And when You will get on your bike?

by Ewcyna
Maciek rok 2020

You are thinking – I do not have with whom to go. You are thinking – it's too far and too hard. And how it's so without arranging your accommodation earlier?? I will be attacked and what maybe even robbed. or raped, beaten. In general it certainly will not make it!

Maybe it will really be to hard and you will not make it. You don't need to do it – there is no such obligation! But if you want to and you think bike is “cool” - my bike, and . experiment. Najprawdopodobniej też masz dwie nogi, dwie ręce, zdrowy kręgosłup i nawet się nie zastanawiasz, jakie to szczęście. Read, how the others I know make it happen – oridinary people “but at the same time – so unique”. These just some of the people, których spotkałam na swojej drodze.

Rustic. Bike and not only wanderer from northern Poland. Poznaliśmy się w 2005 year, when I guided bike group in Masuria lakes. Almost every day someone new was coming adn deaparting since that is the trips formula of the association. Maciek enrolled for the route from Ketrzyn and was to join the next day.

– Are you in charge here? kobieta i mężczyzna w średnim wieku, Maciek's parents as they turned out to be, przyszli porozmawiać. You know, Maciek is handicapped. he does not have both arms and one leg, he has protheses. He just came up with a crazy idea, that he will join you, but we do not know whether you can handle to be with a group of "normal" bikers.. He cycles on a special horizontal bike.

Bardziej zaskoczona czy przerażona…? I do not know how to determine my feelings. On the one hand, there is the thought, that yes, no problem – let him join the group, he can go slower, Nobody here does not dictate the pace of cycling, that is the rule, but then the second thought comes .... wait, wait, how about such a trivial matter as the daily toilet, eating. how does it look like? The areas go beyond the boundaries of intimacy, that most of us are not even considering special, and after all, we use hands without much thinking. How much help he might need, and what will the others say, Will he be welcomed well. maybe someone will not be happy with it? I cannot predict and influence others' reactions.

Fortunately nothing like this happened and Maciek joined our group yet on several occasions. He is handling his things well and rarely asks for help and others help him willingly. And like others he got a reprimand when needed ;). Now for several years I am watching as Maciek travels alone. Oh sorry – sometimes with a dog, sometimes with another cyclist, but most often solo! And when I hear, how I am brave and courageous riding alone it reminds me of Maciek – in Ukraine, in the mountains, lakes, here and there. With a backpack and tent attached to his bike. And I sware, what a big courage it must be, to leave your house, get on your bike, get it somehow to the train (how to do it?) or a bus. withstand all these people looking at you, answer to dozens of questions, but just to go somewhere. Interview with Maciek was published the bike magazine Rowertour, You can read it here.

Spotkaliśmy się w ubiegłym tygodniu po latach, Maciek ma się dobrze i ma lepszy rower.

Eluśka. Like me, you can qualify here as bike madman (madwomen?), thave to get on two wheels , otherwise she would die. Two years ago she had to stop, for good – she underwent surgery of her spine. Her body filled in with a few screws now and she barely could stand a summer season without cycling, but the next year already she took loan and purchased an electric bike, and flew with it to Georgia (editwtedy jeszcze można było przewozić baterię do rowerów elektrycznych w samolocie). And this year to Kyrgyzstan and back to Georgia. Alone. Just to cycle, meet people and talk with. Simply.

– Well, when the distance was big and I knew, I will not make it I used to rent a car, that would get me and my bike somewhere further, or uphill. There have alwyas been someone, to help. There was no problem.

Tom. His loud laughter pierce above all others I;ve known and is absolutely contagious. I will always associate it with roads in Lithuania and Latvia, that we cycled together a couple of years ago in the larger group. His laughter I was even planning to record as a ringtone for my mobile. Even then, due to a mysterious disease, that attacked his muscles it was not easy for him , but still it was better to cycle than to walk. Teraz już prawie nie chodzi. I also remember the trip in Crimea, Ukraine, When I was dying from heat pushing my bike uphill, there was a car that passed me and I saw a bicycle sticking out or it. Ewaaaaaa, heeeeej! I heard the voice of Tom – obviously he found a way to overcome the obstacles. Now he is stil cycling in Poland and Europe, could've been a little slower, and with a little help of his friends , but he is traveling by bike. And infects other with his laughter. Tom (i Mira), you are super, keep it like this!

