A tale of 2 commuters
05-18-22 | 09:41 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 7,691
Likes: 2,576
From: Jacksonville, FL
Bikes: Trek Checkmate, Lynskey Elysium, Trek FX 5 Sport
A tale of 2 commuters
So I am on my way to the mother in law's to hang a TV on her bedroom wall. I am riding down a 2 lane city street that is generally fairly busy and I would never ride down this road. Drainage ditches on both sides, no shoulders on either side and no sharrow designations on the lanes. A death trap in my opinion especially between 4 and 7 pm. There is a sidewalk on the left hand side however if you wanted to take that, but there are so many driveways and side streets, ..... just pass.
Anyway, as I am driving north on the road, I pass a guy on a old drop bar bike, wearing a backpack, but also hauling 2 backpacks balanced on his handlebars, lets call him 3 pack. I am like WTF. Vehicles are having to wait for south bound traffic to get around this dude safely. As I get around him, I get stopped about a 100 yards later as the car in front of me is turning left and 3 pack rides by us. I end up waiting for about 90 seconds, so 3 pack has gone up the road a bit, and again, I get around him. I made it up the road about 1/4 mile, and now I see a guy riding a big box mountain bike against traffic going south on my right hand side, will call him, dont give a crap guy. So 3 pack is plodding along behind me and then again rolls by me as I am waiting in traffic and Dont give a crap guy is coming toward me. I swear, all I could think of is the film of the two trains colliding. So I sit there waiting to see which one is going to blink first as the only way out is the ditch. I start to hear 3 pack screaming at dont give a crap guy, but neither one of these dudes stops pedaling. Dont give a crap guy just keeps chugging, 3 pack seems to grow nervous and starts to lose balance of one of his back packs. Traffic starts to creep forward a little and yet neither of these dudes is coming off their line. Dont give a crap guy runs 3 pack off the road and into the ditch, does not stop, flips him the bird and laughs as he continues down the road. Me again, WTF.
People have now stopped, to check on 3 pack, I pull into a driveway, walk up to him and his needless to say, he is not happy. He is ok, the bike is ok, luckily it has not rained here lately, so the ditch is dry. I ask him where he is going, and strangely, he lives about 3 blocks from my Mother In Law, so I tell him I am going that way, put his bike on my rack, gather his stuff and get back in the traffic lane. Find out someone stole his rack where he parks his bike which is why he was riding this way. I told him I rack I was not using if he wanted, which he gladly accepted and I delivered to him after I hung the TV.
I have seen some stuff before, but I have never seen a bike jousting in real life.
LOL.
Anyway, as I am driving north on the road, I pass a guy on a old drop bar bike, wearing a backpack, but also hauling 2 backpacks balanced on his handlebars, lets call him 3 pack. I am like WTF. Vehicles are having to wait for south bound traffic to get around this dude safely. As I get around him, I get stopped about a 100 yards later as the car in front of me is turning left and 3 pack rides by us. I end up waiting for about 90 seconds, so 3 pack has gone up the road a bit, and again, I get around him. I made it up the road about 1/4 mile, and now I see a guy riding a big box mountain bike against traffic going south on my right hand side, will call him, dont give a crap guy. So 3 pack is plodding along behind me and then again rolls by me as I am waiting in traffic and Dont give a crap guy is coming toward me. I swear, all I could think of is the film of the two trains colliding. So I sit there waiting to see which one is going to blink first as the only way out is the ditch. I start to hear 3 pack screaming at dont give a crap guy, but neither one of these dudes stops pedaling. Dont give a crap guy just keeps chugging, 3 pack seems to grow nervous and starts to lose balance of one of his back packs. Traffic starts to creep forward a little and yet neither of these dudes is coming off their line. Dont give a crap guy runs 3 pack off the road and into the ditch, does not stop, flips him the bird and laughs as he continues down the road. Me again, WTF.
People have now stopped, to check on 3 pack, I pull into a driveway, walk up to him and his needless to say, he is not happy. He is ok, the bike is ok, luckily it has not rained here lately, so the ditch is dry. I ask him where he is going, and strangely, he lives about 3 blocks from my Mother In Law, so I tell him I am going that way, put his bike on my rack, gather his stuff and get back in the traffic lane. Find out someone stole his rack where he parks his bike which is why he was riding this way. I told him I rack I was not using if he wanted, which he gladly accepted and I delivered to him after I hung the TV.
I have seen some stuff before, but I have never seen a bike jousting in real life.
LOL.
