Thursday, April 25, 2013

Oh No You're Not

Those were the words that zoomed through my head as I rode home today. I was waiting at a red light when a fellow bike rider came along side and then proceeded to run the light. I hate it when other riders do that because it cast the rest of us in a bad light. I held my tongue and when the light turned green proceeded on my way. It wasn't long before I overtook the "light running cyclist". I said nothing as I rode by.

He must not have taken too kindly to being passed because shortly thereafter he came zooming by me in his lowest gear. He was grinding the pedals and pushing for everything he was worth. I'm a bigger man than that. I'm 50 years old. I'm mature. I've seen too many things in my life to let something like an overweight teenager lull me into a battle of the bikes. NOT!!!!!!

I dropped down a gear and increased my cadence just slightly. I stayed 20 feet behind him. Pushing that kind of gear, I knew he wouldn't last long. Then I saw the signs, he started to sway side to side in the saddle, he shoulders started to slump. I knew his legs were burning and his heart was pounding out of his chest. He looked behind to see how far back I was, what met his gaze did not cheer him - he found himself in a battle - but was too young to realize it was a battle he couldn't win. He stubbornly turned around and threw himself back on the pedals in one last ditch effort that lasted maybe another 10 pedal strokes. I stayed 20 feet behind him. I'm not one to gloat. I'm above kicking someone when they're down. I'm a grown man. I've raised children. I have grandchildren. I'm successful. I'm professional. I'm above petty little teenage rivalries. NOT!!!!!!

He imploded on himself. His pedal motion ceased all together and he slumped over the handlebars in complete exhaustion. Now was the time for me to be the better man. I could ride alongside and offer words of encouragement. As someone older and wiser and more experienced, I could use this as a coaching moment and explain the reasons why it's best to stay in an easier gear and increase his cadence in lieu of pushing a harder gear at a low cadence. After this gentle encounter, he would ride on and be a wiser young man. His life will have been enriched as a result of crossing paths with me. NOT!!!!!

At just the moment he imploded, I dropped another gear and shot by him like I'd been fired out of a cannon. The last I saw him, he was tiny little, minuscule dot in my helmet mirror. I waited until he was clearly out of sight before I gave my screaming legs a break, stopped pedaling and allowed my soaring heart rate to return to normal. I was completely spent physically. It was childish thing to do. I should be ashamed of myself. I had a chance to take the high road, but without hesitation shot down the low one. Now that I'm out of the heat of the battle, I need to stop and reexamine my actions, learn from them and as result be a better man. NOT!!!!

Monday, April 8, 2013

Eat my Dust

Today as I rode home I passed 225 cars! No - they were not parked. They were on the road, engines running and each one was occupied by their devoted drivers. I, on my self claimed bike path, was the envy of them all as I rode past triumphantly. Bikes rules - cars drool:-)

 

Friday, March 22, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #31

I rode my bike today...to work...passing patches of ice and daffodils...that's spring in VA...7 miles.

 

Saturday, February 16, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #30

I rode my bike today...no where...it was snowing outside...I rode the stationary trainer in the garage...

18 miles.

 

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #29

I rode my bike today...to work...10 miles.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

I Rode... Series Explained

Hey everyone, I wanted to take a moment and explain the blog series I have going on entitled "I Rode My Bike Today". Some may characterize it as boring, monotonous, cryptic and such - heck, I don't even use complete sentences. I can certainly understand that perspective, but I would ask you to consider a few things. There's nothing tidy about life - it doesn't fit into a nice, neat, little package. Life is raw and filled with the unexpected. Life cannot be scripted - it is rarely lived in complete sentences and proper punctuation. I would ask my faithful readers to hang in there and try reading between the lines. Look for the small hints that underline the emotion. It isn't a puzzle, there are no hidden clues, it just me riding and writing. Finally, there are a couple other things I want you to keep in mind as this series progresses...

First - bike commuting isn't always a mountaintop experience. In fact, those type of experiences are the exception, not the norm. Riding everyday to and fro can be monotonous at times. That's especially true in the winter months. It revolves a lot around battling the weather and dodging catastrophes. But hang in there, put your head down and pedal through it, because there are longer and warmer and brighter days ahead.

Second - these cryptic daily entries are really telling a story, a much bigger story. A story about where I've been, how far I've ridden, what I've seen, what I've endured, how I felt...and much more. By the end, you won't only have gotten a glimpse of my year on the bike, you will have gone with me on every ride and your picture, just like the story, will be complete.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #28

I rode my bike today...to work...unwind time at the tavern...5 miles.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #27

I rode my bike today...to work...10 miles.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

I Ride My Bike Today - #26

I rode my bike today...close call with a bus...caught the tail end of a beautiful sunset...10 miles.

Monday, February 4, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #25

I rode my bike today...to work...had to skip the tavern...studied instead...my life sucks...10 miles.

