Looking back on Inspired to Ride

February 13, 2016

It is now nearly the time of the Red Fire Cupid, aka Valentine’s Day.  So act quickly, if you haven’t planned for it!  Here is what I saw on my way home that made me feel the love that is required of all in order to survive the cold mid Febrrrruary.

 

Although it is impossible to tell from this vantage point, I was observing a loving duck and drake, keeping it hot after so many years together, even in the creek on a chilly February eve!

As I stated earlier, I have felt some chest tightness recently, which I have since attributed to habitual shallow breathing.  How and why did I start breathing too shallowly?  I’m not really sure, but I think it might have to do somewhat with my attempts to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning as I relax in my cozy basement.  Here is what I was feeling like (but not looking like) at night.  

Fuseli's The Nightmare 

Then I started focusing on my breathing and there was a moment where I felt like the alp/night hag was leaving me.  I felt relief and loss.  Bye bye alp/hag. 

Well, if you are like me, you attended the Inspired to Ride showing down at Aksarben Cinema last Thursday.  Before the show there were a few bike-related tables advertising various events or shops.  Here are a few things I was informed of – Wear Yellow Ride on May 14, Tour for Hope Ride on May 22, as well as the Kelly Smith Memorial Ride on May 22.  Eventually I grabbed my tall beer, took a deep breath, and headed into the theater with my dad and my friend Bob. 

This film was made by Mike Dion who also made Ride the Divide and Reveal the Path.  Inspired to Ride was an enjoyable documentary of the inaugural Trans Am Bike Race.  This was a self-supported bicycle race across Mexico’s leopard-skin pillbox hat we call the U of SA.  It focused a lot on the front of the pack, but it did spare some screen time for some other bicyclists who were not even in the race that the filmmakers encountered upon their movie-making journey.  There was also some comedy relief – locals who helped Juliana get her drivetrain back in shape and some fellas at a Wyoming bar and grill who eventually espied a mid-pack guy (I think it was Brian Steele) arrive and bought him dinner.  After they bought him dinner they took a photo of Mr. Steele giving them the finger.  Here is a first hand account of the event. by one Marcus Thompson.  Their trials and travails were also pretty funny.  Like when Mike got all bit up by mosquitos or the time Paolo and Giorgio missed the ferry (not included in Paolo's youtube video below).  

Although I am not particularly fond of the competition that is a part of these types of events, I was glad to experience much less manufactured drama than on a typical episode of America’s Next Top Model.  There was also less expounding upon the spiritual nature of suffering while riding a bicycle for a long time than in some other bicycle-themed movies, like that guy in Ride the Divide.  A couple of unanswered questions I had were, "What's the deal with the final finisher who took like 129 days to finish?  What's the story there?"  I bet I could relate to this person.

Although I enjoyed the movie, it may have had a bad influence on me.  Whilst bicycling home the next day, I took a brakeless turn at the bottom of a hill.  I often do so, but this time I managed to catch a pothole or two toward the beginning of my arc,

which convinced me to straighten up a bit, such that I didn’t curve sharply enough to stay away from the curb, which I grazed, along with a sewer grate, and so I took a mild fall onto my shoulder,

leaving a small tear in my long-suffering Illuminite jacket.  My pinkie was also kind of sore for the next 24 hours.  Boo-hoo.
  

While, I hope I learned my lesson.  I can ride even slower!  And I will, dammit!  I will try to limit my coming into contact with any of this fast-paced-bicycling propaganda that is an unfortunate but persistent part of bicycle culture.  Get off of me, you speedy bicycling alp/hag!  Now I can breathe a bit more easily.  Let’s ride!  Don’t wait up for me.

February 17, 2016

As you were sleeping, I was busy drinking single malt Scotch and reminiscing, looking back, if you will.  This can be a blessing and/or a curse.  Much like looking back using a bicycling mirror that  
attaches to your helmet and/or glasses, like this one I recently purchased from an online retailer.

I see you!  You are fascinating!

I hadn’t really had any interest in purchasing a bicycling mirror, but I was persuaded to do so after reading this persuasive essay by a bicycling safety pendant.  Yep, I’m a sucker for safety.

