I’M GETTING (BACK) INTO BIKING AND...
I’M GETTING A SAGE! BY Michael Kaplan
I turned 62 in January, and have been having what you could call a mid-life crisis... since probably around my 30th! I’m gripped by the notion that, no matter how much I’ve done, where I’ve been, what I’ve seen, and/or how great it’s been...it’s not enough, there are places I still must go, sights that need seeing, fun that needs finding, and even greater adventures yet to experience.
Then I used money I got for my bar-mitzvah to buy a white 1973 Raleigh Grand Prix 10-speed ‘English Racer’ with Simplex derailleur, and spent a lot of days riding around like Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer on wheels with my friend Michael Cohen (no relation to that Michael Cohen), who had gotten a somewhat better, canary yellow Fuji Newest (because his Dad was a partner in the ad agency that was representing Fuji). No matter what I did, he was always a little faster, and I have to admit some envy about that Fuji of his, with the fancy Campagnolo derailleur.
With that reference; I’m getting (back) into biking! At least partially Covid-inspired, last Summer I started to go for some short rides on the Giant road bike or one of the Specialized or Cannondale mountain bikes in the garage - and I really enjoyed the exercise and the time alone and outdoors. Now I’m focused on taking some epic bike trips. I want to use biking to get into better shape, but I have some fun-filled, interesting and luxurious adventures in mind which are really the driver. Biking was big for me as a kid. Until at least when I finished junior high school, my 1960s, Schwinn Stingray 3-speed, with the banana seat and monkey handlebars, was my principal and essential means of transport to just about everything and everywhere. 126 126
BEDFORD & NEW CANAAN
M A Y / J U N E
2 0 2 1
M A Y / J U N E
2 0 2 1
BEDFORD & NEW CANAAN
127
