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05-02-04, 09:57 AM
Those of you who commute, know this, we see everything from the bike of a bike. The world is a circus out there, with an awful lot of clowns. Shish, yesterday I thought the circus was in town.
I get on the Greenway, and kick it up a notch. The Greenway was a wind tunnel yesterday: the NW wind came over the top of it, and was funneled into the the path, so I wasn't going exceptionally fast. I was moving though, a few of the bike riders I passed were having difficulty.
As I approach one of the on ramps I can see these round things bobbing above the bridge siding over head. As I pass under the bridge, I look to my right and see a group ride coming down to the path. Thinking I'd have a chance to draft off them in the head wind I slowed a bit to integrate, and then got a look at the members. Lotsa colorful lycra shirts, helmets, and cycling shorts stretched to their limits, and a lot of bellies hanging over the top of the shorts, not my group. They were a local bike club on their Saturday ride, these were social, herding type bikers, not the head down crank it and go. So, I put my head down and went.
As I led them out a guy came up on my wheel and passed me, fine, I did have a wheel I could suck, so I took his wheel, and when he slowed, I figured it was my turn to pull so I moved forward, he took my wheel, and then took off, with a growl in his cranking, like I insulted him on my Frankenstien fixie. I stayed with him for about half a mile, and I couldn't do it any longer, the fixie was stuck and he had a full compliment of road gears, and a nice LeMond, I was jealous.
I fumed over the LeMond and the tude, and continued. The trail swings north into the suburbs where families dot the path, and kids on BMX, but the next biker was the kicker. I didn't even see him coming. I heard him, or his radio. I thought it was the kids I'd just passed coming up on me. So, I bore down to shake them, but the music kept coming, and it wasn't the noise of an Ipod turned up too loud, this was a boom box afixed to the handle bars of a LeMond set up for touring, complete with rack, panniers, and fenders, and this tiny guy that looked as if he got off the pedals would have to lean the bike over to stand a stride the bike. Not only is the radio loud, but his cassette is making this chunk sound that can be heard over the music coming out the speakers, and he's putting distance between us, I think cause I was in shock, and then I was further in shock that anything like this guy could be putting distance on me.
I think the cycling gods were just getting back at me for the dude the other night that I insulted, telling him to get back up on the sidewalk. But as I turned off the bike path into the world of cell phone talking SUV drivers, I admitted that I'd seen everything now. I'm still amazed, in awe, bewildered.
I get on the Greenway, and kick it up a notch. The Greenway was a wind tunnel yesterday: the NW wind came over the top of it, and was funneled into the the path, so I wasn't going exceptionally fast. I was moving though, a few of the bike riders I passed were having difficulty.
As I approach one of the on ramps I can see these round things bobbing above the bridge siding over head. As I pass under the bridge, I look to my right and see a group ride coming down to the path. Thinking I'd have a chance to draft off them in the head wind I slowed a bit to integrate, and then got a look at the members. Lotsa colorful lycra shirts, helmets, and cycling shorts stretched to their limits, and a lot of bellies hanging over the top of the shorts, not my group. They were a local bike club on their Saturday ride, these were social, herding type bikers, not the head down crank it and go. So, I put my head down and went.
As I led them out a guy came up on my wheel and passed me, fine, I did have a wheel I could suck, so I took his wheel, and when he slowed, I figured it was my turn to pull so I moved forward, he took my wheel, and then took off, with a growl in his cranking, like I insulted him on my Frankenstien fixie. I stayed with him for about half a mile, and I couldn't do it any longer, the fixie was stuck and he had a full compliment of road gears, and a nice LeMond, I was jealous.
I fumed over the LeMond and the tude, and continued. The trail swings north into the suburbs where families dot the path, and kids on BMX, but the next biker was the kicker. I didn't even see him coming. I heard him, or his radio. I thought it was the kids I'd just passed coming up on me. So, I bore down to shake them, but the music kept coming, and it wasn't the noise of an Ipod turned up too loud, this was a boom box afixed to the handle bars of a LeMond set up for touring, complete with rack, panniers, and fenders, and this tiny guy that looked as if he got off the pedals would have to lean the bike over to stand a stride the bike. Not only is the radio loud, but his cassette is making this chunk sound that can be heard over the music coming out the speakers, and he's putting distance between us, I think cause I was in shock, and then I was further in shock that anything like this guy could be putting distance on me.
I think the cycling gods were just getting back at me for the dude the other night that I insulted, telling him to get back up on the sidewalk. But as I turned off the bike path into the world of cell phone talking SUV drivers, I admitted that I'd seen everything now. I'm still amazed, in awe, bewildered.