Adam...
the man behind the curtain
the Dr. Frankenstein to my Frankenbakfiet!
the person I built my orange bike with the wheel barrow with
yesterday after work and before getting my younger son from school I rolled past Adam's house on Capitol Hil
poked my head in... asked if he wanted to join me for lunch
no time for lunch... but we drank some tea
I stole a banana
and then I joined Adam on his cross town ride
Adam was in a time crunch to pick up his son Theo from "school"
Adam built his own Dutch style Bakfiet by cutting two bikes in half and then reconnecting them with a long metal post
extending cables with tandems cables and housing
later Adam added an electronic assist
it is not neccessarily about fitness... it is more about a car alternative
yes... a car alternative
CAR-Turnative
living CARLITE!
Adam's path to pick his young pre-school age son from school was pretty much half way my route to home before I had to get my school age son from school
we rode together... breaking apart... selecting different routes
the big box bike does not zig or zag the same way a standard bike does
cutting lanes is not always the best option
Adam is comfortable in traffic and comfortable on that big bike
it was a serious hustle
I was working hard to keep pace with Adam
Adam paid closer attention to the laws and spent more time queuing up with the cars
Adam paid closer attention to the laws and spent more time queuing up with the cars
I worked to put myself where I was most safe while trying to maintain momentum
it was the standard game of Cat and Mouse
zipping ahead and getting caught
I would bi-sect the traffic circle by cutting through the park
while Adam would go around
in most cases we arrived at the other side at the same time as the other
a few times I sprinted ahead and busted a few lights to get enough of a gap on Adam so I could ready myself with the camera
then after the digital snap of the digital shutter I packed up my camera and got back on the bike
again hustling to catch up and keep pace
from Capitol Hill to Georgetownat Adam son's Theo's school we were a few minutes early
Adam made a call... I think the kids were off campus
pick up would be delayed
the desire for the photo of the father picking up his kid from school did not happen
well... it did not happen on this day
no time to wait
no more time to hang out
I had to focus on my own pick up schedule
we said our good byes and went our separate ways
Adam
inspired by Adam I got home and pulled out my Dutch style box bike
with the aid of several bungee cords I was able to strap my younger son Grant's 24 inch wheel mountain bike to the wheel barrow
it was a tough slog with all that weight on the bike
but I made it to my son's school and was able to surprise Grant with a post school bike ride home
to my pleasure...
I went inside the school to handle some parent business with the front office
when I got outside most of the kid were gone
even Grant
Grant had pulled his bike and helmet from the wheel barrow and was taking a lap around the school
we took "the city way" home
a route that I created to take the boys a tad longer home from school
while avoiding some of the more major hills
no major hills down
no major hills up
Grant begged to alter the route
but I refused
my legs were lacking a certain amount of snap
the three week long vacation out west was also a vacation from the bike
that said...
I need to get on my bike and find my legs
School