"No hands" stories culled from the internet
From : http://www.wending.com/2001_06_01_archive.shtml
Written by Wendy Clark
Rode the trails along the Presumpscott River tonight with Dan. Lots of stuff in bloom. Ferns as high as your shoulder. Always a great ride. Anyway, when we got back out onto the road for the few miles heading back uphill to my house, I took the opportunity to ride with no hands for a minute and rest my back. Dan made note of it, at which point I boasted that I could probably ride all the way to the top of Leighton with no hands. A dare ensued and, lo, I rode all the way home with no hands -- past Hannaford, into the left turning lane at the lights and left onto Leighton, over the highway and up the hill to Brook, a right onto Brook and then a left up into my driveway!
From : www.angelfire.com/pa/slowlikehoney/bug.html
Written by Michelle Watson
I always loved to ride bicycles, probably because by the time I learned to ride one (I was 12 years old!) I had a lot of catching up to do. But the only bikes I ever had were ones trash-picked by my dad (there is still an old orange 10 speed frame in my parents' basement today) or bought at garage sales. Yet I still loved riding them. I especially loved to ride them no-handed.
There was this loop I'd do. I'd peddle across a rather busy street (several car accidents had taken place on that same corner in the past) into the neighborhood on the other side. Then I'd start my loop. I'd start no-handed, and gather speed and momentum. There were few times I'd actually have to pedal. Around a looped street, I shoot right across that busy street back onto my side, where a downhill street wound around, defining the limit of my neighborhood. And then, a quick left hand turn in which I'd have to lean w-a-y over, still with no hands, and then down a huge hill. I didn't have a speedometer, but I think I probably hit about 20 miles and hour or so. Which is pretty fast when you're a girl riding a beat-up used bike with no hands.
I think I enjoyed riding no hands since it provided a sense of freedom, of rebellion. It was something I thought (as a little kid) dangerous, and risky, something girls �weren't� supposed to do - and anything that girls weren't supposed to do, I wanted to do just for that reason.
From : http://halleyscomment.blogspot.com/2002_06_16_halleyscomment_archive.html
Written by Halley Suitt
We girls were tough. I was the queen of LOOK MA NO HANDS and shunned the handlebars. I rode everywhere with no hands. Any biker worth their salt could steer with their hands in their jeans pockets ... I even remember the jeans ... yes, the original denim pedal pushers, tight and skinny, I had yellow ones and bricky red ones, they hung from a hook on the bedroom wall in our rented barn at the beach, all I wore all summer, with a few white girly sleeveless cotton blouses to go with. There wasn't a turn or a curve I couldn't manoeuvre with a quick shift of my hips.
I also remember my long lost friend Hilary who invited me down to Florida with her family that 8th grade year for February vacation. We dedicated the week to swapping special girl skills -- I taught her to ride handlebar-less, she taught me to pucker up and whistle. I could never get the hang of whistling until that great vacation. Hilary, did we eat enough Arby's Roast Beef sandwiches? Talk about fun.
Story 1.
It was in a little town close to the middle of France. A 16 years old brunette with dark curled hair spent a part of a summer afternoon, riding no hands around a building. She was wearing an orange tee-shirt, blue shorts and very light open sandals.
Her bicycle was a model built in the '70s or so, painted in a white colour.
I was at the 7th floor of the building, looking through the balcony. Suddenly, my attention was drawn by a someone riding a bicycle down on my left. It was her, right in the corner, and re-adjusting her direction pedaling no handed. But the corner was very thin and sharp, so rather difficult to pass no hands! She continued to ride along the street her hands on her legs, she
stopped pedaling when the street became completely flat, then she took the curved turn, obviously in total ease riding no hands. Then she disappeared behind the turn.
I had been waiting for a few minutes, and I started wondering if she would come again. Finally she arrived passing the corner no handed on a narrow way between a lawn and a streetlight. After this she had to do a sharp turn to her right while pedaling rather strongly because
right here the street made a short incline. She stretched her arms and moved them to keep her balance, until she passed the small incline, then the street was flat again, she pedaled a moment like the first time she passed, then went again the other side of the building.
