3/25/22 - Friday Forget-Me-Nots by Jim Silcott

Photo Caption: The Rebirth of our GaGa Pit.

Dear Our Lady of Peace Family,

It is nice to see glimpses, hours and even days of spring weather lately. While Ohio has been known to have snow in April let’s hope that the truly winterous weather is behind us.

As a lover of bicycle riding, I have, for many years, ridden almost daily no matter how cold the temperature dropped. Although I stayed off of icy roads, with my electric heated gloves, face mask and even goggles, I would brave the winter to get my miles.

Last summer I started having to take blood thinner because I have become a producer of blood clots. My Dad, who was on blood thinners for many years, was always complaining of being cold. This winter the chill ran through me like never before and so I grudgingly gave up the winter months.

In an effort to keep riding, however, I broke down and decided to buy an indoor stationary bicycle. I researched different brands and their respective prices. At first, name brands like Pelaton and BowFlex were attractive with their bells and whistles and video hook-ups to trainers and classes. But the prices were steep and since I am a relatively solo cyclist, the idea of someone on a video screen yelling at me, even with words of encouragement, sounded counter to the reason that I like to ride: to relax the brain and exercise in relative calm.

And so I went with a basic model with no fancy add-ons except for a speedometer. Once I started riding it I realized that pedaling without going anywhere can be a bit boring. It was then that I discovered that You Tube, which has a video on everything from lectures on World War II to kittens scratching their noses, had added to their vast collection many videos taken from bicyclists simply riding and recording their journeys.

And so, this winter I have ridden all around the world. I don’t have to worry about traffic, or weather, or the gradiant of the hill. I find that I can enjoy the scenery more than when I am actually riding outside because I don’t have to worry about getting hit by a blue van or avoiding a pot hole.

In my real cycling life I have managed to ride on every continent except South American and Antartica. I have bicycled my way around and through 35 states. Having family in Australia, I was able to ride frequently around Perth. I spent a day riding around Singapore which ticked Asia off my list. I enjoyed the flat terrain and bicyle friendly roads of the Netherlands one summer. My boldes adventure was a trip from Accra, Ghana, into the rain forest and back. All of those were grand adventures, but time and age may limit future endeavors. With the You Tube, however, I have been to California this winter, as well as Spain, Switzerland, France, Italy and China. I even found a video recreating my many rides around the Swan River in Perth where I saw familiar landscapes that made me miss my yearly trips down under.

Of course, the downside to stationary riding is that while there are no torturous up hill climbs there are also no wonderful pedalless glides down curvy roads. I don’t get rained on, but I also don’t get to feel the wind on my face. I don’t worry about hazards of the road but I don’t get to make stops for a cold soda or a people watching ten minutes on a bench. I don’t have to say “on your left” on a crowded trail but I don’t get to interact with people either.

I have been lucky to get back on my real bike in the last month or so. The roads and trails of Columbus and Granville are not as scenic as an Alpian ride through Switzerland but I do appreciate any time that I can get on my two wheeler and pedal somewhere. And I will continue to ride in my bedroom when the weather or time prohibits me riding outside.

My goal is to reach 50,000 outside miles by the time I reach 70. I am at 41,000 now with four and a half years to go!



Jim Silcott