Ang kwento ng akala kong nawawalang bisikleta

Asan na ang bike ko?

Ito ang paulit-ulit kong sinasabi habang idinaraos ang pambungad na programa ng Tour of the Fireflies, isang taunang parada ng mga siklista, kung saan ako nag-volunteer bilang marshall. Ang mga kapwa ko marshall ay nakahanda na, samantalang ako naman ay hindi pa. Ilang beses kong kinulit si Doy tungkol sa aking bisikleta, dahil siya ang nagtatago nito, at dahil sinabi niya sa akin na ito ay kanyang dinala sa Tiendesitas isang araw bago ang tour. Paulit-ulit lang sa aking sinabi ni Doy na "Pinakuha ko na, parating na." Pero ako'y alalang-alala na hindi makapag-marshall dahil wala akong bisikleta.

Ito kami habang hinihintay ang bisikleta

Ngunit ilang sandali ako'y pinatawag sa stage. Iniisip ko, siguro tungkol ito sa bisikleta ko. Maya-maya naman ay tinawag si Doy. At nagsalita na nahanap na nya ang aking bisikleta.

Nagulat ako nang bumungad sa akin ang isang Lynskey Performance Design na bisikleta (Iba kasing bisikleta ang hinahanap ko). Ang Lynskey frame ay gawa sa Titanium. Napakatibay nito, at built to last for a lifetime. Tapos lumuhod si Doy at sinabing "Will you ride with me forever?"

Bad trip lang dahil nakaharang ang flag

Naiyak ako sa tuwa. Si Doy magaling magsorpresa. So far, ito ang pinakamagandang sorpresa na kanyang ginawa :)

Syempre may kiss (pero take 2 na raw ito)! Kinikilig ako, pati na rin ang mga bikers na nakasaksi sa okasyong ito.

Sa totoo lang, wala akong masabi sa ginawang ito ni Doy. I'm so overwhelmed by so much love and happiness. I pray that we will ride together forever...

Ito na ako bago sumabak sa peloton

Salamat kay Rochelle Cuyco sa mga larawan.

My Valentine Gift

This is me right after trying out my new bike. A very nice Valentine gift, if you ask me. This is one of the bikes I'd love to have (see this blog entry). Wouldn't trade this for flowers, chocolates and fancy restaurant dinners. I hope this gift motivates me to get into cycling more seriously :)

Cruiser Bike

Cruiser bikes are balloon-tired bikes with heavy duty frames, has simple mechanicals and a coaster brakes. These bikes are suited for riding on flat, sandy beaches, which is why they are also called "Beach cruisers." It was America's standard bike from the 1930s up to the 1950s. Cruiser bikes have also been the inspiration of early edition mountain bikes of the late 70s/early 80s.

Schwinn, one of the older and popular bike companies, produced the original cruiser bikes. I chanced upon a classic cruiser at the 10th Tour of the Fireflies. Here is a photo of the bike:

And here is another cruiser bike, which I also saw at the exhibit, but made by Murray:


Cruiser bikes were also used in the "Fooled by a Smile" music video by the Swing Out Sister:



My boyfriend also made some project cruiser bikes. He bought the frame and used old parts to build this bike

By the way, he is selling this for Php 4,000. More details about this bike at this link. If anybody's interested you may call or send an SMS to 09192558266.

Our Bike!

As Doy had said, "This is our bike!" For it doesn't make sense to ride this bike alone! It is indeed a different experience riding this bike, especially for me, since I'm riding at the back. I just had to let go and let the captain (Doy) take control. Trying it out for the first time, I must say that the ride is sweet! :)