This time last year, I had my very first folding bike. I had not ridden one, or any bike for that matter, since I was a child. Brava and the kids and friends think I’ve gone mad. I have gone from riding from the end of the road and back to, since I started cycling seriously 6 months ago, clocking up 200km ultra-cycling and am now itching to explore further.
When people think of a cyclist, I don’t think I’m what they picture. I don’t think I fit the common picture of a cyclist because I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing. It wasn’t until May 2021 that I properly learnt how to ride a bike. I signed myself up for a 100KM ultra cycling challenge, and I followed my two friends (you know who you are) who are avid cyclists and are also Randonneurs who have clocked up to 1000km at a time. Cycling around and training with them, I learnt how to keep my bike upright and moving.
Finding cycling has been brilliant because it is something that I can do easily and by myself. It really has been life-changing. I have definitely got fitter and faster in 6 months since I seriously started. I have found so many new places too, I have lived in Jakarta all my life and when I go out on a bike, I find places I didn’t even know existed.
I have done a few big rides I’m proud of, and there are lots of thing I’m not proud of – like lack of skill on shifting and technical stuff.
O well, this is what a diary of a cycling nobody will be all about, I hope it inspires others to give it a go!
tequila shots for the soul 