I "Velib" I can Fly

I've mentioned a few times before that I've been trying to learn to bike since April by borrowing bikes from friends. My problem with those bikes were the seats, which were too far from the ground so I had to tiptoe before I could pedal off; but no, I couldn't pedal off. Yesterday, we tried the public bike system Velib' (finally!) which are bulky and a little heavy but the seats could be adjusted low enough for my groin.

Velib' is a combination of vélo (bike) and liberté (freedom). It gives cyclists the liberty to take a bike from one station in Paris and deposit it in another part of the city at the super low price of 1 euro per hour, 5 euros for a week or free for 30 minutes (conditions apply).

I took the bike for a spin on the frenetic streets outside our apartment - the street poles, trees and pedestrians providing an organic obstacle course. I wobbled about for the first 30 minutes, all the while with H behind me shouting like the drill sergeant in Full Metal Jacket -- hand to god! -- I shushed him a couple of times until, ultimately, I could ride the bike without him holding me up. There are no words to describe the giddy feeling of freedom from those first few seconds after cracking the skill that had eluded me for years. It was like discovering the atom, cosmic radiation, fire, King Tut's tomb! I hardly breathed.

My biggest enemy were the parking poles which seemed to magnetically attract the Velib, but I was occasionally able to break just in time thanks to my life-saving and completely rational fear of falling and cracking my skull. I hit a wall, a parked car, some poles and a pile of garbage harmlessly after. However, I got a little ahead of myself one time, proverbial Icarus on a bike, thinking I was competent enough to make a turn around a tree.

From flickr

Now, if you've seen pictures of the streets here, you might have noticed the metal framework that surrounds the trees. It was one of these grills that ensnared the front wheel of the Velib, making me fly off the bike in a move that ended with a powerslide minus the air guitar. I checked my bruised and bloodied knees then dusted myself off and got on the bike again, with drill master sergeant H all up in my bizness for not using the breaks - as if I did it on purpose. Hmpf! A few minutes later, my leg got trapped between the bike and a pole, H chewed me out for not being careful, and some pedestrians ran away when they saw me coming - except for one elderly gentleman who helped me avoid a busking accordionist.

from kweeper

I was hoping I could learn how to bike accident free, but maybe it was coming to me. There are experiences you try to put off for fear that you will get hurt, but delaying sometimes only makes you fear it more without necessarily helping you master what's to happen... and most of the time you end up being hurt just the same.

I'm looking at you, Mr. Band-Aid Procrastinator.