Hail to the Bike Commuter!

"When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race" - H.G. Wells

Zexiv, Inverbras and I have a lot of respect for cyclists, especially those who brave it out on today's dog-eat-dog dangerous car dominated roads. Zexiv considers himself a relatively latecomer to the 2 wheeled bike, having learned at the "old" age of 11, on Inverbras's light blue bike, from Patria (or was it Atlas?). Inverbras had already been biking for a number of years and it took a number of failed attempts, most of them in grassy lots in the provinces, before Zexiv finally learned to balance. He remembers the excitement of the first ride, with the wind blowing in his face and the invigorating feeling of freedom, as he went a block around the house. His first bike, shortly after that was a red 10 speed road bike, from Atlas Bicycle Shop in Cartimar, which was a bit too big for him. Only a day or two after acquiring it, Zexiv swerved trying to avoid another neighbor heading straight for him, and ended up sprawled on the curb with a broken front tooth. Ouch!

When Zexiv was much better and had learned to stop and turn properly, he and Inverbras would explore the villages around their parents' house. Somehow biking didn't seem too popular with most teens in the home country, who seemed to dread breaking any kind of sweat and acquiring a tan and preferred being driven in air conditioned cars, even for ridiculously short distances. Zexiv and Inverbras reserved their utmost contempt however for the spoiled rich kids in the village who liked to show off and ride their expensive minitrails around the village. Nothing compared to the freedom of the bike; one wasn't limited by availability of gas but the power of ones own legs. In their later years, Inverbras and Zexiv even made the trek to Tagaytay City from Makati, which they did in about 4 hours going there.

And now on to the real subject of this post:

Zexiv's old friend, former air police squadron mate and lifting partner, Reader has just started commuting daily to work on his Specialized road bike, a very worthy endeavor, especially in today's world of high fuel prices. Zexiv first met Reader in high school, where they attended a summer class in Chemistry together, and became friends when they found out they both shared a keen interest in weight training and powerlifting. Throughout high school, Zexiv remembers Reader and him being neck and neck in weight, and having a hard time gaining mass, both being ectomorphs. It was during college years that Reader really surpassed him in strength gains and size. Reader took his love for sports and fitness further in college, majored in Physical Education, and excelled in sports such as powerlifting, weightlifting, table tennis, badminton, wrestling, and judo. He and Zexiv started to lift together early mornings in this hardcore hole-in-the-wall gym close to the university, and Zexiv remembers being impressed seeing Reader arrive in the gym on his road bike, a 5 kilometer commute, and proceed to do 20 reps of 225 lbs on squats!

Today Reader makes his home somewhere in the Midwest, where he works in the I.T. industry. He admits not having the incentive to train as much or lift as heavy as before, and actually considers himself unfit by his standards, although he continues to lift and run 2 to 3 times a week and play (and coach) badminton for fitness.

His daily bike commute covers a distance of about 7 miles, which take him through mostly flat terrain of bike paths with trees and a lake, downtown through residential and then office buildings. Yesterday he says he completed the trek in about 33 minutes, which is much better time than if he had taken the bus. Zexiv asked him how he felt and he mentioned that he was "really hurtin today" and that right now his thighs "feel like jello". He added though that the ride does perk him up for the workday, although he starts getting really tired towards the end but that he sleeps so much better at the end of the day. He told Zexiv that since he started the bike commute, he's been too tired to go to the gym but expects to start training again once his body adapts. He is looking at "rethinking his training" and "training specifically for endurance", which for him means 2 sets of 50 reps. He also just started taking glycogen supplements.

Zexiv asked him if the whole change in routine made his life more complicated. "Not really", replied Reader, although he added that it makes him too tired to do other things for now. He says he is able to get up at about the same time every day, and that he is happy being on the bike, and can even stop if he wants to watch a volleyball game, a softball match, or a soccer game.

When asked what his first day thoughts were, Reader's reply was "this hurts ... the seat, the shortness of breath, the burning legs". He says though that it is "actually nice, just physically tiring but has it's advantages. I'm not dependent on gas, bus schedules, etc.". He also said that since starting he's dropped 3 lbs. and his abs lines are beginning to show, albeit blurry for now :). He hopes to continue this onto the winter. Zexiv and I wish him a lot of luck in this.

A very worthy endeavor, Reader. There is indeed hope for mankind if we can get more adults on bicycles, as H.G. Wells says ... Ride safely.