It seemed like just yesterday when I bumped into good friend Mohssen (Mo) Rastegar while riding on my e-bike on my way to the Los Gatos Creek Trails. He waved, and after passing the main intersection, he followed behind me in his car and we both pulled into an empty parking lot to greet each other. In pre-pandemic times, we would hug one another. Mo likes to refer to me as Dr. Augustine Jaan or Dennis Jaan, which is the Persian word for “soul" or a diminutive suffix attached to given names, in this case, it means “my dear,” as in my dear friend. Mo had been inspired by my blog posts about all my biking adventures and had some questions. I was happy to oblige and pass on the joys of e-biking as it had been passed on to me by my other friends James Hunter and Bill Rothenberg. Mo is a successful real estate broker who together with his lovely wife Simin had helped Cecile and me downside from our Saratoga home to our current and more modest townhome almost five years ago.
Responding to one of my more recent Facebook posts, he told me he had purchased an Ebike about two months ago and said he would love to get together for a ride sometime. We made it happen two days later. We met at the front entrance of the gated community where Cecile and I live. We rode through Friendship Park on our way to Starbucks for iced coffee and got caught up on family and our lives in general since the pandemic began. There were our bikes standing side-by-side. My black Sondors and his white Lectric XP, both foldable with the about a 50 V battery and a 500 W motor offering extreme torque, towing capacity, and hill-climbing power. Both e-bikes also have seven gear shifts and fat tires.
Bike sales have skyrocketed during the coronavirus lockdown and that especially includes e-bikes which contrary to the common myth that they are just like scooters or mopeds, are actually pedal-assist, which means they use a small electric motor to boost the power created by your own pedaling. Bikes remove the everyday barriers that stop people from cycling, like feeling out of shape, the dread of a steep climb, or feeling tired after a long day.
There are few things that bring people together and rekindle friendships quite like riding a bike. The serenity of nature, the rush of endorphins riding down a hill, having fun, staying fit, and feeling like a kid again are all welcomed add-ons.
When Mo and I rode, I shared some shortcuts through town where there was little to no car traffic, up and down the hills in our local community, and along the Los Gatos Creek Trails.
Here are some photos of our ride together, including a regal Grey Heron I spotted wading in the creek waterfall stalking its prey for food below the pedestrian/biking bridge we were on. There was also green and red algae covering the large expanse of water on the Los Gatos Creek Trails on the way home. We were both shocked that three hours had passed by, a reminder of the saying, “Time flies when you’re having fun."
