Contrary to popular wisdom that riding a bicycle is something that one never forgets how to do, 58-year-old Puck Fleming of Nashville, Tennessee, was midway through a quick jaunt to a nearby market when the recollection of how to ride a bicycle suddenly and utterly left him, sending him tumbling to the ground, his bike on top of him.
"What happened," explained Puck, "was I lost track of precisely what to do with my legs in order to maintain my forward momentum. I knew pedaling was somehow involved, but I couldn't remember if it was supposed to be forward, backward, or was it counter-clockwise?" He shook his head shamefacedly. “Man, I felt like such a loser.”
And things only got worse from there. After picking himself up, dusting himself off, and righting the bike, Puck, for the life of him, couldn’t recall the proper etiquette as to what to do after a fall.
“I kept telling myself, get right back on, get right back on,” he said. "But then I remembered that’s what you’re supposed to do after being thrown from a horse. I had know idea if the same rule applied to falling off a bike." He sighed darkly. "And honestly, at that point, I wasn't going to take any more chances.”
Playing it safe, Puck walked his bike the remaining several blocks to the market, where he grabbed a bite to eat from the hot food bar. He then set about walking himself and his bike back home.
But even then, says Puck, it wasn't smooth sailing. Struggling to carry his takeout container in one hand while navigating the bicycle with the other, he dropped his set of plastic cutlery, sending the utensils sprawling across the roadway. He quickly retrieved his spoon and knife, but hesitated as he went to reach for the fork.
"I knew there are all kinds of special rules regarding forks in the road," noted Puck. Then, to his relief, he recalled a nugget of wisdom from legendary Yogi Berra, who purportedly said, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."
"Finally, a piece of advice that I could put to practical use!” said Puck. He picked up the fork and successfully made it the rest of the way home - bike, food, and all.
His bike-riding amnesia was hardly how he’d hoped to close out 2018, acknowledged Puck. Nevertheless, he says that his successful handling of the fork in the road imbued him with a newfound confidence. Despite the old mantra that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, Puck is determined to re-learn how to ride a bike in the coming year.
“I've had it with those old wives' tales," said Puck vehemently. "You just watch this old dog. I'll be crossing bridges in no time - when I come to them, that is." He chuckled wickedly and added, "Either that or burning them. Anyone's guess!"
