What Horace says is,
Eheu
fugaces
Anni
labuntur, Postume, Postume!
Years glide
away, and are lost to me, lost to me!
Now, when
the folks in the dance sport their merry toes,
Taglionis
and Ellslers, Duvernays and Ceritos,
Sighing I
murmur, ‘O mihi præteritos!’
With age, following a stroke I eased my cycling by buying an electric-assisted model. It was a powerful "gents" machine which I enjoyed for a couple of years.
How does one dismount from a "cross-barred" bicycle? Something I have never needed to consider since I first learnt to ride about 70 years ago. One stopped, both feet on the ground, astride the bike, and simply tossed the right leg backwards over the saddle. About a year ago I found that I could no longer do this - the hip joints just would not allow it. However I managed to continue with the bike by thinking about where and when I wanted to stop. With the bike in motion, left foot at the bottom of the pedal revolution I could still fling the right leg backwards and come to an elegant halt, both feet on the ground to the left of the bike.
Which is fine until one comes to an unplanned halt as I did one day in Ashford High Street, thinking to go into a newsagents. I stopped, still astride the bike and could not get off! I had to restart, then perform the manoeuvre described in the last sentence of the last paragraph before I could divest myself of the thing.
Weeks later I was gliding happily down a woodland track through Orlestone Forest - a short cut to a village cafe at Hamstreet. Some soft mud had become rutted, my front wheel slid into the groove and I stopped suddenly to preserve balance. Picture me, sat astride the bike in verdant surroundings, birds giggling merrily, unable to move forward, back or sideways. I had to just drop the bike under me and step over it. This could not go on if I was to continue cycling as I decidedly want to.
About 18 months ago I published a post about e-bikes the very last sentence of which came to mind. Reluctantly I sold the lovely gents' machine and have invested in, what was once referred to as a "ladies' bicycle" or "dropped frame".
A transformation (no, I do not wear a skirt), the bike is nearly as responsive as its predecessor , I no longer have to think about stopping and woodland tracks are so much easier and relaxing. I probably should have done it some time ago.
