Bike...Bike...Bike(day 5/500)

So... so... so... I have a bike now! Like a bicycle, not a motorbike—just in case there’s any confusion. I got a second-hand bike from Ronya, a friend who’s leaving Bra (the place I live—long story for another day). I really like the bike. In its history of owners, it has been owned by a Swiss person and a German. If you know anything about them, you know these people know good bikes.

You know what the best thing about biking was for me today? The sweat, the speed, the thrill.

Let me try to tell you a little bit about the topography of the route from Bra to Pollenzo (a small village where my university is located). By bike, the distance from my home to Pollenzo is 5.8 km. Bra is located on fairly plain terrain... Pollenzo too is on flat land, but they’re not at the same altitude. It’s like Bra sits at the edge of a plain, followed by a very steep and sudden dip for maybe around 500 meters, and then it’s flat again.

So, going from home to Pollenzo, everything is downhill. I started off by breaking a traffic light (oops) in a proper European small-town setting, followed by that sudden drop in altitude—a super fast, thrilling descent. And then, nature showed up so quickly and beautifully. Imagine a small road lined with farms on both sides, which slowly give way to a little forest... no cars, no bikes, no noise. Just sounds—beautiful sounds of nature. Birds chirping, trees rustling, wind blowing, and of course, the soft hum of the bike tyres frictioning with the road.

Finally, the road led to Pollenzo, my destination—a little village tucked inside a small fort. Bike rides help you connect with the slower things in life.

The journey back home was similar, except for one key difference. Instead of the superfast downhill stretch, it was now a steep, superslow uphill climb. And if you’re thinking I gave up halfway, couldn’t pedal anymore, and ended up walking and dragging my bike with me... then you’d be absolutely right. That is exactly what happened :P

I was crazy sweaty, and the cold shower afterward felt heavenly. Don’t you just love that feeling when you haven’t done any physical activity for days and suddenly you do something intense and it goes perfectly? I feel like my pores have opened up and I feel so alive.

Fingers crossed that I’ll keep up the habit and ride regularly. Will keep you updated!

ciao!