My husband Paul loves to ride his bike. I rarely joined him in Texas, citing how uncomfortable I felt on the roads near Austin. He and his riding buddies ride on the side of the road right next to the cars and trucks. It scares me to ride there.
I feel differently about cycling after our move to Holland. Cycling is very easy here, with as many cycling roads (actual separate roads) here as there are for cars. Bikes have the right of way most of the time at intersections and if not, then there is a separate light for them. It is very flat in the Netherlands and the weather is cool - even in the summer. They have bike route system to travel the entire country, and maps that make it easy to use. I have a bike with bell and I feel like a kid again.
Paul's German biking buddy Stefan (joining Paul on his last 8 MS150 bike rides from Houston to Austin) cooked up a proposal for Paul and myself, his wife Petra and of course Stefan to bike the newly created cycling route from just outside Munich to Prague along the rivers. It is a total of 440km going along the Danube, Moldau, Malse, Otava, and Vltava Rivers. The elevation from Munich to Ceske Zleby is more than I was comfortable with, so we agreed to start after the climbs and will ride 315 kilometers over 5 days to Prague. We'll carry our stuff in panniers, and stop in pensions or zimmers along the route. These are usually a room in a private home with breakfast in rural areas, literally a bed and a breakfast. That also should be a part of the fun.
It took me several weeks to agree to this. Even with the ease of cycling and the enchanted idea of riding near rivers and castles, the thought of doing this terrified me. I spent countless hours finding and translating details about the ride. I got out the calculator and figured out the steepness of the climbs. I read blogs and heard about the busy traffic along parts of the route. I spent much time wondering how fit I am and could I even do this? After all, I was the fat kid in gym class. It finally came down to this question: What am going to regret more? Am I more afraid of dying or am I more afraid of not living?
I said yes.
I've been riding on weekends and several times during the week to get used to the bike seat and the miles. I've made a packing list that includes the essentials (after all, there is only room for what is essential). This past weekend Paul and I rode 68 kilometers in the rain to Tilburg on the cycling paths from our apartment. We rode along the canals for much of the ride, passing through the woods to windmills, and area farms with goats, and miniature horses and baby deer.
I still don't know if I can do this ride, but I'm open to the experience of trying it. The biggest adventure might be conquering those inner struggles rather the miles on the bike and the inclines. Stay tuned . . .
