The Time Machine on Two Wheels

I'd smile, but I might get a bug stuck between my teeth.

That was my thought as I coasted downhill on my hybrid bicycle. There was a feeling of freedom as the stiff breeze created by pedal-motion provided relief to the heat of the day.

I was on a two-wheeled time machine. I felt like I was nine again, riding the 5-speed bike I won in a cereal box contest.

I lived on a quiet residential street that had a horseshoe-shaped curve at the end. The bend was close to a river bank and took a deep plunge right at the U. When I rode my bike, I could coast down that steep drop and have enough speed leftover to coast up the hill on the other side. I would repeat that circle, that ride, over and over and over again.

No roller coaster has ever matched that sensation. Sometimes, I'd dare to ride the downhill part with no hands.

Thanks to the City of McDonough's Wellness Program, I feel like a kid again. The month of June has been devoted to bicycle rides through the city. They continue each Tuesday in June at 6:30pm and last about an hour. The ride starts and ends in the parking lot of the First Baptist Church on Macon Street.

The rides are at a brisk pace, but there are at least three stops built in the course. I have arthritis and several other health issues and could keep up fairly well. Even a few little kids, joined in with their parents.

The first week, Mayor Billy Copeland gave mini-history lessons at each stop. I've lived in the city's historic district for ten years and learned a few things I didn't know.

When I first read about the Wellness Program, I was a little puzzled. Walking in April, yoga in May, cycling in June and tennis in July. Why is the City of McDonough concerned with my health and well-being? Then I realized the brilliance of the idea. If the citizens of McDonough can get moving and get healthier, our area will be even more attractive to businesses thinking about moving into the area.

The city won't get any tax revenue from my bike ride, but they can from businesses and families who move here because they like the idea of my bike ride. A healthier work force means fewer absences and lower medical insurance costs, especially for big companies that are self-insured.

Now my head is hurting because I'm trying to think like a politician. I'll stop now.

More activities will be planned in August and September and I'm looking forward to finding out what they are. And according to the city's web site, the walks are continuing by popular demand. They start every Tuesday morning at 6:30am at Jonesboro and Atlanta Streets and if I can pry my eyes open in time, I might join them.

I did a few yoga sessions too at the Hazlehurst House. Lovely. I want to say here and now I want the bike rides to continue by popular demand. If you like them too, speak up!

My exercise forays in the city of McDonough haven't always been so pleasant. I was struck by a van while using a crosswalk on Zack Hinton Parkway and Turner Street in 2006. I was just using my two feet as transportation that day. The top of my right tibia was crushed in like a pothole. Surgery, plate, screws, pain, physical therapy. Ouch.

I used to run with abandon through the streets of McDonough. You might have even seen a blond lady with a ponytail running with two golden retrievers throughout the city. That's me. Or that was me. I haven't run lately and only one of the goldens is still alive. And now I usually confine my outdoor exercise to one block around my house.

But on the last two Tuesdays, I was set free again. I felt safe. Tim from Epic Bikes checked out my long-parked bike to make sure it was still roadworthy. McDonough police (including Chief Dorsey) were on hand to lead the ride, direct traffic and make the route for the riders safe. At the halfway point, the McDonough fire department greeted us with a cooler filled with chilled bottles of water--from Moye's. Everyone was rolling out the red carpet, so to speak.

High gas prices and concerns about safety halted my solo rides on the Arabia Mountain trail near Stonecrest Mall. It is wonderful to be able to ride again, close to home, in a group of about three dozen, and totally without fear.

Both weeks, we rode past the spot where I was hit three years ago and lay on the roadway, writhing in pain.

I didn't even think about it as I pedaled by. I was having too much fun.