Blazing Saddles...

I am feeling rather smug. I have just returned from my first bike ride in nearly five years and managed to cycle the route I would take from home to the office.

A friend once remarked that middle age is when a broad mind and a narrow waist change places. I hope that the mind is not narrowing, though if it is, I shall simply say I am becoming more focused. However, the challenge of keeping one's weight in check does seem to become more difficult as one gets older. At least, it does for this one! So, I resolved to purchase a bike and, after a visit to the K-Citymarket in Ruoholahti, this blue Maxim 26" hybrid bike found its way back to my apartment block. I really liked the 28" bike which had even more whizzy features, but I couldn't sit on it without falling over, as my legs didn't quite reach the floor.

We have a locked bike storage room on the ground floor, so I don't have to drag it upstairs. Tonight, after checking the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council (YTV) website, which has a cycling route planner showing all the bike paths, I set off. An hour and a half later, I returned, tired but happy.

Now, gentle reader, you may ask, why did it take so long? After all, plotting Snellmaninkatu to Keilalahti on the website suggests that the 8.5 kilometre journey should take 30 minutes at their default speed of 17 km/hour. So, the round trip should only have taken an hour.

Ah, well. Three reasons. First, even with 21 gears on the bike and a noticeable lack of mountains, I don't think I am averaging that speed yet. Second, I had a little navigation incident caused by forgetting my reading glasses even though I had the map (I must ask the Nokia Maps team when they will add a cycling mode!). It was only a short detour; eagle eyed locals will notice that where I took the photo from is not actually on the direct route!

And the third? I had to stop half way to buy a spanner (a wrench, for my American readers). Before setting off, I hadn't checked that the the nut underneath the saddle was properly tightened, which meant that the saddle kept slipping and pointing upwards. At the risk of offending those of a delicate disposition, this does have rather profound effects on the nuts above the saddle. So if you see me walking like John Wayne in the next few days, you won't have to ask why!