The Hill

When I last spent a lot of time on my bicycle, mountain bikes were not yet popular. I grew up in the age of mustangs, sissy bars, banana seats and then 10 speeds. The three speed Sturmey Archer shifter, fenders and chain guards were for squares. I didn't have many hills to climb. So it was a new experience yesterday when I rode up the Niagara Escarpment on a mountain bike. It was a long climb, maybe 5 or 6 kilometers and took about an hour. The thrill for me was using the low gears, I felt like I could climb straight up a cliff! Keep in mind that I'm not the light-weight athletic guy I was last time I rode a lot. Hauling 220lbs of 50 year old me up the escarpment would have meant getting off and pushing if I had been riding my 36 year old 10 speed. I guess I just really enjoyed the climb and the bike.

Bombing down the hill was a lot of fun as well and as I got close to the bottom again I took a Bruce Trail side path that led down through the woods to Gage Park. I had to walk the bike for that, portions were very steep, at some points the path was tilting 30 degrees to the right and muddy. I'm gaining a great new respect for the mountain bike side of this sport. I'm sure there are people who could of ridden that path, both uphill and down, and quickly! I want to do that too. So, it looks like I have a lot of learning and riding to do.