[Sportsandrec] Back to the basics. Way back.

[jessicac.kostiw at gmail.com]

Loved reading this! My husband and I have Dr. Schroeder's bike, from 1976. We haven't written in a while, partly due to the age of the bike and how much maintenance it requires. Would love to get back into it, but husband doesn't seem as keen.  Enjoy this wonderful spring weather, and happy writing!

Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 16, 2016, at 5:04 PM, Ron Burzese via Sportsandrec <sportsandrec at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> It’s been a beautiful past few days, with temps in the low fifties to upper sixties. My kind of weather. I got out for a ride on Monday, with a 60-year-old pilot. We rode from my place, out to Woodland, via the River Road, then back, through Davis, then over the causeway, through West Sacramento, over the Tower Bridge, to my place. During the first leg of the ride, we encountered an access road that was flooded. So we back-tracked to an onramp, putting us on the freeway for a few miles. It was actually smoother. We had a twelve foot shoulder to ride on, so we were comfortable. All of a sudden, I heard my pilot freak out, with a twitch in the bike. Apparently, a duck had dive-bombed between our front wheel and his cranks. Besides the rude awakening, all was fine, thankfully. I suspect the duck was heading back to the lake, that was an access road, before the rains. My pilot had wanted to get in 35-40 miles, in the time-slot given us. However, we were able to substitute the sandwich stop, with a Cliff bar. By doing so, we pulled out 55 miles, averaging around 17 mph.
> 
> I’ll be riding tomorrow, with Roger, who is 65. He wants to train in the hills and try out some adjustments he made to his tandem.
> 
> Later today, I’ll be seeing a former roommate of mine, from the Louisiana Center for the Blind, from 21 years ago! He is coming by, with two friends, to try a tandem. He had been by before, maybe 18 months ago, but it was not the right time. After a block, he and his pilot were tired. That, is okay though, because they made the effort to get off the couch and come try it. I may sell them my rain tandem, which, by the way, has not been ridden in the rain, yet. If they want to buy it, I’ll put on newer tires and remove the fenders, then reinstall the rear rack.
> 
> Still, one of the most impressive bits of news has been with my adopted mother. Janice, 72, bought a bike of her own, since the one she was borrowing was too big for her. We looked at a few, to make sure it was a good fit, then I tuned it up. For several visits, she has been scooting around in the common driveway area. I removed the pedals to eliminate any interference with her legs. Instead of using training wheels, her legs have become natural outriggers, until she regains her balance. Judging by the sounds of her freewheel ratcheting around me, I can tell that she is moving faster, with increased confidence. I suspect that she is getting closer to the day when she will ask me to install the pedals. In the meantime, she is improving muscle coordination and flexibility, along with becoming accustomed to using handbrakes. She has such a pleasant attitude and is tenacious with wanting to learn how to ride again. Today, she told me that it has probably been about 48 years since she has been on a bicycle. At this point, all I can do is answer her thoughtful questions and encourage her to take her time on this endeavor. Actually, I am honored to be her coach and mentor. Today, she tipped me a few mini, Milky Way bars.
> 
> As she begins pedaling, I’ll be able to dial-in her fit. I suspect that if more people had access to such available guidance, we’d have more cyclists on the road.
> 
> Ron Burzese, NOMC
> Sacramento, CA
> _______________________________________________
> Sportsandrec mailing list
> Sportsandrec at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/sportsandrec_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Sportsandrec:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/sportsandrec_nfbnet.org/jessicac.kostiw%40gmail.com