We poor, misunderstood cyclists

Ok, for those of you who would rather have bicycles not allowed on the road, let me start by saying “I understand.”  Like every other group of people, cyclists often get stereotyped.  And however unfair it might be, the road cyclist stereotype often comes from those who don’t share the road very well. 

Seems odd, doesn’t it?  What would make someone on a 15-pound bike think that he could take on an upset driver in a 2-ton SUV?  But there are those who do.  They are the riders that I refer to as the cowboys.  These guys are typically the real power cyclists in the recreational riding circles.  They’re faster than all the rest of us, which apparently gives them that feeling of invincibility.  To be fair there are some situations when the cyclist has the right-of-way, but not just because he can ride fast. 

Now the thing is, if you want to be at peace with cyclists on the road, you’ll also have to deal with more than just the cowboys—there are also the neophytes.  These are most commonly seen in late July or August, just after people have seen some of the Tour de France on TV and have decided that they want to give it a try.  So they run down to the local bike shop, buy a bike, and then start riding around without really understanding the fine art of riding on the road.  And, of course, in addition to the cowboys and the neophytes, there are also the misinformed.  These are cyclists who may have been riding for years, but have never really taken the time to learn the laws regarding the interaction of cars and bikes on the same road. 

And then there are the rest of us.  Yes, there are some of us out there who actually do understand.  We know how to get through intersections without getting in the way.  We know how to make left turns, and (more importantly) how to make right turns.  We know when to take the lane and when not to.  This is all part of that fine art of road riding that I will try to promote on this blog.

The Big Idea...

Even in an off year I can usually get in 1,000 miles or so on the bike.  In a good year I'm probably closer to 3,000.  But that's just me.  I have kind of a tendancy to try to stay away from the extremes. 

Then there's my wife, Brenda--my very best friend in the whole world.  Brenda, unlike me, has more of a tendancy to live at the extremes.  When she gets into something, she jumps in with both feet, into the deep end, with her arms wide open and both eyes closed.  It's one of those things that I've come to realize I can either fuss about, or adore.  Years ago, I tried the whole fussing-thing.  What a waste that was.  If wisdom comes with age, then one of the things I've finally wised up about is to remember that there is a reason I fell in love with her in the first place, and the reason has to do with who she is--not with who I am.

So here's the thing:  after watching me go out riding on Saturday mornings all those years, she recently decided that she'd like to try this whole bike-riding thing too.  Well, I love that idea.  I love going out riding, and I love her--what could be better than to put them together?  So I started taking her out on some 15 or 20 mile rides.  These are actually quite short for road riders, but you kind of have to start out slow on something like this.  (When it comes to road bikes, there are certain parts of the anatomy that have to get, you know... "broken in".)

After awhile, we started stretching our rides out to 30 or 40 miles.  And it wasn't long afterwards that she found a group to ride with on Tuesday & Thursday mornings, in addition to our Saturday rides.  So this fall she had several weeks around 120 - 140 miles.  And that's what planted the seed--could she average 100 miles a week for a whole year?  Could she get in 5,000 miles in one year?

Never one to back away from a crazy idea, she took right to it, and just like that, the goal was set.  I think it's a great goal--I'd like to make it mine someday when I don't have that pesky day job getting in the way.  Not that I'm complaining--I love my job.  I love having a job, and I even like this particular job, but the hours are such that it makes it kind of hard to ride consistently during the week. 

So this blog, then, is not about me, but about Brenda, about her 5,000-mile quest, and about the whole road-riding subculture.  If you're a cyclist, you might see some stuff you can relate to every now and then.  And if you're not a cyclist my hope is that you too will find something interesting or amusing.  Oh I'll be in there a little bit--after all, I'm the domestique.  I'll ride with her every weekend, and as often as possible during the week.  I'll plan long rides for her, and sign us both up for some century (100-mile) rides.  I'll "pull" her (bike slang for riding in front to create a draft for her to ride in,) I'll make sure she stays hydrated and fed on long rides, I'll encourage her on the down days that are inevitable in an undertaking like this.  And I'll do my best to let anyone who reads this know how the adventure works out. 

We'll start out with a 44-mile ride on New Years Day; an annual event that one of the local bike clubs puts together.  Then we'll take it from there.  You think she can do it?  She's an amazing girl, and I wouldn't put anything past her.  I'm looking forward to 2012--not only for this, but also because anything has to be better than 2011.  Here we go--let's ride!