bike bike bike bike

Today was Radical Day as for the first time ever I rode a bicycle into work. Craziness. I've been riding my motorbike to work ever since I bought it, but I've still been jealous of the bicycles squeezing past the impossible and singing with butterflies while I've been muttering MMM Delicious at so many exhausts.

From the city to Northcote there are a few bike tracks and super sneaky ways to avoid the main roads. Cara got her bicycle out last week and loved it, so I thought I'd give it a burl today.
Since my job is All Perception No Substance I like to get there earlier than most, this was doubly important as some dude told me the Totally Secret Bike Shed of Mystery fills up pretty early. So, I left the house this morning armed with Cara advice and directions. On the obvious bits Cara's advice was all 'Follow the other bikes'. Obvious, ha!

I set out at first light (not really) and met my first travel companion a few hundred metres from my house, a lanky old gentleman attired in an ill-fitting business suit and a old-fashioned helmet. Across the lights we acquired a new travelling companion, a flashy lycra'd speed dude with a racer. Following my new friends I went gaily into Uncharted Territory. The Business Suit was flying ahead and Flashy couldn't touch him but was totally pulling away from me. Not to lose my guiding stars, I tried a little harder, my totally unused and newly WD-40 drenched bicycle slipping on each rotation.

I went along the Bridge Of Cara Fear, it was fun.

I caught up to my friends, as they slowed to traverse a tricky bit/fork in the path and then one went left and the other went right.

Um.

I didn't plan for this.

Old Business Suit went right that went under a train station. Flashy went left. The tunnel under the train station had confused Cara in the olden days last week and so I thought it was the way home but not the way to the city. So I turned around to follow Flashy - who was gone. Everyone was gone, grrrr my indecision. I checked the signpost. Left = 8kms to Southgate. Right = 8kms to Southgate.

The path was lovely. It followed the Yarra and it wasn't long before I realised Cara had never descibed Even Scarey Wooden Bridges and lovely trees, but I thought maybe I singlehanded invented a brand new way.

20 minutes pass. I am rooted. So many hills. So many not curvy paths of not really going in the direction I hoped.

5 minutes. Signpost = 14kms to Southgate. If I had energies, what the?

After freakin ages I get to a staircase. Not really what I was after. Scenary is still lovely though.
Struggling with carrying the bike up so many stairs, I see another dude who wheels his bike up the side, smart. In so many huffs and puffs I ask him which way to the city. Continue on the scenic path or go down this street which I reckon leads to Punt Rd? Either way he says, want to go along the river? Why not I reckon, come this far. Heading over a new bridge, I follow my new best friend who soon leaves me for dust, and on a path soon headed well away from where I want to go. So. I do some abandonment. Head back and get onto Punt Rd, swap the trees and tranquil chirping for so many massive buses.

Another 20 minutes I get to work. The email version of Cara says she did it in 35 minutes, I took well over an hour. She is possibly smarter than me.

In 5 minutes I'm going home, swallowing so many prides and stubborn 'I'll be Right's and riding with my beautiful girlfriend along the path she nominates.