It’s 1962. I’m 11 years old. I have just sold my old Huffy 3-speed bike to a kid in the neighborhood for 50 bucks after detailing it to a “SPIT SHINE”. In my cycling tribe, all my buddies now have Bianchi, Peugeot or Gitane rides, but I’ve wanted a Motobécane. So I paid 180 dollars to a bike shop in New Monterey and now I must prove worthy of this gem which took 2 years of saving my paper route and allowance earnings.

Now, the ride to our destination, the Carmel Toy Shop on the corner of San Carlos and 5th is only 3.9 miles, but the narrow, sketchy roads in the Del Monte Forest and the steep, narrow streets in Carmel will challenge all my well-tested biking skills. The key section of this ride will be the “CORKSCREW” that lies just inside the Carmel Gate, a steep, twisting “S” turn that tests our bravery on the downhill and our manhood on the return climb.

So, if we make it to the store, the return trip will be even more of a “DOUBLE DOG DARE” since I will have to bring my intended purchase (a model of the Ferrari 250 Testarossa “Redhead”- my favorite car at Laguna Seca) home strapped to the small metal cage over my rear tire.

Epilogue: We made it.

Scott Downs