PEDALING THE GLOBE. Pt. 7

Dear readers, as I inferred from the beginning, as of this very moment in time I have completed 4 years, 3 months and 11 days of almost daily 10 miles treks, and my physical and psychological health is as good, or better than it was half a decade hence, or possibly at half my current age.

But I have purposely saved the best for last.

For you see, last night I completed 1,245 10 mile treks, an amazing distance, (at least to me) of 12,450 miles, or (drum roll) the equivalent of six cross country trips across America).

I admit I felt pretty darn good about my unprecedented personal achievement until I spoke to the owner of our local bike shop today. I had stopped by the shop to purchase a couple of $8 inner tubes, and asked whether any of my cycling peers had ever bragged about their own personal world records.

To which ‘Mr. Jensen’ responded,

“Yes, indeed. ‘Earl Smith’ is quite a biking enthusiast. He just completed a million miles.”

(and)

“Of course, it doesn’t take long at 10,000 miles a year.”

(However, it occurred to me later that the old boy must have bought his first bike at ‘The Wilbur and Orville Wright Bicycle Shop’ since at 10,000 miles per year Earl would have been at it... for the space of a century)!

At this point, Roger asked me how far I’d pedaled since I became serious about cycling. Reticent to compare myself to such an auspicious fellow, I admitted that I’d only pedaled the meager distance of (a slightly muted drum roll) … half the circumference of the globe.

Well, I can’t speak for the veracity of one million miles on a bike, nor the 125 year old man who just completed a century of cycling excellence, (and earning him a very sore derriere). But I can speak for me, and I can tell you I have visualized this day almost since I began my arduous and multitudinous daily treks in the wee hours of the morning.

I don’t have one of these familiar devices mounted on the handlebars of my bike, but if I did I might say,

“It’s time to toot my own horn,”

… (‘cause nobody else is gonna toot for me).

Toot. Toot.

By William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from "(Mc)Donald's Daily Diary" Vol. 49. Copyright pending

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