Nike: Just DO IT!

The trouble with going down memory lane is; you forget you’re not eighteen any more, not for a long, long time.

The recent 30 cents petrol price hike hurt BAD. From pumping RM50++ for a full tank every 1.5-2 weeks, it rose to RM70++, and my office is just “down the road”. Literally. High time we thought about alternatives, right?

Santi uses only 1 full tank a month because he takes the train to work. Let’s disregard the fact that KayEll Sentral is right at his doorstep, shall we? I have thought of riding a motorbike to work since I was in WWF, but have no B3 license. Anyway, Abah is not keen on his children riding motorbikes, too dangerous. Buses are a pain in the ass for someone who hates waiting like me. Plus, will have to walk a long long way to Uptown to catch it. Just to go 4 km down the road? Naah. Not worth the trouble. Have talked about cycling since January, but so far have been NATO about it.

Actually wanted Yaie’s vintage Raleigh, but found it had been stolen by the time I managed to balik kampung. Bought myself a cheap bike in February. It’s so cheap P won’t even condescend to look at it. Ye la… it’s no Trek 5200. A poor girl like me manalah mampu beli basikal mahal-mahal. Premium stuff is for serious enthusiasts. I can get a good pair of Nikon binoculars for RM1600, OK?

But I think I compromised a little too much on quality la. A pedal broke off and I had to replace a few accessories. Busted a back tyre jumping off a kerb. Damn. What would happen if I actually went off-roading? Edwin fixed it and now the front gears don’t change properly. Should have gotten the slightly more expensive LeRun with Shimano gears. Those never failed me before. Oh well… There’s always a first time for everything, like buying my own bike.

Took it easy the past few months, rode on weekends and after work to the bank and the nasi lemak stall, sometimes did a small circuit around BU and Tropicana. Balked at riding to work because I needed to carry my laptop and I didn’t trust my regular backpack. Eventually managed to find something at a reasonable price and have been breaking it in for a while.

Finally bit the bullet this morning. I was going to be late whether I drove or cycled. It took a huge amount of ‘je ne sais qua’, blind faith, dementia, psychosis and bullheadedness to actually do it. But do it I did. Had mentally planned my route for months, so all I had to do was execute. Went all the way across Uptown, go through underground tunnel, pedal through DJ, cross LDP at traffic light interchange and down to the office. Cool plan. Not impossible, just slightly more sweaty and tiring than stepping on the clutch and changing gears on the Satria. Slightly?? Ha ha. Understatement of the year. Nothing makes you more aware of the fact that you’re beyond thirty, overweight and out of shape than huffing and puffing up a slope. It will get better; learnt that along the way. Arrived at about the same time I would if I had driven; and there’s something magically uplifting about exercise. Will I ever do it again? We’ll see.

Am trying not to think of the journey home. I hope it doesn’t rain this evening, I have a seven o’clock in KLCC…