Road Rage

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted here! My apologies to my regular visitors. Been living life and enjoying miles on the bikes. Yeah, bikes, and there are more of them than before. It's all good - more to follow in this soon.

But I digress...

It seems lately that the auto/cyclist conflict is escalating. This seems odd to me, especially in the wake of numerous well-publicized cyclist deaths, like those in Kalamazoo earlier this year. I would think these events would heighten awareness and perhaps even improve safety on the roads.



Nope, that assumption would be wrong.

Last night I did a group ride with the Ann Arbor Velo Club. Our group of rough 15 riders were all safe, courteous, and on the lookout for potential problems. We rode a single file paceline, even when there weren't cars around. We generally kept on, or near, the white line. And at the mid-point one of the organizers reminded us about the next section of road and the importance of being a good citizen of the road.

And, for our efforts, what did we get? Several full-out acceleration, way-to-close, yelling out the window passes. A person backing out of a pizza place who looked at us, and then still backed out in front of us.

Yes, I get that many cyclists SUCK at obeying the rules of the road (see the above NSFW video). And, I know we slowed down your drive ever so slightly. But really? That makes a red-faced rant, the full horn, and a double-bird thrown my way justified?

I've written on this topic before, so it's not news. What's struck me in recent weeks is how much I'm enjoying my gravel and mountain bikes. When I ride gravel, I see 10-15 cars per RIDE, as opposed to 10-15 per MILE on a road ride. And, on the mountain bike trail - ZERO cars! I flat-out feel safer when I'm not on the road.

I'll be moving to a more rural part of the area soon. I'll be near a top-notch mountain bike trail, miles of gravel, AND some good roads, too. I'm sure I'll still ride all three types, but I see the proportion of gravel and trail riding to increase.

Oh, yeah, I scored a SWEET mountain bike. More on that later!

-Sean-

Gear Lust

Been having a bit of a run-in with gear lust just lately. You know the feeling, "Do I need a gravel bike with disc brakes? What about a skinnier ski for those hardpack situations when it hasn't snowed in 10 days and the temps have been in the single digits? Dang, having a second Muskie fly rod that I could put an intermediate line on would be cool. Maybe I need that cool new superlight road bike?" Damn near bought a Kona Jake the Snake 'cross bike on Saturday.

Then I went for a bike ride yesterday.

That simple act reminded me of why I love all this stuff so much. It's time spent outdoors. It's the sights, sounds, and smells. The feeling of the sun warming you on a cool Fall day. The strain of muscles that sit at a desk too much.

And its freedom. Freedom from the tedium of a job, a house, and a life. Where you can just escape for some pure "me time". Last Monday as part of a whirlwind trip that included Michigan's Upper Peninsula, I got to float the storied Big Two Hearted River. Yup, the one of Hemingway lore. I've waded it a couple of times, and even kayaked it years back. But seeing a river from a raft or a drift boat is just another experience. We didn't catch much - or even turn much - but it didn't matter. I got to spend a day with my Dad, and a good friend. On one of the most remote rivers in Michigan. In a place where cell phones don't work and GPS' can't be trusted. Truly off-the-grid.

This phase of gear lust will pass. And until it does, I need to remember - use the shit you already own. That will give you far more joy. When you wear it out; you can get something new!

-Sean-