Bike Riding In Jamaica
Bike riding was the last thing on my mind as I swigged my beer and looked out to sea. But it turned out to be more interesting than I had expected.
Jamaica is a beautiful island with welcoming people and lots of things to do. One of which is relaxing on the beach, or by the pool, with a bottle of Red Stripe watching the waves roll in. This was my idea of a relaxing time in Jamaica, but the rest of my party had other ideas. Flyers had appeared in our hotel fairly early on that advertised the existence of a bike riding excursion. A happy looking chap, complete with visor and helmet, was rocketing down a huge hill having the time of his life. It intrigued me as I wandered back to the bar and ordered another premium lager.
A few days later we were booked, the hire of the bike and 'safety' equipment was all part of the package, I simply had to turn up and get on the thing. The morning of the ride was an absolute scorcher. To be fair, the weather in Jamaica is not as inhospitable as I had previously imagined. There can be quite a breeze to cool you off and the air isn't particularly humid towards the latter part of the year. But still, I was slightly concerned that this might affect my performance on the bike, one of the many factors that could contribute to me collapsing in a heap after around five minutes.
I can ride a bike as well as the next person and felt fairly comfortable as the group progressed up through the forest to a peak overlooking the bay of Ochos Rios. Some members of the team were already flailing and despite constant encouragement from the guides, a few people decided to turn around and head back. Suddenly my enthusiasm began to grow. "Where are you going you fools," one chap exclaimed. I wondered if he knew he'd said that out loud, but such was the feeling in the group that many simply nodded and ploughed onwards.
When we reached the top of the hill I was extremely glad that I taken part. This, after all, was the fun bit. And the view from the top was simply magnificent. It reminded me of some deserted island novel, where the hero marches to the top of the edifice and only sees the crashing waves around him. It had been fun so far and the guide began to talk us through our descent. "Try to maintain your speed," he commented, "don't brake too much". I guessed if you did brake a tad heavy, you'd turn the bike over and journey down the hill in a rather compromising position. I took his advice on board and was ready to go.
Never have I had so much fun on some form of vehicle in my life. I swear some people disappeared down completely different routes, so may have even toppled off the cliff. Who knows? I sped down the hill at an improbable speed, missing trees by an instant, but slamming into some pretty gigantic holes. It turns out the bike was kitted out with some kind of modern suspension system. It coped very well with the bumps and divots and I arrived safely at the meeting point with only sore legs and the odd scratch from a low level thistle.
The next day I was back on the beach, beer in hand, resting my legs in the sea. My body regretted the days ride more than it had done, but I felt good. Exercise on holiday is something many people forget, including me. But I never realised it could form such a significant part of a trip. Bike riding in Jamaica went against the rules and it must be the only activity on the island that isn't in reverse gear.
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