Thelma and Louise - taking to the road

  

Meet Thelma and Louise. 

Thelma has been with me for several years now and we have a comfortable relationship.  We have seen a lot of things together and have gone through many ups and downs along the way. Thelma has a comfortable seat and shock absorbers which makes her a superstar on the beat up back roads where we live. Her low crossbar is ideal for those of us who can't lift their legs as high as they used to.  I can sit up a little straighter and this allows my gaze to wander.  When I go out on Thelma we generally go at a slower pace.  She has a rat trap, saddle bags and a handlebar bag, lots of room for carrying groceries, snacks, Kleenex and of course, my camera.  She likes STOP signs as they are always an opportunity to have a drink, to look at all that is around us and to just generally stop and smell the roses.  We travel on gravel paths, paved roads and everything in between.  She loves our country roads but has just as much fun cruising around Stanley Park and is at her best when we attach her to the back of the truck and hit the road.  Thelma loves selfies and is oh-so-patient when I am in a picture-taking mood.

Louise is the new ride in town.  We are still getting to know each other.  She pushes me beyond my comfort zone (in every sense of the word :) ). When we get to a stop sign she yells at me to pick it up, there's no time for slacking.  She has no interest in the scenery around her and this is obvious from her design.  Head down low and legs a-pumping.  Louise is all about covering ground as she can feel that extra load on her oh-so-hard seat and notices the folds in her bent over rider.  She wants me to fly over the bumps as quickly as I can because she is not built for these pot-holy back roads.  Every bump jars her frame and runs up my tailbone through to my shoulders.  Speaking of shoulders. . . she's letting me know that they need some work.  Thelma might be okay with me sitting up and taking it easy but Louise is bent on getting me into shape.  As I said earlier, we are still feeling our way around each other.  I bought Louise as I wanted to do a larger group ride later this year.  Thelma does not qualify for road riding - she is built for a slower pace so Louise and I are spending some time getting me into shape.  She won't tolerate stops for photo ops and has no place to store a camera so you won't see her often and she is okay with that.

Thelma and Louise are keeping my life in perfect balance.  Thelma appeals to that slower, more creative side that is in me but I have to say, Louise is rekindling some of that competitive spirit that is buried (okay, not too deeply) within me.  It didn't take much for her to bring it to the surface.  Can't wait to see where we go together.