Swiss Family Fred - June 30
More, More, More - May 22
On a sunny, spring day, we spent time with Fred and friends. We rode. We ate. We discussed the next ride. We ate some more.
The more miles we cover, the more time we get to be with our fellow cyclists. The more miles we pedal, the more likely we?ll be able to cruise through The Ride in September. The more miles we churn out, the more calories we get to consume along the way. Yum.
City Fred, Country Fred - April 18
The weather report for this weekend is for snow. Last weekend we biked in shorts. Ahh, New England! At least there's spin class.
Spin, however, is not the same as Fred. There is one wheel, one view, and one hour with spin. Fred's two wheels (which actually make contact with pavement) take us through cityscapes and rural vistas for as long as we want to spend the day outdoors (which, this weekend, is very little, I admit).
But, recalling last weekend, when the sun shone and the temperatures reached into the 70s, we took the afternoon to ride. From downtown's bike lane to the wide shoulders of farm country, we enjoyed the fresh air (seriously unlike spin class), sun (as opposed to a darkened, windowless room) and sounds of peepers and redwing blackbirds (not to be confused with rock music blaring from speakers that, no matter how fast one pedals, remain inches away).
Ahh, New England. The weather will change, and we'll be back outdoors. See you on the road, those of the city or the country.
Look - April 4
Yellow was anything but mellow on our second excursion on Fred.
Captain A's blinding jersey aside, the brightness that danced against the backdrop of dusty roads to still-lifeless trees seemed to scream: Look! Winter's grays are over!
Commanding attention, each bit of that primary color along Fred's path called out: Look! Forsythia! Look! The road curves! Even the pastel-toned pansies seemed to leap from their clay pots.
At one point on the ride, I reached for my medicine that allows my muscles to counter PD symptoms and keep pedaling. Interesting, I thought. The little pill that packs such a punch is, you guessed it: yellow.
It's a color with spunk and attitude. Perhaps yellow is the new black.
Firsts - April 3
Fred's first outing of the season!
The event also included the first seat height adjustment for the Turbo Stoker. His knees were nearly hitting the handlebars! (Guess there'd been a growth spurt over the winter.)
Another first - which Mama Stoker hopes there'll be plenty more of: a picnic! Nothing beats a PB&J while sitting in the sun on a park bench
.
The day marked our first chain derailment - easily fixed - and the first "cool bike" comment this spring, called out by a pair of cyclists stopped for a water break.
Only twenty miles and already a wonderful start to the 2010 Adventures with Fred.
Thanks for your support in 2009
We're back in the saddle again.
If you haven't met Fred, allow me to introduce him. Fred's our triple (the turbo-charged eight-year-old rear stoker named it).
Among this year's excellent adventures with Fred is a jaunt to Switzerland, where we?ll be in an area that Romansch is the official language. Thus far, we have added Allegra to our vocabulary, which loosely translates as "Hi, there. Hope all is well."
Luckily, cycling has a universal language. Flat tires are flat tires in any country, and that gaunt look speaks for itself when the snacks run low (which they'd better not given the mountains we'll be traversing!).
The Alps will certainly prime us for the hills of Maine. Come September, once again, Team Mama will ride together as a family in the New England Parkinson's ride, captain and rear stoker pedaling their support for the rider in the middle saddle, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's at age 40. (That's me. Allegra.)
Fred and the team welcome your support. Together, we get to help fund research into more cool discoveries to better the treatment of Parkinson's. One-hundred percent of the money raised goes directly to the Michael J Fox Foundation to help fund those research studies that will lead to treatments and eventually a cure.
Links:
Sponsor me at Team Fox - coming soon
Michael J Foundation for Parkinson's Research
We'd love to hear from you. Send email to: renee@limyoga.com
Copyright © 2010 Renee Le Verrier. All rights reserved