Commuting: Traffic Play

I’m standing astride my bike, looking across a four lane, divided highway.  I’m about to make a left turn onto this beast, during evening rush hour. 

The trip from my shop to this point has been a pleasant warm up.  I left the shop at 6:30.  This is long after the afternoon school dismissal and golf cart drag races.  In truth, getting out of this town is always a challenge.  Between golf carts, SUVs, German sports sedans, minivans, pickups, motorcycles, and the odd Lexus, Peachtree City just may be have the most motorized conveyances per capita of any city in the world.  I estimate that there are about 2.3 motorized go-buggies for each and every resident.  And somehow they manage to get 81% of them on the road at the same time.  Yet today, most of the in-town motors are quiet.

I stand poised.  I’ve had a nice warm up, but it’s time to focus sharply.  Here there is no room for internal dialogs, it’s be here, in this moment.  Total attention.  ON the balance between complete alert and toned relaxation state.

I’m watching the flow from my left.  Those two lanes are the most important.  Usually, I have to cross them, and then wait in the median for the far lanes to clear.  But today I get a full four-lane gap.  Push off and go!

I carve across four lanes and accelerate.  I’ve learned the trick to handling this stretch of road.  It’s keep moving, and keep the speed up.  On this first, slight, incline, I hold at 18 mph, while keeping a watchful eye on the 65 mph overtaking traffic.  The first burst of overtakers completes passing me as I top the rise.

The light ahead is changing, and I’m alone, with the next group of ovetakers well behind.  Good!  I’m going to have the “pole position” at the light.  That’s ideal.

The light changes, and I surge ahead.  Traffic begins to move past me.  I’ll be doing 25 mph by the time they are all clear of me.  I’ve shifted up into the “haul butt” gears as I power down the hill.  My let turn is coming.

I have a clean road behind.  Excellent!  I glide to the left, even as I push the big gears hard.  I’m doing well over 30, as I begin to see traffic topping the hill behind me.  It’s going to be close, but that’s alright.

Weight the bike left, and flow into the turn lane as the traffic overtakes.  I’ve been checking the oncoming lanes.  Yes!  The gap I saw coming is timing just right.  I’m going to make it in one smooth, uninterrupted arc.  And…  I’m done!

I’m on the relatively low traffic side road.  I’m still moving pretty good, with a bit of reserve heart rate available before I go anaerobic.  I like to keep it going on this slight uphill stretch, get away from the highway, and burn off the adrenaline.

That stretch isn’t always like that, but today it was perfect.  Smooth, fast, good execution, legal, and just right.