05-19-22 | 08:07 AM
#3
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 30,458
Likes: 4,545
From: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0
So I am on my way to the mother in law's to hang a TV on her bedroom wall. I am riding down a 2 lane city street that is generally fairly busy and I would never ride down this road. Drainage ditches on both sides, no shoulders on either side and no sharrow designations on the lanes. A death trap in my opinion especially between 4 and 7 pm. There is a sidewalk on the left hand side however if you wanted to take that, but there are so many driveways and side streets, ..... just pass.
Anyway, as I am driving north on the road, I pass a guy on a old drop bar bike, wearing a backpack, but also hauling 2 backpacks balanced on his handlebars, lets call him 3 pack. I am like WTF. Vehicles are having to wait for south bound traffic to get around this dude safely. As I get around him, I get stopped about a 100 yards later as the car in front of me is turning left and 3 pack rides by us. I end up waiting for about 90 seconds, so 3 pack has gone up the road a bit, and again, I get around him. I made it up the road about 1/4 mile, and now I see a guy riding a big box mountain bike against traffic going south on my right hand side, will call him, dont give a crap guy. So 3 pack is plodding along behind me and then again rolls by me as I am waiting in traffic and Dont give a crap guy is coming toward me. I swear, all I could think of is the film of the two trains colliding. So I sit there waiting to see which one is going to blink first as the only way out is the ditch. I start to hear 3 pack screaming at dont give a crap guy, but neither one of these dudes stops pedaling. Dont give a crap guy just keeps chugging, 3 pack seems to grow nervous and starts to lose balance of one of his back packs. Traffic starts to creep forward a little and yet neither of these dudes is coming off their line. Dont give a crap guy runs 3 pack off the road and into the ditch, does not stop, flips him the bird and laughs as he continues down the road. Me again, WTF.
People have now stopped, to check on 3 pack, I pull into a driveway, walk up to him and his needless to say, he is not happy. He is ok, the bike is ok, luckily it has not rained here lately, so the ditch is dry. I ask him where he is going, and strangely, he lives about 3 blocks from my Mother In Law, so I tell him I am going that way, put his bike on my rack, gather his stuff and get back in the traffic lane. Find out someone stole his rack where he parks his bike which is why he was riding this way. I told him I rack I was not using if he wanted, which he gladly accepted and I delivered to him after I hung the TV.
I have seen some stuff before, but I have never seen a bike jousting in real life.
LOL.
Anyway, as I am driving north on the road, I pass a guy on a old drop bar bike, wearing a backpack, but also hauling 2 backpacks balanced on his handlebars, lets call him 3 pack. I am like WTF. Vehicles are having to wait for south bound traffic to get around this dude safely. As I get around him, I get stopped about a 100 yards later as the car in front of me is turning left and 3 pack rides by us. I end up waiting for about 90 seconds, so 3 pack has gone up the road a bit, and again, I get around him. I made it up the road about 1/4 mile, and now I see a guy riding a big box mountain bike against traffic going south on my right hand side, will call him, dont give a crap guy. So 3 pack is plodding along behind me and then again rolls by me as I am waiting in traffic and Dont give a crap guy is coming toward me. I swear, all I could think of is the film of the two trains colliding. So I sit there waiting to see which one is going to blink first as the only way out is the ditch. I start to hear 3 pack screaming at dont give a crap guy, but neither one of these dudes stops pedaling. Dont give a crap guy just keeps chugging, 3 pack seems to grow nervous and starts to lose balance of one of his back packs. Traffic starts to creep forward a little and yet neither of these dudes is coming off their line. Dont give a crap guy runs 3 pack off the road and into the ditch, does not stop, flips him the bird and laughs as he continues down the road. Me again, WTF.
People have now stopped, to check on 3 pack, I pull into a driveway, walk up to him and his needless to say, he is not happy. He is ok, the bike is ok, luckily it has not rained here lately, so the ditch is dry. I ask him where he is going, and strangely, he lives about 3 blocks from my Mother In Law, so I tell him I am going that way, put his bike on my rack, gather his stuff and get back in the traffic lane. Find out someone stole his rack where he parks his bike which is why he was riding this way. I told him I rack I was not using if he wanted, which he gladly accepted and I delivered to him after I hung the TV.
I have seen some stuff before, but I have never seen a bike jousting in real life.
LOL.
keep your kind heart & cautious wisdom, don't get jaded
05-19-22 | 08:41 AM
#4
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 7,691
Likes: 2,576
From: Jacksonville, FL
Bikes: Trek Checkmate, Lynskey Elysium, Trek FX 5 Sport
Ok, you signature quote is spot on with this story....
