A couple of people have lately remarked on my posting pattern. “What happened to Thursday Thoughts?” One asked. “Seems you’re posting later, and missing some weeks altogether.
Another kind lady was a bit more direct. “Have you stopped thinking on Thursdays?” she asked.
Thank you for your concern. The simple truth is, I’ve had a bit of personal turmoil lately. Nothing major, understand, but there has been enough to impact my posting patterns. I shall endeavor to do better in the future.
In that vein, here’s a thought for this day: If you fancy yourself an “athlete,” and you “train” on your bicycle, please give some consideration to those around you. Yes, going fast and hard is a good thing. (If that’s what you want to do, cool.) But your athleticism does not confer some special status upon you. You are not immune to criticism, nor above observation of the social compact.
Last night I was leading a purely recreational ride, on the local multi-use pathways.
Please note the careful wording. That’s multi-use. That means that these paths are shared by folks in golf carts, pedestrians, children in strollers, dog walkers, cyclists, cats, wild geese, and all manner of other creatures and conveyances. To do this peacefully requires a bit of give-and-take, a bit of compromise on the part of all parties present.
Back to the story. The ride I was leading was unusually large. Nice weather, more evening daylight, happy people out on bikes. I was particularly pleased with the way my group was interacting with other pathway users. Courtesy and friendliness were being exhibited. And then…!
A lone bicyclist overtook my group. He shouted, “On your left! Coming through!” and charged up through my group. The level of disregard was very high. Several of my recreational riders are very new to riding, and none too stable. There were a couple of near crashes. But the overtaker was bent over his bars, and “training” in dead earnest. He’s getting ready for the annual cross-state tour, so it’s necessary for him to get out on the paths and ride in a flagrant and menacing fashion. Or so it would seem.
Order was restored. Adrenaline leached out of systems. Calm again prevailed. And we, my group and I, were approaching a fairly popular and congested area of the trail network. And then it happened again!
This time the overtaker was really cooking right along. He was on his mountainbike, dressed out in full racing kit. He shouted out the obligatory, “On your left!!” and barreled through my group. At that particular moment in time there was a small family walking toward us, and two golf carts in the process of overtaking them. The “human cannonball” rushed through my group, and forced his pass through the oncoming traffic by exercising a simple expedient. He charged at the pedestrian family, forcing them to jump aside, and then cut hard back into the front of my leisurely paced pack. This let him narrowly miss the leading oncoming cart. Of course it forced the cart driver to run off the path, and almost took down me and two other riders, but he was under power and gone.
Special Note: In both of the cases described above, I know who you are. If anything like this happens again, I will reveal your names in a most public fashion. Promise. Count on it.
Back to a general discussion: There is a time and place for everything. Yes, you all have a right and privilege to ride fast and furious. However, there’s this about liberty, it is never uncompromised. Our liberty to act extends only as far as the next person. We do not have the freedom to act with flagrant disregard for others, nor should we expect them to “get out of our way!” None of us has the right to endanger others through negligent or purely selfish actions.
Please also note, when you are on your bike, you represent us all. Be a good ambassador for our sport. Please do your hard riding in isolation from other users, and with respect for the safety of others. Honest, you are not that good at it!
Just a thought.
No comments:
Post a Comment