Broad Shoulders

Once again, I'm finding it hard to find the time to clear my mind and write. My list doesn't seem to ever get any smaller. I try to knock a few things off, but it's hard to say no...so the list just gets longer.

It's been a beautiful month, but also a crazy one - Bone density (in Toronto), botox (in Owen Sound), IPM (almost here), theforwardmovement.ca (just getting going), Greg's ride (awesome shirts Ella), building my website (thanks Michele), Accessibility Advisory Committee (no comment), cycling strategy (riding along), Adapted Car Show (a Parkwood reunion), physio (when I get there), Invictus Games (watching swimming), preparing to speak (as an RH Ambassador), Cowbell (food+), friends (to walk, roll and bike), kids (back to routine), relationship (getting back on track), family (all going to Greg's ride), writing for the Citizen and writing a book (just getting started). All this is not in any particular order, but as I write I realize that the things that get written on the calendar are the things that are most likely to happen. The others, well they just get squeezed in wherever they happen to fit, and only if energy is available.

Steve and I have been trying to find the perfect time to get out on our bikes together again. He was/is my tri training friend; he's training, I'm hoping. We spent many early mornings sweating on the trainers or lapping up the pool. We finally made yesterday work for a ride.

It was my first time back on the county roads and it happened to be just around the corner from where this journey all began. In the spring the County decided to repave a section of road from Benmiller to Saltford, and as they were already doing the paving, they also paved the shoulder. This was a decision made with the urging of the cycling community - and it is a great first step to providing safer cycling in our county. It's a stretch of about 6km from the top of the hill in Benmiller to the top of the hill at Saltford. We parked so that we wouldn't have to do either of those hills - I'm not ready for them yet.

The wide shoulder makes me feel safe. And the cars all passed with so much space I hardly gave them a second thought. My new vest lights up and Steve has a super bright and large light on the back of his bike - pretty hard to not see us.

The best part was the speed. Theo and I talked about this the other day - how much we like the speed of being on a bike. Yesterday I got up to 31 km/hr which felt awesome. Slow is slow though, I'm sure Steve could have walked along beside me and still been faster. We call that "granny gear". I learned too that I can't ride alone; my chain came off the bottom ring twice - I'm still learning about the gears - and it's out of my reach. I  rely on my riding partner to fix it. I need to spend some time with someone like Rob Buren. He is the first Canadian paraplegic to complete an Ironman. I'm sure he fixes his own chain.

On the drive back to Blyth I couldn't believe how skinny the road felt. Riding a paved shoulder was a whole new experience for me, one that made me question (again) why we pay taxes for gravel that gets dug out of the ground and then plowed into the ditch every winter. Surely that does not make sense? We need to think big picture and long range - the short sightedness of "wait until after the election" has got to change. Make decisions now, ones that make sense so we can all feel a little safer.

I didn't start out to rant about municipal politics (even though it has been on my mind as of late). I wanted to record the feeling of being back on the road. Although I felt so free and fast it reminded me of what I've lost. I've got to find it. Independance. We so take it for granted.