To Toughen my Touche

In preparation for our trip to Holland, yesterday M and I went on a bike ride at Mud Bay with two purposes in mind: to get biking fit legs and a biking fit touche.

We aimed to pedal out for an hour and an hour back. However, forty-five minutes later I was begging for a reprieve: my butt hurt! After a water and butt break, M comments, "Well, this is a good test that we can't bike 60 to 80 kilometers a day." Yes, please not, I sigh. Besides which, if I was to sit in a saddle all day I can do that in Canada. The bike tour in Holland needs to have some pleasure to it as well. M agrees.

"Stop!' M calls to me. "Look!"

I do and there on a pole above our heads sits an eagle. I don't think we've seen one this close before. The eagle cocks his head, as Brooks does when she's trying to get a better look. He spies us and decides we are not worthy of more attention. He preens - just a tad. Brooks, although just the size of the eagle's brilliant yellow beak, puts a lot more effort into her ablutions than this eagle does.

"Fly for us!" I call to the eagle. "Spread your wings." I know that the eagle is far more impressive in flight than perched on the pole. He ignores us and so we pedal on.

See, here is a case in point, I say to M, our bike tour in Holland needs to have time each day to stop and enjoy the scenery. And when we get to the destination, we want to look around too. M agrees. "Yes, the maximum is 50 kilometres a day," he decides. Fifty! My eyes widen.

If I don't get to blog too often this month, it may just be because I'm out pedalling: building my stamina and toughening my touche.