I've worked most of the day and feel like airing my body/mind/spirit out and getting some exercise. So I take off from the Montecito YMCA parking lot for a sunset ride, press the thumb throttle and... whooosh -- I'm accelerating away into the breeze. At about 12 mph, I start pedaling and it's sooo easy because I've already got my momentum. At Schoolhouse Road I start pulling up a mild hill, so I press the trusty throttle and pull the hill without losing any speed. As I top the hill and begin to descend I pick up more speed, twist the grip shift into a higher gear -- spinning the pedals a bit until I am going about 25 mph. I'm flying freely, freewheeling down the hill like I will never stop. I cruise about a mile down to the stop sign at Coast Village Road, where I stop, pulling up to a pack of about 20 hard core cyclists clad in colorful jerseys mounted on expensive road bikes. I'm admiring some beauties: an Eddy Mercx, a Colnago Super, and a thick aluminum framed Cannondale -- they're really works of art. I accelerate ahead, resisting the temptation to turn my head and gleam at the slow starting hardcore conventional riders. So I had a little help from my Electro motor, so what! I've worked all day and I don't need to prove anything. Sure I'm into this for the exercise, but the bottom line is simply pure fun. One rider pulls up to me to check out my hi-tech machinery, as we keep stride at 18 mph -- except I'm not doing any pedaling!
I ride past the Coral Casino smelling the salty ocean air and looking up at the magnificently landscaped Biltmore hotel on my right, Santa Ynez mountains rising in the background. I dismount my bike, pop the kickstand down and ascend the seawall where I watch the sun begin its colorful descent into the underworld. I don't have to wait long before a pair of dolphins dance through the surfline, ain't it good just to be alive! Those joyous dolphins use the momentum of their slinky bodies to propel them effortlessly. It's starting to cool off, so I get back on my bike, and accelerate up the lane, loving that torquey feeling which never fails to bring a smile to my face. At Butterfly lane, I make a right and ascend up the hill, pedaling about 50% and powering about 50%. I'm still getting plenty of exercise, but there's no pain in my legs at all. I love mixing up the modes, it adds tremendous dimension to the cycling experience. I get to the top of the grade and again, upshift and pedal to gain a bit more speed and then, like those dolphins -- let the terrain do the work, taking me up to 25 mph or so. Working with the road, we are partners, and between my pedaling, shifting, electric power, and my freewheeling, I've got a full array of power sources from which to choose. I make a right and get into a nice pedaling rhythm, spinning about a dozen pumps, then coasting while my legs recover -- repeating this formula for about a mile, mile and a half. I start pulling into the bigger hills going back up Olive Mill Road, and I start feeling my legs getting heavy. I'm just plain tired, so I press my thumb throttle and enjoy the delightful sights and scents of spring flowers as I pull the grade back up to Schoolhouse Road. By the time I get to Schoolhouse, the blood is back in my legs and I've got the juice to pump the easy hills and dales back to the YMCA. Man, this is fun! I've just modulated the perfect balance of fun and exercise for my short scoot into the sunset. I reflect on how if I had of taken this same short ride in my car, it would have been no where near the exhilarating experience I just enjoyed.
Life is an adventure... enjoy the ride!
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