Here is my review, which I will try to place in a more appropriate place (hey now, please refrain from rude suggestions!) at my earliest convenience. 

As Don Henley soulfully advised in a popular song, “Don’t look back, you can never look back.”  But some of us like to look back.  One way we can look back is by using a Take A Look cyclist's mirror.  This mirror does exactly what it should.  I dropped it once onto my concrete garage floor and it didn’t even flinch.  Just kind of tinged pleasingly.  I rode with it for 2 days and it was mesmerizing.  At first I had trouble adjusting it so that I could easily see past my baggy jacket-ensconced shoulders.  But then I kind of accidentally moved it off to the side whilst activating my Nite RiderMini Newt Pro 750 headlamp, also attached to my helmet.  Sometimes I feel like a bobble-head, because I attach a lot of things to my visor-equipped helmet.  So, then, when I readjusted the mirror, it happened to be at a great angle for allowing easy observance of my 8 o’clock by merely moving my head ever-so-slightly to the left.  (As some of you may be thinking, I could also continue that motion of my neck and see the same thing but with a wider angle).  The damn thing was distracting.  I felt like I couldn’t just enjoy my view because this bright, shiny, fascinating object was dangling up in a not-quite-there, yet in-my-face kind of way.  I think this might be what having bifocals is like (I’ll let you know if that’s accurate in a year or two).  I felt the mirror was distracting and unnecessary for my suburban commuting.  I need to watch the road in front of me almost all the time.  I typically ride pretty close to the curb.  If someone is going to sideswipe or rear-end me, I’m probably not going to see them coming.  If I do see them coming, I’ve probably taken my eyes off the road and am likely to be lying in the road whether or not they swerve at the last minute.  That is because there are a lot of potholes and other obstructions along our roadsides these days.  Staying focused on what’s in front of me is more of a priority than checking out what’s behind me.  My dad has a bar-end mirror  which I think would be much less obtrusive, but equally unnecessary.

So, there you go.  Let’s get safe and focus!  And now we dance! 

Boot bake

February 9, 2016

Happy Year of the Red Fire Monkey!  Let’s flame!  I, for one, am enjoying the flaming of some maple wood in ye olde wood-burning stove.  

That is because I woke up in time to pedal to work today but I decided it was too cold and windy.  So instead I am enjoying some nice lazy indoorsy time – stitching up ye old breeches, catching up on bills, trying to augur the auspices of this frightening new year.  What secrets will it divulge?  What ventures await our bold/cautious steps and/or wheels?

Today is also Fat (or Portly, if you prefer) Tuesday.  When you combine the two of these you’ve got a Festivale of the Portly Red Fire Monkeys!!  Waaahhhh!!?!  I’m glad I’m safely tucked away in my cozy, carbon-monoxide-blanketed/enhanced basement where I have been burning wood and waxing up ye olde boots.  

After the waxing I set them next to the fire, which in my imagination helps the wax melt in some more.  

In reality I’m pretty sure the 40 minutes I spent holding a hair dryer within a few inches of the boots got that wax about as melted in as it could get.

I have also been experiencing some very mild tightness in the chest, which I am hopeful is just a symptom of even more sedentary than usual living, my poor choice in purchasing a multi-vitamin/mineral which may have given me very mild iron poisoning (or just a shock to ye olde systeme), 

and/or home-brewed beer with some strange bourbon-wood-chips possibly somehow mixed into this potent blend. 

So, now that I am feeling a bit of ye olde cabin fever, like one Jackolaus Nickleson, 

I will take the time to see what’s happening in the world of bicycling.  Or you could just give me a call and tell me.  Telepaths, please heed my plea!?  No?  Arrighht!  I guess I can have a look at some of my usual sources (listed here so you don’t have to take my word for it and/or continue reading this ramble through the tele-paths of tangly dendrites and synappy sentimental waxing:

• http://www.bicycling.com
• http://www.bikecommuters.com
• http://omahabikes.org
• https://humancyclist.wordpress.com/2014/01/02/cycling-is-not-sexy/ (or similar)

Butt seriously, folks, it may be cold and inhospitable to bicyclers outdoors these days, but there are some good times ahead.  Perhaps I will be seeing you at the upcoming bicycle movie on Thursday?  Also there are always gift cards and/or online shopping to fill whatever voids you may be experiencing due to the prevalence of cold and ice in many parts of the northern hemisphere these days.

