Wonder who’s looking at you when you’re biking? {Santiago, Chile}

I’ve already mastered the art of “Dressing like a Chilean” (which actually requires a whole post of its own) but dressing like biker is a whole different arena altogether.

While it’s normal to see some cyclists totally Lance Armstrong it, which by no way I mean they pop some before heading out, but hurrying away in their pro bike kits like they’re late for Tour de France, even the humble ones are seen in nothing less than chic biking gear.

Me? I just grab whatever I can and make it work.

Summer is easy, shorts and T shirt. But winter is when you require some fashion sense and some spending money.

At 10 degrees, you don’t require warm clothes since your body warms up within minutes of riding the bike. You *do* need something to cover yourself up though: windcheater, muffler & skull cap. I didn’t have any of these things.

I did have a pair of track pants (that my husband went “eeeek!” just looking at it. Huh. Maybe he’s right. It is *probably* meant for sleeping, not biking) 

I raided my husbands wardrobe and borrowed his windcheater, skull cap, and muffler to wear with sleeping/maybe-for-biking-track-pants and plain sneakers. It’s not just that the wind cheater looked a giant puffy red balloon enveloping me, every piece of clothing was utterly mismatched. 

To make things look worse, I put on a bike helmet on top of the skull cap.

I mean who cares, right? When you’re cycling, it’s just you and your bike. Who knows you? Who cares about what you wear? Who’s even looking at you, for God’s sake!

Less is more! You don’t need to succumb to consumerism and buy stuff for the heck of it!!

I stepped out of my house happily. It was a sunny day in this winter morning and I even carried my camera in a backpack, tucked in the basket on the front. 

I was riding on the sidewalk towards the bike lane and I wanted to take a quick turn before the pedestrian lights went red. 

But *as soon as* I took the turn, the lights turned red. 

So I *slammed* the brakes.

And the bike came to a sudden stop.

But I didn’t!

I went fell flying on the road somewhere near the poor bike, in front of the cars, that were thankfully still stationery.

While I picked myself & the bike up and dragged it back to the sidewalk and I heard a man say “todo bein?” He was a juggler who entertained for money at the traffic light. “all okay?” 

The first thought in my head was “Dammit! Serves me right! Should’ve loosened the damn brakes months ago!”

The second thought in my head was “Thank god the camera's safe!"

And the third thought was:

“Oh. My. God. *EVERYONE* saw me!! Wearing this Jesse-Pinkman-wannabe catastrophe!!”

The juggler asked loudly “Where are you from?” 

“India”

and I could literally picture him clapping loudly saying 

“Give it up for …The idiot from India!!”

FINE. I give up. I shall haul my behind to the mall this weekend. And buy me some sorta-chic sportswear. 

Sometimes less is *not* more. It’s *WAY TOO MUCH!*

(& if you’re wondering, the only physical injury was getting my knee scraped. Wasn’t too painful. Huh, wonder why my 4 year old cries every time he gets a scratch) 

Read More: Family that bikes together...travels together 

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