I forget that I have a blog. No memory of it for eons of time, then suddenly a little thing happens and leads me back here. That thing today was a Dutch Bike configurator that I found online, which lead me to Google images of Dutch Bikes, and there was a pic of my Kaptein Dolphin which was contained within this blog back in 2012. I wrote the Dutch Bike Manifesto 10 years ago. You may wonder what the status of my Dutch bike is, did I tire of it? Did it break down and rust outside for a decade? Sell it? Did I move on to an Ebike?
No way, this bike is one of a kind. It's actually my number 1 bike these days, the bike I easily ride more than my others. It has stood the test of time in excellence. In 12 years of ownership it has suffered only 2 flat tires and one failed kickstand mount. The roller brakes and 3 speed transmission have not been touched. The epitome of reliability. I've made many upgrades to it over the years to tune it to my riding style and environment. I added a front rack to carry more stuff. I replaced the rear pannier bags with folding baskets which are much less of an aero drag in headwinds. I purchased a leather Brooks saddle, a big investment but one which has been well worth it. Better LED headlight and taillights. A rear trunk bag for all the small stuff to carry. But then you might ask why I am riding this 52lb bike more than my 23lb carbon and steel Lemond road bike?
The answer is between my head and my shoulders. My "Achilles neck" as it were forces me to ride upright. It is too painful to assume the bent over road riding position so I must ride with my upper body perpendicular to the pavement. My neck is sore 24/7 these days and the road position just makes it worse.
The reason is that I've been through immunotherapy cancer treatments followed by serious anti-therapy treatments, the pharmacological fire of which for the last year and a half that have left parts of me debilitated, the worst of which is my neck. There is no question of just powering through it. So this really limits where I can ride and for how long. The typical Flash rides of yore up into the hills or long all afternoon rides are things of the past right now, and maybe never to return. I've had to come to terms with that. My current typical ride is about 10 miles on flat terrain, with some winds. I do that about 4 times a week, sometimes more in good weather. But consider that these are 10 miles on a 52lb Dutch bike, into wind one way, and the value of those miles increases.
In an effort to make riding easier, faster, and more fun, I wrenched together a new cockpit to make this fast city bike out of spare parts. The Novara is actually my first quality road bike that I purchased in 1987. Nice double butted and lugged steel frame of the era. So many memories with this bike. It also became my son's campus bike when he schooled up in Washington. It was languishing in storage until recently when I crafted this iteration. It rides really nice and it's half the weight of the Kaptein, but not as upright so my neck suffers a bit on it. But I like to take it out at least once a week.
I do miss riding fast. I miss climbing out of the saddle, amassing thousands of feet of climbing per outing. I miss the adventure of getting off into new places the most. I miss being Flash and the legend he created.
But damn it, I'm still riding under my own power. I haven't succumbed to the allure of Ebiking. My body needs to ride, my legs to push, my heart needs to pump, my lungs need to breath in a new day's air.
A curious thing to me is that sometimes when out on a ride and an approaching kit clad roadie passes me I get "the nod" of respect one gives fellow enthusiast cyclists. Me, sitting bolt upright on a grandpa bike, wearing boots and army pants and assorted motley jackets depending upon the weather, a visored old helmet with attached mirror, and large red sunglasses. This says to me that something is shining through all that exterior randomness, that the Flash within makes himself known in barely perceptible ways. It could be the stately Dutch bike tempo I ride. Or maybe the lines on my face that speak of a lifetime of riding that is still very much ongoing. Or maybe they are being polite as in "that old geezer is still out doing it, I'll throw him a nod". Whatever reason, it's nice to get that every now and then.
So the title of today's blog: thanks to modern medicine and advanced technology I am here to write this column. As little as 10 years ago the outlook for me would have been very different and indeed, my ghost would have had to write this from the Ether that is the Spirit World. Thanks for reading and keep pedaling!
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