Are two wheels better than two legs?

The truth be known, I was against it – not just against it but AGIN it.

The thought of riding a bicycle again on a regular basis brought me no joy. I walked most mornings for exercise. I worked in the yard. I’m in more or less shape (though I could stand to shed 20 or so pounds).

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the Moore household recently acquired some new bicycles. Kathy already had one. Two more arrived from the son- and daughter-in-law. A couple of weeks ago I wrote about that first encounter. Even though it had been 20-plus years, apparently you never forget how to ride a bike. And for guys, apparently you never forget how to work on one either.

After the initial two-wheeled journey, there were a couple of outings in the neighborhood. But when the grandsons visited, there were four people and just three bikes (two of which were girls’ bikes). But before long, another bike found its way into the garage, along with a new back rim for the older grandson’s vehicle. It has suffered some sort of mysterious, undescribed malady that left the rim bent, spokes loosened and the tire’s bead compromised. But that’s another story.

With the boys staying and a bicycle for everyone, it was hard to avoid the inevitable – the group ride across the street in the bigger neighborhood with long rolling hills. The biggest hurdle was the hill getting out of our neighborhood. Riding in a car, you don’t realize how long and steep it is. Then there was the matter of crossing a very busy three-lane thoroughfare. Kathy had a bit of a hiccup there, but we all made it across safely.

We pedaled our way around. I have to admit it was pleasant. We went after supper, so the sun was already behind the trees. There was a mostly cool breeze blowing on your face as you rode along. It was mostly relaxing. There was a little angst trying to make sure the boys didn’t get too far ahead or behind or run over each other or pull out in front of cars.

After a leisurely 30 minutes or so, we head back home before old tired legs gave out. Sitting at the house, I wondered how far we had gone. I drove the same route the next day and came up with 3.8 miles. Not bad for the first extended two-wheel trip in two decades.

The burning question of how far each trip covered was solved with a Smartphone app that not only tells you the elapsed time and distance traveled, it also gives average speed, current speed, maximum speed, pace, estimated calories burned and produces a map to show where you’ve been. Not bad for a free download.

The next night, the four of us set out and covered almost 5 miles, with a couple of big hills along the way. But with teenage boys, it was not riding at a steady pace. There was a lot of speeding up and slowing down.

When Kathy and I set out for a more leisurely adult pace a few nights later, the lessons from the first two rides went remembered. We avoided the long, steep hill on the south end of the subdivision. Where there was a steep hill traveling counterclockwise around a route, we opted to go clockwise. We covered 3.5 miles and surprisingly, the average speed was a few ticks faster without the boys.

Biking uses different muscles than walking. The first night we were more or less OK. After the second night, my thighs were real tight. On the third trip, both Kathy and my thighs were burning at times as we scooted along.

But that will subside the more we ride. And truth be known, I am actually looking forward to riding more.