I Am In Love With Electra

In the spring of 2017 I was having some circulatory issues that interfered with riding a bike. I could not handle head winds or hills, two salient features of our locale. I bought an e-assist bike and named it Electra, a risky move if you are a Freudian but I am not. I considered calling her Electricity but up against popular names such as Chastity and Felicity I felt she didn't stand a chance so, aware of the risky implications, I went for Electra. After all it was my bike not my daughter.

In any event I went from a 180 kilometre year to a 1300 kilometre year and was a happy guy. Subsequently a team of amazing surgeons at Hamilton General Hospital took care of the circulation problem and made me an even happier guy.

This said, I am not giving Electra back. I love her, certainly not as much as my real daughter Eva, but I love her all the same. It has been a bit cool and a bit windy here for the past few weeks. Only in the past two days have I felt I could bundle up and brave the elements. I have done this and on each occasion Electra has come through like one could only hope a good daughter would.

It seems that regardless of where I ride I will end my trip with a challenge. If it isn't the need to climb the Niagara Escarpment, ( I live on top), it will be a nasty head wind for the last 10 to 15 kilometres. The joy of an e-assist bike is that in the face of those challenges you can just draw on a little more battery support. You still work but it isn't ugly. I think of Electra as taking care of the downside of any possible ride except for rain and there is gear for that.

How nice is that!!!