Trouble on the double!

Friends always show their love. What are relatives for if not to share trouble?
Proverbs 17:17


23 November 2009. Learn it. Love it. Got it?

After sleeping through what can only be described as a firey furness, I was admittedly more than thrilled to wake up to overcast skies and a crisp breeze. Perfect weather for a ride. But today wasn't going to be an ordinary ride. Oh no. I had company. Special company. Constable company.

After liasing via text message the night before, it was agreed between Sophie (sorry Stacey was it?) and I that we would rendevous at my place at 11am and head towards our sacred destination of Bicentennial Park.

Much to my delight, when 11am arrived, I greeted my impressively dressed friend. Leggings with black shorts on top to ensure extra padding around the rumpal region, as instructed. After a few giggles, and a bathroom visit, we were off. Or so we thought.

Surely, it would have been nice to smoothly exit my house, deep within the Hills District, to head out to Homebush Bay. However, always ready to complicate things, Sophie and I spent about 5 minutes trying to work out how to get to the bike park in Homebush Bay (this is despite the fact that I have been there already). Sophie's sanity finally prevailed when she reminded me that we had been to Olympic Park nearly every week for a month to watch the football. It took a further 5 minutes to get into the car as we discussed a potentially serious petrol situation, and also debated who would follow who to our destination. I stand firm by my belief that it was the wrong decision to have elect me to lead.

After taking the scenic route around Sydney Olympic Park, back out onto Parramatta Road, then back in to Sydney Olympic Park for a second scenic route, we finally (ahem) found our way to the bike park.

Determined to impress my oldest friend with my cycling prowess and skill, I attempted quite possibly, the most abysmal extraction of GiGi out of my boot. After muttering an embarrassed, "I honestly can do this, I put it in and out everyday", Sophie subtly and gracefully suggested that a rogue pedal was the cause of obstruction, thus enabling an allbeit, unsightly, but successful exit of Gigi out of my boot.

With nervous anticipation, Sophie and I headed towards the bike hire shop. As usual, a further argument ensued over who was going to pay for Sophie's trusty steed. After employing a manouvre that only women of ethnic blood possess, I somehow managed to make Sophie's $20 note disappear back into her wallet, while swiping my keycard into the EftPos machine.

Biked and helmeted, it was decided it would be a good idea to give Sophie a quick instructional lesson on how her newly acquired hybrid worked. There are two unfortunate variables in this moment. 1 - I was the teacher; 2 - Sophie was the student. Now, this is not to criticise my abilities as a teacher, nor does it discredit Sophie's ability to absorb and appropriate information. It does however clearly demonstrate, that for some unusual reason, most likely scientific, when Sophie and I are put together, odd things tend to happen.

This was not helped by the fact that apart from pedaling, I have no idea about any feature on a bike. However, I did not feel it necessary to highlight this fact to Sophie.

The following conversation ensued:

Me: ok let me show you how to use the gears

Sophie: copy that

Me: ok so you see these circles with teeth, there's three, that's your crankset and each crankset has 8 gears in it and you have three cranksets, so that means thats there's 8 gears in each of the cranksets and you move from gear to crankset to gear lower for going up hills and higher to go down hills.

Sophie: ok so where's my cranksie.......

*silence*

At this point I thought it was best that Sophie just remain in one gear and just made sure she knew how to use her brakes. We took a practice ride around the children's play area. A few wobbles and balance adjustments later, Sophie was raring through the bike tracks of Bicentennial Park. Apart from her long flowing hair and the fact she doesnt have testicles, you would have been forgiven for thinking she was Lance Armstrong.

I learnt early on in the peice however, that Sophie has two weaknesses. One is called people, two is called poles. However not to be deterred, her fighting spirit prevailed, and by the end of our 15km marathon effort, she was weaving in and out of her dreaded obstacles without a care in the world.

Interestingly, we found ourselves at one point, at Ikea in Rhodes. Neither of us are sure of how we got there, in fact I am convinced we may have entered into a time space continuum which transports people from bike tracks to Ikea. Very clever ploy there Mr Ikea, very clever.

Our ride was complete, we headed back to the bike shop, returned Sophie's new friend and ambled back to our cars with smiles on our faces, and bruises on our bums.

To my friend, it was an absolute joy to ride with you.