Yippee! We got our bikes! Hazel (her bike), Mang Jak and I just couldn’t get more excited to go for a spin! FYI, before we got our decent-enough mountain bikes, Hazel rode a blue folding bike, while I ride an ordinary “mountain” bike (which doesn’t really pass as one; but clueless people think it was just because it wasn’t bmx, folding bike or even the Japan-type with matching basket).
You see, I live in Imus, Cavite. And here, the sun shines wild! So if you dare to start late and ride slow, the chance of you getting barbecued is really, really high! And yes, at that time, we were as good as pork on a stick!
Our intention was to start early, but we got hungry and just after a kilometer or two, we stopped by 7-11 to eat. Then we headed out the street only to find ourselves exhausted after 3 kilometers, so we stopped by a coffee shop to freshen up and rest.
After an hour, we headed out again and tried riding to The District Cavite (at the corner of Daang Hari). Things got a little exhausting again… we ended up grabbing another cup of coffee since we weren’t really used to the long ride (funny how that sounds, coz it was just about 5 kilometers or so, yet we felt like we rode 50). Another funny thing about it is that we actually got coffee, instead of hydrating; we even dared to drink coffee!
Not only that, we even got tempted to stroll around the mall for a while (which did not really lasted a while). And before we knew it, it was already about 11:30am! Just the time, Mr. Sun is way up high and because it’s his season, his strength was uncanny. At that point, we were already thinking twice of going to our supposed destination. It was hot; we were tired; it just wasn’t the perfect combo!
But thinking about our day, and how we didn’t really want to waste it. We decided to go for it! And boy, was that one of the craziest ideas we ever made! It felt like I was riding through a desert. I can see steam coming out from the ground, vibrating into the sky! As I pedaled and forced my leg one after another through an interchanging ascend and descend terrain, I really felt like I was lost in the Sahara!
By the time we reached the Molino intersection, biking felt more like a punishment than a fun and leisure activity. But then, we got there alive… barely… but alive. There was no turning back, so after a few minutes of rest and plenty of water, we rode our bikes again.
Poor Mang Jak, I could almost feel his pain as he painfully rolled his tires on the hell-ish ground. But it was not the moment to back out… we pushed ourselves more! There were times that the pain on my thighs got so bad, that I had to dismount and walk my way up a hill. The descend was fine though, I enjoyed feeling the somehow colder air on my face, but since the road towards Evia City had more “ups” than “downs”, hot and moist air usually kissed my face.
Finally, after all that pain and lots of panting (I almost looked like a dog), we arrived our destination! I know it’s a piece of cake for most bikers, but for us it was our pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. We managed to survive the heat and the hills; it was now time to reward ourselves. So, at this point, most regular bikers would decide to re-energize with a bowl of “lugaw” (porridge). But we weren’t really regulars, so we stormed our way to Mcdonald’s and ate like a lunatic! We got fries, spaghetti, chicken and plenty of soda! Whoa! In a span of few minutes (or seconds), everything was gone! We were slouching and rubbing our tummies with a foolish smile on our faces! Yes, we finally reached our destination: Mcdonald’s!
We stayed there for a few hours, till we felt the sun had already calmed down. The ride back home was easier because it had more “downs”. And since we weren’t really much under pressure since we were already heading home, we slowed down to appreciate the surroundings. Riding along Daang Hari is always a pleasure; there are plenty of greens, some barn animals like goats, cows and yes, carabaos too. There were also horses every now and then; the view is a reward itself. It makes me appreciate moving to Cavite, rather than staying in the congested Manila.
Just before the sun goes down to rest, we reach home with Hazel (her bike), Mang Jak and I in one piece. A day ended nicely, as we parked our bikes in and finally took off our helmets. We were done for our very first long “short ride”: 32 kilometers, for the record!
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