Mountain Bike Ride

by Rohan Buettel

One foot on a pedal, I push off to start,
swing the other leg over the bike and start

to pump the legs, gathering speed, adjusting 
the gear to the terrain, low at the start,

as we begin to climb the bike path to the Arboretum,
stopped by traffic crossing the Parkway exit, then start

into the green, leaving the sealed path
for the dirt single track and start

to ascend the hillside to the birch forest
where the ride begins to flow as we start

winding down through the trees, gathering pace
as we cross into open ground and start

following the contour across the eastern face
of the facility, faster now and I start

when the front wheel slips on a loose rock,
body throwing itself sideways to start

to counteract the unexpected movement,
adjust to the slide. My feet start

to spin faster downhill, using a higher gear,
faster and faster until we start

to reach the jumps, the wheels finding air,
dual suspension cushioning the shocks, the start

of a morning’s joy with excitement for the rider
of high-speed trails, for this is just the start.

Author's Bio

Rohan Buettel lives in Canberra. His haiku appear in various Australian and international journals (including Presence, Cattails,and The Heron’s Nest). His longer poems appear in numerous journals including The Goodlife Review, Rappahannock Review, Penumbra Literary and Art Journal, Passengers Journal, Reed Magazine, Meanjin, Meniscus,andQuadrant. He convenes Tram Stop Poets, a poetry workshop group in Canberra, rides a mountain bike, paddles a kayak, and sings in a choir.