Friday, February 1, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #24

I rode my bike today...to work...a stiff head wind to work again...a stiff head wind home again...it's getting old already...10 miles.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #23

I rode my bike today...to work...you know I ain't living right when...I had gale force headwinds riding to work...and...I had gale force winds riding home...what the crap is that about???7 miles.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #22

I rode my bike to today...to work...7 miles.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #21

I rode my bike today...to work...shirt sleeve temps...nice break from the winter...12 hours later...I rode home...10 miles.

Monday, January 28, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #20

I rode my bike today...to work...went to the tavern afterwards...didn't ride home...5 miles.

 

Sunday, January 27, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #19

I rode my bike today...to the coffee shop...spent the afternoon studying...rode home with the sunset...9 miles.

 

Saturday, January 26, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #18

I rode my bike today...to the store...battling with ice in a couple places...

Along with tangled shoe laces...

1 mile.

 

Thursday, January 24, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #17

I rode my bike today...to work...5 miles.

 

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #16

I rode my bike today...to work...my wife thought I crazy for riding...18 degrees...possibly the coldest day of the season...how could I not ride...it's all about bragging rights...8 miles.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #15

I rode my bike today...to work...10 miles.

 

Mystery Numbers

28 - 17- 21 - 20

The first is the temperature outside this morning as I ready for my commute and the remaining are the low temperatures forecasted for the remainder of the week. The winters in VA are relatively mild, normally I can count on one hand the number of days that the temperatures drop into the low 20's or teens. Well - this week alone is gonna practically fill up that one hand.

After the deluge of last week drove me to take my truck to work for 3 days, I am resolved to ride everyday this week! It's time to break out the cold weather gear...

Wool Underwear - Wool Socks - Mittens - Balaclava...Game on Mother Nature!

 

Monday, January 21, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #14

I rode my bike today...to the store...to buy onions and rice...good bet a Cajun dish is on the way...

Jambalaya...now dats what I'm takin bout...2 miles.

 

Sunday, January 20, 2013

A Keen Eye for Innovation

Most folks would have never noticed, but being the avid cyclist that I am, nothing, when it comes to bikes, escapes my keen eye...

Being always on the lookout for the latest and greatest technology. I know a jewel when I see one. On this trusty steed we see the latest innovation in the water bottle...1 gallon capacity...who would have thunk it. Only someone who sports the ultimate in rider comfort and frugality...torn seat cover...don't despair...fold up a towel and grab a roll of black, electricians tape...ahhhhh...bring on the miles!

 

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #13

I rode my bike today...to work...that afternoon it was raining...I didn't ride home...my wife picked me up...need to start packing rain gear...6 miles.

Monday, January 14, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #12

I rode my bike today...to work...that afternoon it rained...I didn't ride home...went to Tavern instead...10 miles.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #11

I rode my bike today...to the library...casual ride home through historic Hilton Village...

5 miles.

 

Saturday, January 12, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #10

I rode my bikes today...my touring bike to the gym...

my cargo bike to the store...
My rode bike here, there and everywhere...

53 miles.

 

Friday, January 11, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #9

I rode my bike today...to work...9 miles.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #8

I rode my bike today...to work...2nd car this week didn't see me...wearing bright yellow...really...12 miles.

 

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #7

I rode my bike today...to work...a crescent moon in the morning...a bright sunset in the afternoon...a good day to be on the bike...16 miles.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #6

I rode my bike today...to work...a car with a stop sign didn't see me...I saw them...all is good...12 miles.

 

Sunday, January 6, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #5

I rode my bike today...to the river...with beer in bag...

Watched the sunset...

3 miles

 

A Bona Fide Mess

There's multiple things wrong in this picture. Some are obvious while others less so. The problems are centered around the location of my Planet Bike Blaze headlights.

The obvious - notice the location of the left most headlight and the fact that it renders my brass bell ringer less.

The less than obvious - notice the location of both headlights with respect to my Cateye Wireless Computer. The Planet Bike Blaze headlights are amazing pieces of technology. They put out a steady beam that more than adequately lights up the road ahead and they also are capable of a strobing light that makes me highly visible to others. Lighting up the road and making myself highly visible are two very important functions. However, they they seem to emit some kind of electrical interference that renders my cycle computer completely and totally ineffective. My computer can be happily displaying my blazing speed of 13 mph one second and then I turn on the Planet Bike Blazes and I go from 13 mph to 0 mph in a flash.

What I gots myself here is what dey call a Bona Fide mess!

So to rectify these problems I first remove all the hardware.

And rearrange them to give each the the necessary space to perform their intended function.

There's probably some kinda parallel to real life here, but I'm not feeling particularly philosophical this morning, so I'll let that go and let my readers draw their own parallels.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #4

I rode my bike today...all around...for a couple hours...beautiful day...pleasant ride...30 miles.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

I Rode My Bike Today - #3

I rode my bike today - to work - stopped at the tavern - took short route home - it was cold - I didn't care - 12 miles.