to show your work for the 2008 MOMA Emerging Artists show. Your work ends up on the cover of ArtNews and you're getting grants like crazy and solo shows in the Soho district. :D

I can see how this could be a good thing. ;)

Hey sundial, that would be quite a painting...

REalize that the times I've gone cycling and fell, were times that APPEARED to be ok..not snowing nor rain. They were situations of black ice.

In our area, because of the land topography, you can have whole sections with 3 inches of snow and elsewhere just 2 kms. away,...no snow, no ice.

What happened to me on Sunday was suddenly stuck in a situation while on bike...

Anyway, didn't want people to focus my fall(s), but more how ups and downs of cycling help /parallel your ups and downs in life. :rolleyes:

I realized that the same focus on your surroundings and heightened alertness and all kinds of good things that whenever I'd get out in nature and "away from it all" happens when I"m on the bike... I'm "into it all" instead and I can do it every day!