Sanguine Tenacious Tidings

Riding The Tour De France on My Exercise Bike

War Chest Wednesdays: Tour De France begets “Tell us about your memories of your bicycle.”

I like the Tour De France

https://www.letour.fr/en/ If I had a sports channel maybe I could watch the Tour De France or other bicycle competitions or horse competitions.

I hope you are writing my memoirs or at least keeping them in your psychologist notebook for further reference.

I have as many bicycle memories as I do horse memories. First of all I learned to ride on my cousins bicycle at my Aunt Marge’s house. My brother and I spent weeks with Aunt Marge in the summer while Dad worked. They had a long front porch which I would use to get on the bike. Then, my cousin Danny would push me down the road (it was dirt with very little traffic). After he got tired of pushing he would let loose and I would be riding down the road by myself. Then, I learned to push off from the front porch and go down the road by myself. (Great Fun!)

Then we stopped going to Aunt Marge’s so I did not have a bicycle. At some point, I started begging Dad for a bike of my own. He said he couldn’t afford a new bike. Then I started begging him for any bike I assured him I would take even a beat up old bike with out fenders as long as it had two wheels, pedals, and a chain. He was so impressed with my need he went out and bought me a brand new bike. I can remember sitting at the top of the stairwell listening to my Dad and my older brother put it together at night. I think it cost him a great expense for awhile. He made me promise to take good care of it and always keep it in the barn out of the rain. I named it trigger and rode for hours up and down the road that ran in front of the house. It was a Shwinn. The year I was a Freshman in High School another cousin who went to the same school came out and stayed all night with her bike. It was the last day of school. So, we rode our bikes the five miles to town. That is probably the last time I ever rode that bike.

Now, I have a brand new Walmart Bike. It is a girls 24 inch. I can still ride but, I’m not so quick about riding it on the rode because traffic is a lot heavier, faster, and meaner. Even though the rode is still dirt. I keep my bike inside the house. The metal in the new bike is not as good as the old Schwinn. I bought Schwinn's for my children. There is still one of the 24 inch 10 speeds here from when my boys were growing up. I rode it for a while but it is a boys bike and more difficult to mount than a girls bike. Schwinn's don’t rust out the metal is better. Walmart bikes cannot take the weather as well.

When the children were growing up I remember putting a child seat on a bike and riding around the neighborhood with a lot of children. It was fun. I think I wrote this blog once before. I wonder how this one compares with the other bike blog?

And, I have a bike I try to ride often in my basement. Actually, right now there are two indoor exercise bikes. The first one is a cheap one that we bought. The second one was given to me by my daughter and son-in-law. It is a more expensive model with a magnetic pedal. It is a good bike and I’m using it. However, it is way more boring than a real bike. I have to find a home for the cheap one, it’s part of my on going clean it out urge.

There is a hikers, horse back riders, bike trail in a small town near a lake. I like to go there to ride but don’t get there often anymore.

Still not bad to be able to continue to ride a bike. I like exercise. Walking the dog is fun too.

Ride On! Tour De France