I got into the habit of cycling when I was studying in Holland but I wouldn't say I ever loved it. It was just the cheapest and often fastest way to get around. Holland is also as flat as a pancake. How flat I discovered when I moved to Bristol, which is as hilly as they come. My uni is atop a small hill and the last stretch of the cycle path from my home to uni is relentlessly uphill. That stretch has given me so much grief, and not just of the physical kind. Every morning I feel like I am lost in a decision maze--should I walk my cycle up the last, particularly steep, stretch? If I don't, will I be too drained out after I reach? if I do, will I feel like a wuss for the rest of the day? How many layers should I wear if I am cycling all the way? I've tried raising my cycle seat, wracked my brain about whether my riding position is efficient physics-wise, but to no avail. The cycling has not gotten easier over the weeks and neither has the decision-making. Every morning, I still feel as perplexed as if it were my first day back in Bristol.
It doesn't help that most people cycle all the way up the hill. And, even if I am cycling all the way, a number of cyclists invariably float past me without breaking a sweat. Not just the peppy 18-year-olds who love to show off. Even middle-aged grizzled men.
I also feel out of place because most cyclists in Bristol are dressed as if they plan to cycle to the other end of the island. In Holland, it was quite rare to see a cyclist dressed as if he or she was competing in the Tour de France. People would cycle in suits, skirts and everything in between, sometimes on bikes which seemed to be held together by faith more than anything else. It was common to see two people riding on a cycle, and I myself have given lifts to friends a number of times. I have also cycled with laden shopping bags in one hand.
None of that happens in Bristol. And they are all such responsible upstanding citizens. It is rare to see a cyclist who isn't lit up like a Christmas tree even when darkness is at least an hour away. I think the slopes are just a great filter. You have to be a super-fit, responsible cycling enthusiast to brave them. Or, just too proud to admit that they are too much for you (like me).
I am slowly coming to terms with the realization that I will never float up that hill. Every time I cycle up, my thighs will scream as my heart pounds away and sweat bursts from every pore. So I just have to learn to walk the cycle more and resign myself to cursing the people who sail past.
P.S. I googled "Bristol too hilly to cycle" to see if there was any kindred soul with the same predicament as me but was greeted by "There are no results for your search".
It doesn't help that most people cycle all the way up the hill. And, even if I am cycling all the way, a number of cyclists invariably float past me without breaking a sweat. Not just the peppy 18-year-olds who love to show off. Even middle-aged grizzled men.
I also feel out of place because most cyclists in Bristol are dressed as if they plan to cycle to the other end of the island. In Holland, it was quite rare to see a cyclist dressed as if he or she was competing in the Tour de France. People would cycle in suits, skirts and everything in between, sometimes on bikes which seemed to be held together by faith more than anything else. It was common to see two people riding on a cycle, and I myself have given lifts to friends a number of times. I have also cycled with laden shopping bags in one hand.
None of that happens in Bristol. And they are all such responsible upstanding citizens. It is rare to see a cyclist who isn't lit up like a Christmas tree even when darkness is at least an hour away. I think the slopes are just a great filter. You have to be a super-fit, responsible cycling enthusiast to brave them. Or, just too proud to admit that they are too much for you (like me).
I am slowly coming to terms with the realization that I will never float up that hill. Every time I cycle up, my thighs will scream as my heart pounds away and sweat bursts from every pore. So I just have to learn to walk the cycle more and resign myself to cursing the people who sail past.
P.S. I googled "Bristol too hilly to cycle" to see if there was any kindred soul with the same predicament as me but was greeted by "There are no results for your search".
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