Meet Sheila…

Sheila is the newest addition to our family. She’s not even a day old…and yet, she’s already giving me some trouble.

I haven’t had a companion like Shelia since college, when my yellow racing buddy was stolen from campus. S had an extra mountain bike that I rode when we first met, but it’s been at least 15 (plus) years since I last pedaled anywhere.

And that old adage “It’s just like riding a bike, you never forget” doesn’t hold so true for me.

Truth be told, I never did feel like I ever quite mastered the whole balance thingy, nor was I ever able to dismount (nor disentangle myself) with any grace or savior faire …think Lance Armstrong and his ilk. And now, the ground seems a LOT further away and a longer distance to fall.

Laramie is a true bike riding town and S and J each have their own bikes, although S’s is a racing bike and not conducive to the gavel roads (of which there are many on the outskirts of the neighborhoods) or the bumpy sidewalks. So he decided to go bike shopping and took me along to try and convince me to find a bike of my own.

I wasn’t convinced it was such a good idea and worried that I might not remember how to pedal a bike, or that both bike and I would come crashing down.

When is it too old to have training wheels?

I surprised myself. I found I could indeed keep the bike upright. I tried a few on for size and pedaled on down the sidewalk, albeit a bit wobbly all the way. I did have a moment when two pedestrians came a tad too close for comfort and I ended up “kissing” the adjacent building. Nothing too serious though: just a scraped elbow and a very red face.

It took a while to settle on Sheila…but was pretty sure she was the one the moment I pedaled her down the street. I have to be honest, however, and admit that I am shallow…shallow…shallow…as looks played into my choice. You see…Sheila’s competitors were just a bit too girly looking.

Anyway, this afternoon S and I decided to go for a quick ride into the wilds of Laramie…pretty much across the street on an off road trail where people bike, hike and run or to catch a great view overlooking the north side of Laramie.

Biking up the hill, which was too much for me (being out of [bike riding] shape and with the altitude) and I tried to stop and dismount. Sheila tripped me up and I started to fall, stumbling around like a drunk with my arms splayed trying to hold my balance. I did fall, scraped my knee and elbow and ripped a good pair of jeans. Thank goodness no one else (‘cept S) was around!

But I didn’t let Sheila get the best of me…Oh no. I got right back on that bike and rode it all the way home.

Tomorrow I’ll give her another go…