Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Brave good man

Cycling has just officially been made my hobby. I enlisted in the local bikers club and got my ID over the weekend. The card says it entitles me to all the benefits and privileges pertaining thereto, I don't know what. I guess it entitles me to their company and nothing more. I'm all right with that.

That Sunday we made a push to the bay area in Manila and about 15 of us rode in some sort of a convoy. They were clad in full cycling regalia, as you might say, and the dominant color was yellow and the pack was some sight to look at. At least if one was to take a passing glance at them.

I was wearing a shirt, sandals, and basketball shorts. I couldn't allow myself to wear a pair of cycling shorts, and probably I wouldn't wear it for the life of me. A tall, hefty, brown-faced man had one on him and it wasn't nice to look at. He was a very brave man.

We reached the bay and made a stop at the lightly wooded area near the Mall of Asia. Others met up with some biker or another, who were also from Makati I supposed, and then went on to look around at the cluster of itinerant cycling apparel vendors.

Five of us headed to round the bay area. The others bunched up and took to laughing and talking. In a minute I fell back from the pack and was exerting myself to keep up with them. Then I fell in a motley group composed of a wide variety of bikes make and I pushed even harder. They were trailing the field probably.

I sat down on the brick pavement, rinsed my mouth, and had a smoke. There were fewer people at the taebo session in that part of the bay area than last week, and fewer bikers, too. The Lent had started to drive people off to their provinces.

The brave man was standing with his back on me, fortunately, and looking at the bike whose owner was installing a new set of pedals. The pedals wouldn't fit. The brave man took the pedals and saw if they would fit on my bike, but the wittiest rejoinder I could come up with was just a smile.

That was a start and afterwards I got to know some names. Aside from being brave he was a good man.



***


Speaking of the really brave men, those that the world can't break, it kills. The death of Filipino boxer Angelito Sisnorio shows just that. The farm boy from Kidapawan died the night after his 11th fight, where he was criminally overmatched to a Thai boxer called Chatchai Sasakul. Reports said Sisnorio left for Thailand to fight even without acquiring a clearance from the sport's Philippine governing body. He died of bleeding in the brain and, his mother Consuelo said, for his family's future. He was 24. Read story

No comments: