A cyclist's musings

He zipped up his windcheater, took in deep breaths of the fresh, cold morning air and hopped onto his trusted seven-speed steed. Blending muscle memory and hardwired survival instincts, he expertly navigated the craters, potholes, bumps and rubble on the pitch-black city roads. The emptiness, the silence... what a stark contrast to the snarled-up traffic that weaved its way through the city during the day! Chirping birds, rising from their slumber, and territorial stray dogs, with their short, sharp barks, greeted him as he gathered momentum. Once warmed up, he clicked his cycle into a higher gear and headed towards the outskirts. The sky had turned a pale, murky blue as it awaited the full force of the sun's morning rays. With each passing kilometre, he felt invigorated and knew, deep down, that this was going to be another memorable ride...

~ o ~ x ~ o ~

It hadn't always been this rosy.

While his 7-year-old friends would whizz by on their cycles, he had an ingrained fear of even mounting one! When he imagined himself on it, he felt a total loss of control that ended with him on the ground, his legs entangled in the bars of the cycle. It had required his mother's persistence and the wide, safe expanse of a smooth, sandy field to coax him to get on the seat. That wasn't all - he expected her to run and push the cycle from the rear so that he could overcome his morbid dread of falling flat on his face!

But it proved to be worth it. Soon, cycling with friends became a joyous pastime and fear, a sentiment of the past. Wheeling it to the local puncture repair shop and watching physics in action as the rubber tube was immersed in water, segment by segment, to detect the tear is an event deeply etched in his memory. He also bought a cycle pump and realised that pumping air into the tyres wasn't as easy as adults made it out to be! 😂

His cycle gave him a degree of freedom and independence that he hadn't hitherto experienced. He was responsible for maintaining it - seeing that it was clean, the chain was well-oiled, the brakes were tight, the tyres had sufficient air, the mudguards were firm and that it was securely locked. He took great pride in his cycle and it became one of his most prized possessions. He also learned to respect the rules of the road and to look out for himself since heavier and faster vehicles seemed to regularly disregard rules!

~ o ~ x ~ o ~

When he reached college, one of the first things he did was buy a cycle. It wasn't a necessity as the hostels and academic buildings were concentrated within a small area. However, he wanted to have the option to cycle to classes, the bazaar, the sports and extracurricular activities centres and to explore the town beyond the gates of the university. It kept him company through his years on campus - faithfully ferrying him under the boiling summer sun or through foggy winter mornings. 🚴

~ o ~ x ~ o ~

His first taste of professional life. Moving into a city alien to him with new friends and excited about the transition to the next stage of adulthood! During his second week, he and his flatmate went to a locality known for selling a range of cycles. He bought a black-ochre cycle of a similar build to the one that he had before - a simple cycle sans gears and frills! He also got a striking white and red helmet. Cycling became his default way of getting around - be it to work, training sessions, restaurants, visits to friends' homes or simply a Sunday morning ride!

He loved how sights, sounds and smells could be savoured slowly on a cycle; he found that he gained a heightened sense of observation that was absent when using faster modes of transport. The sweet ginger and masala aroma wafting through the air from a small tea shop; scores of men efficiently working at lightning speeds to divide stacks of newspapers for their morning rounds; groups of exhausted construction workers in their fluorescent vests and yellow hard hats heading home after their night shifts; purposeful runners/joggers/walkers and other fellow cyclists working up a sweat; open grounds filled with youngsters engaging in raucous games of cricket, football and badminton; a kite swooping down in a flash to capture an unsuspecting prey before soaring up again; the fluid chanting of prayers accompanied by the tinkling of a bell and the wisps of incense from a temple; the gradual increase in the angle and intensity of the sun; the changing hues of the sky and clouds; rows of flower vendors on the footpaths displaying their vibrant and fragrant wares; fruit and vegetable sellers pushing their groaning handcarts piled with a mountain of fresh and colourful produce; the gentle undulations of the black tarred road; a cow languidly chewing on discarded kitchen waste; a lost couple on a motorbike seeking directions... More than anything, the cyclist learned to enjoy and appreciate the little things in life.

The cyclist relished testing his limits - over the years, he ventured out further to explore neighbourhoods within and around the city. It reached a point where, once he pushed himself past a threshold, he was able to cover long distances on his second wind! For him, cycling reinforced the value of perseverance with the exhilarating freewheels to the troughs of the road and the steep climbs to its crests symbolic of the ups and downs of life itself.

~ o ~ x ~ o ~

As a species and, as individuals, we are continuously learning. Learning happens formally (through studying subjects and courses, obtaining degrees, on the job training etc.) and, perhaps more crucially, organically through interactions and life experiences. An activity like cycling, though straightforward and possibly run-of-the-mill, can still be a brilliant teacher!