Our Year on WHEELS

 The year 2021 went so FAST!

Not so much on WHEELS, but in general...

Pieter did spot this 'old bike' long before I'd seen it, always zipping by too fast... So finally we captured it.

Both are GREEN deals!

The BEST thing we've done is to trade in Pieter's Male Trek bike for this: Vale Go! 9D EQ S

Pieter has been enjoying it so much!

Not bad for a 92.5 year old guy, don't you think?!

Well, I didn't go quite as far as Pieter did but I used my Vale Go! 9D EQ rather well.

For me, only 300 rides versus Pieter's 530 rides...

Pieter did 3,118.7 km over 2021, as he runs his bike for running errands to Home Depot, to Kroger, Walmart and whatever. He loves doing that!

For 2022, I would love to see me do more km as well.

Hoping to soon have all my digital work behind me, and looking forward to routine things.

For our Dutch Batavus Cambridge bikes we did not yet have the Strava app or any other app...

The Schwinn Hybrid was too risky for pushing up the many hills in our region and Pieter's heart could give out.

So, Pieter did search on his iPad Pro, for a better solution, looking for an Electra and for me as well.

Even if I did not want to go that way at first, but Pieter insisted by saying: 'Listen we always have done things TOGETHER!'...

So I was sold!

Only one trip I manually entered in 2017, for my Batavus Cambridge, when my youngest brother was here with his wife Wilma and daughter Caro, for Pieter's 88th Birthday.

While Pieter napped, all four of us rode, we still had the Batavus Cambridge and the Schwinn bikes.

~

Pieter had bought the Trek Verve +3 MALE bike but when we together once started at home and he tried to swing his 92 year old leg over the back+saddle, PLUS Pannier bag, he fell on the lawn.

It was then, that I made up my mind and when coming back from our ride, getting in touch with Edward Angus Hall from Atlanta Cycling Vinings.

He went out of his way for getting Pieter this new green one; A LOT SAFER!

Our longest ride was 58.5 km or 36 miles and we reached home just before dark, riding with our lights on for the final 5 km!

Pieter wearing his down puffer jacket and I should have worn it too, as I got rather chilly in my cotton sweatshirt with cardigan below, under the thin jacket...

Friend Engracia took this photo on her iPad, just before we left.

My eyes show bags, due to my hyperthyroidism and CKD stage... But I'm still alive! 😏

But it sure felt good having visited our widow friend and sipping some tea together and enjoying the mixed unsalted nuts and rice cake with Tamari seaweed that I'd carried inside our Pannier bag.

I'd baked almond amaretti cookies for her and she gifted us with a heavy scented candle that went back inside my Pannier bag as I did not want to make it harder for Pieter to push some real mean hills.

This one shows you the rolling area!

Engracia captured that when we left her home.

Sunny and 18℃ (64℉) and it should be 16℃ or 60.8℉ when riding back... 

But in reality it was only 11℃ or 51.8℉ when riding back around 5:00 PM and the days were short after mid November!

Proud of my Pieter for managing this!

There were some very mean and steep hills to tackle.

But on October 20, when Pieter's cardiologist had an ultrasound done to check his heart, he said his heart even had improved a bit!

Soooo, let's keep rolling our wheels together as it is good for a healthy heart and for a healthy living.

My CKD level is in stage 4 but due to me being 'muscular' it is mentioned as 3b.

Not that it ever improves but keeping my 28% function as stable as can be, I HAVE to continue!

May God grant us some more blissful days on wheels together.

Related link:

New Green Deal | my July 21st post with more info about Pieter's virgin ride...