Nice Day for a Bike Ride
It turned out really lovely this afternoon: sixty degrees, some sun, and no wind to speak of, the kind of day that people in shops who see me wearing a helmet say, “Nice day for a bike ride.”
My standard answer is: “Any day you’re on a bike is a nice day,” but of late, I have sort of forgotten how pleasant it is to be out on two wheels when the rain is not blowing sideways into your face and you’re either all geared up and getting soaked from the inside or underdressed and feeling the water soak through to your bones.
It was delightful today to be riding in shirtsleeves; I even took off my vest and neck gaiter, a sure sign that spring is in the air.
One challenge for me, though, as the weather gets nicer, is to remain gracious towards the throngs of cyclist who will soon be thronging the trail. It’s hard for me to avoid feeling like they’re trespassing on my route even though I realize that just because they weren’t out there in December slipping on the snow and ice in the dark doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be permitted to share the road now that it’s sunny and warm.
In spite of my support—even evangelism—for cycling, I find myself paradoxically wishing there were fewer cyclists. Everyone should ride bikes…just in a different place than me.
I think this is one of those human condition phenomena: we want everyone to be like us but we also want to be unique. Or maybe it’s just that we crave to be the perfect archetype of the archetype we embody.
I had this tweed wool cover made for my helmet, thinking that I would then start marketing them. But I decided I liked having the only one around even better so I never followed up with manufacturing.
I’m all about a nice day for a bike ride, but only for me.
My standard answer is: “Any day you’re on a bike is a nice day,” but of late, I have sort of forgotten how pleasant it is to be out on two wheels when the rain is not blowing sideways into your face and you’re either all geared up and getting soaked from the inside or underdressed and feeling the water soak through to your bones.
It was delightful today to be riding in shirtsleeves; I even took off my vest and neck gaiter, a sure sign that spring is in the air.
One challenge for me, though, as the weather gets nicer, is to remain gracious towards the throngs of cyclist who will soon be thronging the trail. It’s hard for me to avoid feeling like they’re trespassing on my route even though I realize that just because they weren’t out there in December slipping on the snow and ice in the dark doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be permitted to share the road now that it’s sunny and warm.
In spite of my support—even evangelism—for cycling, I find myself paradoxically wishing there were fewer cyclists. Everyone should ride bikes…just in a different place than me.
I think this is one of those human condition phenomena: we want everyone to be like us but we also want to be unique. Or maybe it’s just that we crave to be the perfect archetype of the archetype we embody.
I had this tweed wool cover made for my helmet, thinking that I would then start marketing them. But I decided I liked having the only one around even better so I never followed up with manufacturing.
I’m all about a nice day for a bike ride, but only for me.
posted by Professor Dave at 6:01 PM
1 Comments:
Me, I don't really like biking in the rain, wimpy Midwesterner that I am, I am worrying how I'll hold up in the 327 Words Half Century Calley Cat
Post a Comment
<< Home