Cycling

My bike still does not have any rack. I need one in the rear over which I can place a pair of panniers. Bro – in Delhi – has been assigned the task of fetching a rack that can be fitted on my bike. They didn’t have racks in Hyderabad when I bought the bike and in a search operation conducted yesterday in the streets of Bhubaneswar, I could find only one cycle shop which again could not supply me a rack that could fit. One doesn’t even find panniers anywhere in India – the only option I have is to get two bags and get them stitched together. Let me do that the coming Saturday.

Morning”s plan was to take the NH5 and keep cycling for about an hour. I did that and crossed 20k. I cycled faster while returning saving myself five minutes (could have saved more had there been no signals) and thus covering 40k in a little less than two hours. I was so hungry that I skipped gymming after that (shall work out in the evening now).

I find cycling a lot less demanding than running. May be I have been cycling too slow. Of course I overtake every cycle that comes my way but then, so far, I have hardly encountered anyone rolling a geared cycle in the mornings – so comparison is not justified. The ones cycling are either students or folks who simply cannot afford any other mode of transportation. Sometimes I think that they need my Trek more than I do – the ones carrying those orange coloured huge plastic crates of milk – the ones carrying hazzar aluminium kadhais and tumblers for selling from house to house. Whenever you feel bad about life, hit the road, walk, run or cycle – and look around. You will find more reasons to feel good about your life than you ever thought existed.

First few days of cycling made me realize how badly I needed gloves. The palm (and especially the right one) started getting all slippery with sweat – badly affecting the grip on the handles. Yesterday I got a pair. I like learning things this way – rather than buying all the mumbo-jumbo in one go. I am sure all of us have seen or known one of those over-enthu rich folks who suddenly decide on joining a gym to get slim and then go ahead and buy a dozen Reebok t-shirts, half dozen Puma tights, an unreasonably costly pair of Adidas shoes, branded rist bands and head-bands and of course – if they don’t already have one – an ipod – all at once – and then they are no where to be found near the gym after a month. That’s definitely not my style. I ran on a borrowed pair of shoes for about an year before I decided I ‘needed’ my own. I rode 65k before I decided I needed gloves. But then, to each his own.