She passed and re-passed like this, changing the position of her arms : Holding the saddle on her back, tidying her hair... Also changing her direction from time to time, but no need for her to stop, the large car park allowed changing direction staying no hands. Not only that, but I'm almost sure that she turned around the building and the lawns no handed for about an hour or maybe more.
Story 2.
I remember a long quiet asphalted road which was a soft incline. It was leading off another road from a college for 12 to 16 years old boys and girls. Many of them went to school by bike. I remember, when we got out of the schoolday I used to sit down and look at them riding down this long and soft slope. I was searching for girls cycling down this road No Hands!
And there were... I have good memories of this road - I saw many girls cycling along it no hands! There were many, so I remember very well those ones who had the best look or performances for my tastes.
I will tlk about the youngest one: She was very cute little 12 years old, with a very pretty face and curled soft-brown hair hanging to her shoulders. she had alerady muscled but very nice cyclist legs, under a blue light and short dress she often wore in summer. She was a "natural" no hands cyclist, because she was riding no hands as often as possible, taking turns, used to pedal fast or slow... In short she was riding no hands almost all the time... and she rode a lot, Every day!
One day I was bored walking along this street... every one seemed to have gone, But I decided to wait a little more.
The road was very quiet, like desert, and she came. after having passed a traffic signal, she started the incline no hands, very soon, then she decided to pedal a moment to go faster and faster, her arms hanging beside her. When she reached a speed where she had to pedal fast she stopped pedaing for a few seconds. The bike had a little and short - but impressing at this speed - wobble. Just after she restarted pedaling quickly and this time faster than the previous time, her arms still hanging down beside her! Then after she decided to reach the fastest speed possible, no hands, and pedaling at the same time! She continued pedaling untill the maximum speed I had ever seen, her body slighly bending over the handlebars to pedal very fast and her arms beside her a little bit streched. The bike had another impressing short and little wobble when she finally stoped pedaling! She was riding so fast now that I had difficities to see the details, but I could saw that she cycled down the whole end of the street no handed, without pedaling, and desappearing in the distance.
Story 3.
A long haired blonde on a moped.
It was in spring, and the sun had finished to rise, and the light was very pretty. Suddenly, as I was making ready to turn on my left, I saw in the distance, a long hair blonde, on an old grey moped with a nuance of turquoise colour, riding in my direction. I stopped and waited in the middle of the street... Although I had the time to pass before she arrives, I stayed in the middle of the road waiting to this splendid creature.
First she was at the other end of the long street where I was, and I didn't see well the details, but seemed to me that she was riding "No Hands". she was arriving progressively closer and closer to me, and I
soon could see that she was riding her moped with her arms crossed on her chest. I was looking at her, getting more and more interested, and she was arriving close to me. she was wearing a dark green coat, and jeans coloured in dark green too, and withe sneakers. Her hairs, very thin, were flowing in the wind, backlighted by the sun which was playing with them to make some wonderful reflects in this mass of light honey couloured hair... What a beautiful vision!
When she crossed me, still No Hands since the beginning, she looked at me with a mischievous look, and a proud little smile. I think that she had guessed that she had somewhat charmed me, it was obvious. Well, I was a quite charmed, But it was, by far, not the first girl I saw riding no hands, there were plenty at this good old times, when helmets were not an obligation whilst riding mopeds, so almost nobody wore this irritating things, and I saw many girls riding mopeds no hands.
But I must admitt that she was one of the prettiest I've seen in my life.
Then she passed me continuing the street no handed, until it's end. I realized that I was still in the middle of the street, and I had to move, fortunately it wasn't a high traffic street, a very quiet street in fact. But I would be in late at the college if I stayed here dreaming about what I've been seeing. So I moved to the college with this vision still in my head.