Our Bike is here!!!

Our life - or more like lifestyle - changing bicycle arrived last Friday. I expected to blog about it immediately, seeing that I have spent so much energy studying bicycles and pouring over other people's blogs about ditching their cars in favor of the bicycle for transportation. After the initial excitement of its arrival, it was a bit anti-climatic as I started to feel quite ill that evening. On Saturday, Dennis' birthday, I couldn't even get out of the bed. His birthday dinner was cancelled. I was miserable and sorely disappointed that we weren't able to go out with our new bike as part of Dennis' birthday celebration. I felt better on Sunday and, so keen on taking the bike out, we decided to visit the Botanic Gardens. It is about 1.7 miles away and Dennis followed along to make sure we are safe. The ride was exhilarating! I couldn't get up the final steep hill and got off to push. Dennis rode the bike back. Perhaps because he was starting to be worse for wear by that time, he had a really hard time making the ride back (it was somewhat an uphill ride). We figured out that what got me also got Dennis by the time we got home. He went to bed with deep shivers and the rest of the afternoon felt gloomy. Starting from Zoe, then Evan, and then Dennis and I, we have been sick for three weeks now (or by today, four weeks). In short, there wasn't a whole lot of opportunity to take pictures. The bike was also making a metallic rattling sound. Monday morning, Richard of icargobike.com (whom I got the bike through) came back to try to resolve the problem of the mysterious sound. Richard actually came on Saturday (the day after he brought the bike to us) to try to fix the problem, but I was in bed sick. Anyhow, after some power tools and lots of tinkering, Richard solved the problem. I think I wasn't 100% over the flu, but I felt much better and decided to go and pick up Zoe from school with our bike, partly because I was keen on trying our bicycle and partly because Zoe thought I would take her to school with the bicycle and was sorely disappointed in the morning when I told her that was not to be the case (it was cold and very foggy and I didn't buy lights yet).

It took me 40 minutes to ride the 6.3 miles to Zoe's school. It was easy going down Leucadia Blvd. Those disc brakes worked very well! It was alright along highway 101, even along the parts when the road starts to climb, but it was tough when I got to Pointsettia and had to start climbing. I was tired and got off to rest for a few minutes before continuing. The other mothers at the school were quite impressed when I showed up. I think I was just flushed at that point.

It was all good till then. Zoe was a bit quiet when I got her. She was quite pleased with the idea of the bike, but became quiet soon after. I kept asking her if she was alright and she said yes. It took us an hour and forty minutes to get home! Along the way, Zoe looked more and more miserable. I too started to feel miserable when we got to Leucadia Blvd again. It is a straight mile up and I just had no more in me to make it up. I got off the bike and pushed. I was so winded I was worried I couldn't hold the bike up much longer. We got home finally, but I was drenched in sweat and very, very hungry. When we got home, Zoe finally blurted out, "I'm COLD!!!!" I felt her hands and realized she was! I felt terrible. I brought her an extra fleece, but I took her silence to mean she's fine. I should have felt her.

I haven't gotten on our Edgerunner since then because I haven't been well since then (I guess I exerted myself too soon), and because, frankly, I'm worried about having two kids on the bike at once. Dennis was home with Evan when I went to get Zoe that day. I'm worried that I'm not fit enough to have both kids on for such a long ride. I guess my confidence is a bit shaken. But I know too that I must get back on. The only way to get stronger is to practice and to just use the bicycle. But I have to admit that I was a bit down as I realized that I can't honestly tell others (in the area) to go car free or car less until I can use the bicycle with greater confidence and ease.

Still, I'm down but not beaten (or not yet). What with global warming and peak oil, sacrifices must be made. I still think bicycles is the future. And knowing what I know about the wreckage we have wrought on the environment and what this means for future generations, I cannot do nothing.