For my first lesson I met my coach at a parking lot. Eva made me do some basic tasks like standing up while riding or cycling arches marked by cones, to get an idea of how comfortable I felt on a bicycle.
Preferring to ride off roads, I was happy to hear that for the upcoming lessons we would meet at the Vienna forest in Bad Voeslau, a small town south of Vienna.
I thoroughly enjoyed learning the basic technical skills such as how to brake correctly and how to ride “stop-and-go” with feet on the pedals all the time.
Cornering was a challenge, especially on terrain covered with roots.
I was lucky to find a recreational area not far from my home, where I could practice all these skills.
Progress came in small steps but continuously and after a while I thought of an idea: to give myself a present for my 70th birthday.
I wanted to ride a trail and and be able to enjoy it.
And, slightly postponed by the Covid 19 pandemic, I really did it.
Eva and I rode the Single Trail at a trail center near Vienna and shortly after that a trail at Anninger, a mountain not far from Vienna.
An American friend, who started making sculptures in her 60’s once said to me:
“I just wanted to know how far I could go”.
When I met her she was already in her 80’s.