Au Revoir, Velo

Most men remember their first car with an unexplainable attachment. Today, I handed off my road bike of 23 years. It was my first real racing bike. I was sad to see it go. So many miles, so many memories. In order to enjoy it one last time, Isaac and I rode up Tantalus Mountain before delivering it to its newest owner. It was the first true mountain ride for me, and the fact that I made it up slower than my son is not something I am choosing to dwell upon.

It has been such a good bike, and when I purchased it back in college, it was considered a moderately high-end racing machine. Lately, it has been admired by other riders as a “classic” machine. This I have chosen to receive as a compliment rather than a critique. Many of these admirers hadn’t yet learned how to ride a bike back when this one was new. Now the steel frame makes it a sought-after novelty. It has served me well even though I left it collecting dust in the garage for far too many years.

My next bike will be the one I purchase in Europe where I am sure I will get the opportunity to trail Isaac up much larger mountains and make many more memories. In my mind I dream of climbing the famous l’Alpe d’Huez, which is nearly twice the length of Tantalus and will cause me to suffer more than twice as long. I am sure Isaac will wait for me at the top.