Bike Me

"Four wheels move the body. Two wheels move the soul."

I've always wanted to write an entry about riding a superbike and today I learned (again) a valuable lesson.
I am currently in Dubai on holiday. When I used to live here and owned my own bike, we used to go on regular bikeruns (riding in a group with fellow bikers to a specific destination and have breakfast/lunch together) We reunited today and aimed for Hatta Fort Hotel, a gorgeous oasis surrounded by the Hatta mountains. It was a different ride. Little sandstorms greeted us everywhere and I wondered if going slow or going really fast was better. I was afraid. Fear is no state in which a biker should find him/herself. While going down a highway at 200kph, I think how insane it must be if one of the wheels had to burst, or the chain came off, or someone changes lane without seeing me, or, or, or... And when I get over this feeling, I go a bit faster and rather enjoy the ride. There is a saying that: "only a biker knows why a dog likes to stick his head of out the window' :) There is something absolutely mindblowing about feeling the wind at that kind of speed on your bare body, knowing you are in the open, fragile and then you go a little faster. The road to Hatta is full of twisties (you know, those wide winding roads straddling the mountains) and for a moment I feel like Rossi - I look at the turn ahead of me, I look where it starts, where it ends, I estimate the angle, I change gear, I brake a little so that the weight of the bike sinks into the surface, I shift my bum and body to the side, tilt my head a little and then bam! Lean machine. What a beauty! Those bikes understand twisties. They are true iron horses! Whip it some more and see it goes.

Bikers, I believe, are better motorists. We have to know what other people are up to. We know who is behind us, what 5 cars in front of us are doing, left, right and find ourselves in constant peripheral vision. Especially on a highway like Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai, I find myself calculating space & time & energy particularly when I'm in competition with myself or another biker. In highway cases, you have to go with the flow of the traffic, right - so you analyze the speed of different lanes and then match that with the space between cars in order to overtake them, in a continuous manner. I LOVE doing this! And my favourite was when I came back from a yoga class feeling all zen and calm and sped down this highway as if I was in a video game. Yes, I'm sure you're reading this thinking, perhaps judging, how mad we are, but it's doing what I love and it's overcoming fear.

So, back at the sandstorms of today. On the way back after breakfast, I slowed down because my borrowed jacket was too big for me making me into a human kite. So I fell behind and the boys didn't wait for me (they'll usually wait at exits and round-abouts) And I took a wrong turn. At first, I was upset and blamed them, and then accepted that it would've been really unpleasant waiting for someone through a sandstorm anyway. Even though the turn said "Dubai", it was just one loooong tar road dividing the ocean of sand. It looked like an orange river flowing, and softly sandblasting my face (it managed to get into my helmet). There I was, alone, tired, lost in the desert and not one single soul or sign to get me back on track. Then I realized our options in life. There is ALWAYS an option. In my case today, I could've given up (which would've meant letting go of the bike and falling) My hands were hurting and cramping. Or I could've stopped (which would mean I stand there in the sandstorm holding up a bike without a free hand to make a call) So my choice was to look into those ripples of sand and persevere, go through it and know I will come out fine at the other side. This was not like in the movies. This was not easy. I was on that road for hours, keeping my bike up against the wind, letting sand scratch my eyeballs, letting the heat of the day drip down my back. But I talked to myself, I sang, I focused and stayed confident (even when I wanted to cry), and I remembered that sometimes we feel lost in life and that we want to give up, give in. But honey, you sometimes gotto go through the storm to see the rainbow (in my case a shower and drinking water).

The experience reminded me that I am a tawwe koekie (tough chick) and that I can achieve whatever I put my mind to (if I focus on the sandstorms, life will throw more sandstorms at me) This goes for when you ask god/the universe to teach/give you patience and it throws a big queue at the bank back at you. You might be blinded by frustration to actually see this perfect opportunity to teach you patience. The experience reminded me that we can't always be in control. All these outside factors made me look inside. I was one with my bike and one with the universe. And then I found my way back. I survived and I was thankful.

I am thankful for all the opportunities I have realized in my life. I am grateful for friends to whom I'm so different from and totally accept me the way I am and sometimes allow a friendly debate. I also thank the friends who happily have my name on their bikes and have it available to me when I visit! May these appreciations ripple through my universe and create a reciprocal gratitude effect.

Now, let me go put my high heels and lipstick on :)
Cheers


"I'd rather be riding my motorcycle thinking about God than sitting in church thinking about my motorcycle."