So let's ride, get healthy, and/or find something else fulfilling to do!  Frizzle-fry dem boots!

Senatorially groundhogging the snow

Happy Groundhog Day!

I hope you are enjoying a nice, quiet day at your home.  Or doing some snow-shoeing or some sort of skiing.  At my abode it is pretty snowy, so I stayed home from work and have been trying to feel productive.  To that end I composed the following letter to the senator:

Dear Senators,

I am contacting you to communicate my support for LB 716.  As a bicycle commuter for the past eight years, I feel that this bill provides common sense updates to existing laws.  Nebraska has done a lot to improve options for bicyclists over the past 10-20 years – many cities have multi-use trails, bicycle lanes, and signage to inform motorists of the likely presence of bicyclists.  As our state grows, I feel that our laws should grow and adapt to better serve our communities.  Communities greatly benefit by increased bicycling – better health, less motor vehicle traffic, and organized bike rides that support local economies, for example.  This bill improves and clarifies the legal status of bicyclists.  

The State of Nebraska’s Driver’s Manual states, “At intersections and roundabouts, right-of-way rules apply equally to bicyclists and motor vehicles.”  I was, therefore, surprised to learn that a bicyclist legally crossing an intersection in order to continue riding on a multi-use trail or sidewalk might not be legally entitled to the right of way.  As a boy, my mother always told me that drivers should yield the right of way to both pedestrians and bicyclists at intersections, but that drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists alike needed to “look both ways.”  These are words of advice that have kept me safe and helped me maintain a good attitude towards other road users while bicycling.  Nothing in this bill relieves the bicyclist or driver of their responsibilities to exercise care at intersections.  We all must work together to stay safe.  This bill goes so far as to clarify bicyclists’ responsibilities with the following statement, “No bicyclist shall suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or ride into the path of a vehicle which is so close that it is impossible for the driver to stop.”  This is just common sense, and riding predictably and at safe speeds (especially at intersections) are key to safe bicycling and improving bicyclist-motorist relations. Unfortunately, a few times I have experienced vehicles turning and leaving me with less space than I felt was safe while I was crossing a crosswalk on a multi-use trail and after having pushed the crosswalk button signal.  I do not think these motorists saw me (although I typically have one or two front lights and two to three taillights).  Based on some close calls, I now ride more in the streets and less on multi-use trails because I feel that I am more visible to traffic.  This brings me to the second part of the bill. 

The elimination of the mandatory sidepath law is a common sense act that will make bicyclists feel more secure in making good decisions based on existing conditions.  Sidepaths are generally a blessing to bicyclists; however, there are times when it is safer to use an adjacent street – snow, ice, mud, or debris may prevent the safe use of side paths.  

I can imagine some would say, “Well, if these conditions exist, maybe you shouldn’t be bicycling!”  But I feel that bicycling should be an option available to us all.  It improves my mental and physical health, saves me money, and makes for one less motor vehicle on the sometimes busy streets of Omaha.

Please consider the benefits to bicyclists and your communities that you will be supporting by voting for this bill.  Thank you for your time and consideration and for your dedication in representing the people of our great state.

There you go.  That counts as community service, right officer?

Here is a fat-tyred e-bike that looks like it's pretty good for those who might be so inclined.  Ever considered getting a moped instead?  

Here is a movie that Omaha Pedalers are sponsoring on February 11 at Aksarben Cinema.  It is called Inspired to Ride, and it is produced by the same people who did Ride the Divide and Reveal the Path, both of which were quite enjoyable.  So hopefully I will see you there.

Let’s ride!  Or maybe do something else that’s fun!  Wood-burning stove and tv, here I come!