They’re Playin’ My Song

first published as a Plain Pedaler on http://www.pedaltheplains.com

When I started my journey to Pedal The Plains, (June, 29, 2015) Husband would not let me listen to music while I rode my bike. Instead, he said I must be aware of my surroundings. I should listen for cars approaching, look out for wildlife and people walking their dogs. I was in the Danger Zone! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwBbrngafl0

So I pedaled on, listening to the clackity clack of gears, (yes, I get caught in the middle of the shift a lot!) and the rattle from my husband’s hand-me-down headlamp. (I had no idea the battery wasn’t supposed to make noise until I upgraded to a new light!)

Then, Glory Days! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vQpW9XRiyM About a month into my cycling, Husband surprised me with a cell phone mount. I tapped my music app and turned on my “mixture” playlist, then turned on my bike app to track my progress. I was Footloose!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyD8BxoB2To

I enjoyed listening to my favorite tunes, until we approached a group of riders gathering to start their morning ride. As we passed the pack I thought I was looking mighty cool. Coordinated outfit, posture straight, legs pumping. Then the speaker on my phone blared, Don’t Come Home A Drinkin’ With Lovin’ On Your Mind, by Loretta Lynn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBnkAkmLtaw. Really? Even though I enjoyed it, and the follow-up songs Beer for My Horses https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1JOFhfoAD4 and Alcohol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3zkkLckeyM, I kinda wondered what my music was saying about me.

Time for a new playlist: bicycle.

And so the new day starts. Up by 4:30 a.m. to be on the bikes by five because you ain’t a loser, ‘Til You Stop Getting Up.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4kc1TOHVfY Cave Creek, Ariz., is Redeemed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzGAYNKDyIU in the winter when it is Paradise City https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV1finf9Oio, but summer makes you feel Wanted Dead or Alive! http://www.vevo.com/watch/bon-jovi/wanted-dead-or-alive/USIV30300459

Husband quickly pulls away from me because he has a hard time Waitin’ On a Woman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-C-IbkuNWs But Next Thing You Know https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7ISBFJSnMY I catch up to him on a flat stretch of road. I’m not Holding Out for a Hero https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVtaVrUAPK0 though. He’ll push me to pedal faster.  Heading into the hills I got the Eye of the Tiger, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btPJPFnesV4 ready to take on the day. About the time we hit the first big rise we’ll see the Glorious Unfolding https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKMjEvF2Fkw of the morning. The sun starts to slice the sky and I’m Calling All Angels https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRUErh47sao as I stand on my pedals to reach the peak.

Kaolin, from Flat Tire Bike Shop in Cave Creek says I need to keep a steady cadence but you know I’m singing My Hallelujah Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2mu0g3ir_w when I reach the top of the big hill. Time to Roar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CevxZvSJLk8 on the way down!

No time to rest and enjoy my Rocky Mountain High. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_WyUwNPOzQ Even though I Don’t Stop Believin’, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMUk-6cBjko we’re now on a stretch that’s The Climb. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG2zyeVRcbs I’m gonna Hold On Tight https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAONwC1CWhE because just around the corner the road flattens and I fly like The Eagle and the Hawk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXcSJnDoAAg It feels like I’m gonna Live Forever https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W01TTkekYC4 until the next incline. That’s okay. Hit Me With Your Best Shot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JRgHol94Xc because We’re Not Gonna Take It. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WtixLg56Y8

Whatever day of the week it is dictates the time and path we ride. Sunday Morning Coming Down https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED5s1-Fe9FA we put in the miles on a three hour trek. We always pass the spot where I’ve fallen three times. Oh well. Every Rose Has Its Thorn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2r2nDhTzO4 and I know we’re close to the spot where we take a break to grab a snack (I still cannot ride and eat). As I Pour Some Sugar On Me, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UIB9Y4OFPs I feel renewed and I Wanna Rock! http://www.mtv.com/videos/twisted-sister/58934/i-wanna-rock.jhtml#id=1685510

Gonna Fly Now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR6FXpaECY8 because we’re back on level ground. I hear the wind rush around me as we’re heading into the Last Mile Home https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9u8QpHGUYkI and think If Today Was Your Last Day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrXIQQ8PeRs, it was One Hell of an Amen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IMn4c4MwM0.

I’m Greater https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9XFO1oSk68, as my parents enjoy the Best Seat in the House https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbaaZmFqw8Q, Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTKmjhJ1__o.

Oh yeah. When the going gets tough, I know It’s Five O’clock Somewhere https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPCjC543llU. Cheers! http://www.televisiontunes.com/Cheers_-_Full.html

My playlist is this: God, Family and Country. What songs are on yours?

August 18, 2015  My Journey to Pedal The Plains
first published as a Plain Pedaler on http://www.pedaltheplains.com

If you told me two months ago I would be getting up before the sun to cycle, I’d have told you you were crazy! I had absolutely no interest in biking. My husband took up cycling approximately four years ago and encouraged me to start riding a bike because he thought it would be something fun for us to do together. Ha. That part of the story ended after he was in a hit-and-run accident. The mirror from a work truck clipped my husband sending him to the ER with a broken collarbone and a mass of road rash. That was enough to ensure I wasn't taking up this dangerous sport! That was until Pedal the Plains. My husband came to me and said, "let’s do this in honor of your folks and the land you love." I was suckered!

I grew up on a farm between Amherst and Holyoke. As we pedal the plains we’ll travel near our farmland, go through my hometown of Amherst, which hosts the historical St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, and pass approximately two miles from the farmhouse where I grew up. I went to school in Holyoke and I am still a Holyoke Dragon. The Julesburg Lions were our sports rivals and I attended Northeastern Junior College in Sterling. Yep, I’m a Northeastern Plainsmen! Back up a bit because I spent time in Venango, NE, also. We have a St. Paul’s Lutheran Church there too. The pastor is the same in both Venango and Amherst making us the only duel parish in separate states. (Try to find out otherwise!)

And so the biking began. I am a fashionista. I love clothes, shoes and jewelry. As the manager of a charity thrift shop, on any given day, you’ll see me wearing outfits that fit my mood: anything from western wear to golf clothes. Bet you can guess where this is going… The guys at Flat Tire Bike Shop, Cave Creek, AZ worked hard to fill my fashion needs, bringing on my pink and grey bike, pink and black helmet, black gloves and black shoes (Okay, my shoes have a little bit of turquoise on them but as the guys pointed out my socks hide that pretty much.)

Now that I was all duded up and looking the picture of the stylish bicyclist, I was ready to ride. Husband dutifully held my bike while I “clamped” in. (Clipped seams too nice for these torture devices.)

“Pedal,” says husband.

I pedal.

“Wait!” says husband. “We need to go over how to unclip!”

I stop. Promptly fall over. “Medic! Sports injury! Get me unhooked! HELP!”

Hobble to house. Put ice on knee.

Husband says this does not count as day one training for Pedal the Plains.