Hania is my most recent "discovery". Just as Ela she has serious back problems. She has alrady cycled before on short trips around home , but this year she bought the whole camping equipment, I even advised her a little. She said, It's high time and she should have done it long time before, and in the summer she packed her bags, attached her tent and sleeping bag on the rack, and departed for two weeks to cycle the Polish Baltic sea coast. All by herself surely.

– I've noticed, that I always take backroads with the bike, Usually through the sand and then I have to push it and it is a little hard then. And I liked wild camp much more than those crowded and loud campsites. Six times as I slept like this. It was hot and there was problem with washing, but it was great to put my tent in the woods . I only have to improve washing logistics a little.

It took me many years, before I dared to put my tent in the wild being alone and Hania apparently has innate talent to do it!

One is would call it courage, another lack of imagination and responsibility. Or maybe it's the passion? Call it as you like. Such people like Maciek, Elka, Hania, Tom inspire me and prove, you can do it if you like.

If you know such oridinary-unique personalities share their story!

Best greetings to those I know, and those I don't, and. I am not able to menion all of them . See you on the roads!

ps. Photo comes from Maciek's archive

You may also like

5 comments

Maryla 26 September 2015 - 20:49

I greet all the ordinary – unusual!. I do not know just Hani… great Eve, that wrote about them. I would add to that composition Simon even a bike without gears, which for reasons other than health, traverses the Polish and the only road, often very mountainous. Minimalism brought to perfection, but as you want, this can be.
Ewa, wide road south!

Reply
Stanislaw S. 27 September 2015 - 21:12

….Maryla , well , you mentioned that the character SZYMON ….bike without gears and to this compilation and on such further travels the country .. ,,,,. I met him in 2005 In the PROM , when we were traveling across the Vistula River from Świbno to Mikoszewo. When I saw his “bike” I thought , that go with 3 stages and finishes….and he that ” tricycle ‘ He is going from Gdansk to Lviv….from time to time I receive from Simon SMS , where is , where was , what he saw….greetings for Eve , Maryla and all , where ” Make” two wheels…

Reply
Ludmila 28 September 2015 - 22:08

Ewa, I love your posts, all! This, however, is for me an absolute “the best” !!
Here I greet Matthias, ktorego mialam mozliwosc poznac osobiscie na jednej z wypraw i reszte zwyczajnych-niezwyczajnych rowerzystow pozdrawiam tez 😀

It is thanks to such people, which he describes Eve first man appreciates what has, a po drugie osoby takie, the best mid life “motivators” . Motivators for everything. Because you can, the worth, the thighs and that should fulfill your dreams!

Pozdrawiam wszystkich cyklistow i nie cyklistow tez 😀

p.s.
Ewa, I know, with busy you are, but please kindly translating the beautiful what you wrote into English. I would like that my English speakers could this also read.

Reply
Ewcyna 29 September 2015 - 10:13

All in the name of unusual thank you.
Ludmila, thank you. Fasting is translated, the, that something strange is happening with punctuation, but when you switch in the top right corner of the English version in this language

Reply
Tom 11 October 2015 - 16:11

Tom,:)
Eve thanks for the note about my laughter:) and information about Maciek,GUEST amazing:)
reading his relationship bold(I am yelling from a certain section)I remember perfectly the driveway and the courtesy of Ukrainians who took to bagazowki 2 women and man with bicycles .the place was so little ,from 1 (slownie each) bike had to protrude a toy car:)śmialismy they potem (I certainly louder)with this bike at “wystwal”had “well”because the rush of air as he launched a counter is slain kilometers and this evening after highlight how much who is on the meter(have less eeeee)
I greet YOU EVE and all that riding and those what I think on this also

Reply

Leave a Reply