Stories: Another Toulon Bike Story
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 -- Add Story
| When I got to France, your choice of bike seemed to be something more of a statement of your personality than a decision in practical transportation.
Everyone thought I was nuts when I bought a Peugot Beach Cruiser, and had the guy in the bike shop slap on a 10 speed conversion. It had a big soft seat, balloon tires, etc. When I rode it Americans would sing the music from the Wizard of Oz, you know, the part where the mean neighbor rides her bike to come steal Toto?
When I got my first greenie companion, Elder Andy Clark, he was all about speed. He bought a nice 10 speed racer with razor thin tires, toe clips, the whole 9 yards.
One afternoon as we were riding back to our apartment we turned down a street to take a shortcut back to the apt. On that street was a little MonoPrix store I think, and for once, I was leading Elder Clark by a good distance, about 20 yards or so.
I turned the corner and saw the MonoPrix and remembered we had discussed earlier that day that we needed to buy some cleaning supplies for our apt. I stopped and waited for him to catch up. A little old french lady was walking down the sidewalk with her little 2 wheeled cart and before I could say "Bon Jour" or anything to her, Elder Clark comes flying around the corner and he is looking the other way.
So I'm standing astride my bike and in a panic over my impending doom, my hands clamp down on both brakes and I can't move. Andy looks up just in time to slam on his brakes, his front tire going between my left leg and the frame of my bike before butting up against the left pedal.
Andy almost gets launched into orbit as he rotates, still seated on the bike, up on the front wheel in a wheelstand. His head is right next to my ear and I think we are both grunting some very non-missionary exclamations of pain and surprise as the little old french lady recoils in horror.
Then Andy slams back down on the back tire, but he isn't moving anymore....so he need to put a foot down to balance, but they are both stuck in the toe clips. After some amazing in place wobbling and balancing, he gets one foot out of a toe clip, just as gravity begins to triumph. He plants that foot in the middle of the road and starts taking these huge circular steps around the street.
Picture in your mind the way a person walks in scuba flippers? Got it? Now change one flipper to a bike!
He finally comes to a stop face to face with the little old lady who is by now well into her heart attack and says to her, " Ca Va?"
We sat on the curb and laughed ourselves sick while she stomped off down the street.
Andy, you were an awesome comp! |
| |
|
|
|
List All | Add Story
|
