Flobits

Let’s not forget this is a blog and not a place to dump emotions and feelings. And, as someone who owns a blog, I need to influence my readers. So please open your arms widely so I can influence you! If you want to know what it takes to bike 100 km in about 2 months, here’s a list of the things you need to do. Disclaimer: like in any story, half of it is true and half less true. You get to choose your side :)  5. Be equipped but don't overspend You need some new gear, but don’t go too far. After all, being thrifty is a sign of discipline and you’ll have to build one.  For €10 999 (VAT included), you can buy a good entry bike, nothing fancy, just the bare necessity. Keywords to check on the internet: carbon, titanium! For a mere  €1000 more you can have some accessories for it.  A bag to carry some emergency stuff is highly recommended. If you get one that transforms itself into a tent, go for it. You never know when you get really good and drift away to the Pyrenees ...

With the saddle getting more intimate with my butt, biking came closer and closer to my heart. It was the perfect combination: sport, fixing my back, losing weight, getting fitter, enjoying nature. Nature itself is worth a few words: in April and May, the forest comes to life and it's so incredibly beautiful, like a young woman in green, with an ample and generous bosom, and thousands of arms to take you and press you against it. If that's not THE place to be, then nothing is.      The nights were drawing out, the weather was fabulous (thanks, global warming!), barbecue season started (no friends over yet, still in lockdown, but a steak is a steak) and, with biking taking care of quite some calories, I didn't have to worry too much about the amount, be it food or top Belgian beer. If you add the warmth of the family and the fact that my son would go out playing with his classmates the whole day, coming home in the evening, dirty from head to toes, pants torn, no elec...

  W hen my back pains come, I instantly remember the exercises I should have done but for some reasons (read laziness) I didn't. This time it was no different, only that I didn't even bother to find excuses for having been lazy in the past months. Instead, I did what I had to, kind of naturally. When the back strikes, I am pretty immobile: I cannot walk, bend, get into the car, in some cases not even lie down. The only thing that takes the pain out of me is biking. It works like a miracle, I'd spend the whole day on the saddle if possible. It was then no surprise when I decided to go for a ride in the afternoon to see how it goes. It would not be a long one, just around 20 km. I had a city bike, nothing fancy, but in a newish state, so it would be fine to start pedaling. I was back in about an hour. Woooow! What a lovely experience. Sooooo different from running! The pain was gone the minute I hopped on the saddle, the music was enthralling, but maybe the most important asp...

  Although the first running attempt was - to put it mildly - mediocre and my legs mutinied the next day, I decided to give it a few more chances. I would go out, I thought, two times a week. So, every Thursday and Tuesday, I would suit up and sneak out for my dates.      What did I manage to accomplish during these sessions, except for nothing? Well ...      The time did not get better. In fact, on some of the occasions it was even worse than the first time.      The sniper was still there, shooting at me constantly... but somewhat less. To be honest, I bet he got bored of shooting me and he became a bit complacent. I can imagine him waiting in his tower, a cigarette butt in the corner of his mouth, talking to himself when I would come into his sight: 'Damn, this guy again! Some people never learn. For fuck's sake man, it's like shooting fish in a barrel! Let me make it more interesting: I won't shoot your lungs anymore'. And thus, the ...