Man in the Arena

Making a Point

Jesse@Active — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:00:56 GMT

Awhile back, I wrote a post titled Is My Bike Commuting Embarrassing You? about how I thought parents driving with kids in the car were some of the more annoying people on the road. They tend to ignore (or not notice) cyclists. Many of them are carrying cups of coffee and generally speeding along trying to get junior to school.

And while I understand that being a parent is tough--what with little Suzy cutting a hole in little Johnny's shirt minutes before he needs to be at school--I'm still convinced that "kids in the car" is not an excuse for unsafe and potentially reckless driving. (By the way, to stem any misconceptions about me, I'm a "polite wave" kind of rider rather than a "flip the bird" rider when cars get too close. But I'll definitely say something if I think you might hear me.)

Anyway, today I stumbled on a comic strip called Yehuda Moon and the Kickstand Cyclery by Rick Smith. It's definitely a print-out-and-put-on-the-cubicle-wall kind of comic (though I doubt most SUV drivers would get it).

Here's yesterday's amazing strip:

Exactly.

How I Became Faster, Stronger and Better Looking

Jesse@Active — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 00:43:41 GMT

When I first started commuting by bike to work, I was wearing mesh shorts and t-shirts. It was five miles to the train station, then another mile and a half to work from the back end of the train ride. My butt could take it.

But as I rode more, I realized I needed shorts. So I went out and got some mountain bike shorts with a second short underneath with padding. Obviously, I was a little hesitant to look like all the other SoCal cyclists and their stretchy pants.

As the weather got cold, I fashioned some leg warmers out of a pair of old tights that Emmy's mom gave her to give to me because they didn't fit. (I'm very resourceful, I think I get that from Grandma.)

Me in old bike shorts:

Well, little did I know the wheels were in motion for my general improvement. Emmy decides I look silly and gets me some real bike shorts and leg warmers for Christmas. Boy is it easier riding with those.

Me with new bike shorts:

But the best part of the story? Better gear meant more riding. More riding (coupled with the training for the half-marathon) meant better bike fitness. And all that led to... (drum-roll please!)

Me beating Toby and Airey in the February TCSD Duathlon!!!* Hahahaha suckers!!! Better luck next time. Watch out if I get some arm warmers!

*OK, so they got lost on the bike route and traveled way out of their way, but still. My intelligence won the day.

Is My Bike Commuting Embarrassing You?

Jesse@Active — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 18:58:00 GMT

Sometimes I get the feeling I embarrass drivers while I'm commuting by bike--mainly people with young kids in their car.

This morning I was riding toward a stop sign on a residential street and could hear a car speeding up behind me (because that's what people do here in California, speed up to stop signs). I signaled with my arm that I was turning left, then stopped at the line.

The driver honked once and then pulled his black SUV up next to me on my right. I looked over at him. "What's the problem?" I said, holding my hands out. Not so much confrontational as much as an is-my-backpack-open kind of question. He neglected to look at me at all. He peered around me--coffee in one hand--checked the traffic, then peeled out, making a dangerous left-hand turn between traffic (and around me). The whole time, his doe-eyed son was sitting in the front passenger seat staring right at me.

I can hear it now, "Daddy, why did you honk at that guy on the bike?"

"Because he was slowing us down, son. We're in a SUV. He should have pulled over to the sidewalk and waited until I was past before getting back on my road. Don't grow up to be a cyclist son, you'll only have drivers hating you."

"But dad, you gave me a bike for my birthday. And you're always telling me to go ride my bike when you're watching tv."

"Well, you can ride your bike until you're 16, then I'll buy you a car. That way I can spend even more time ignoring your needs."

A similar thing happened to me not ten minutes later. I pulled up to an intersection and watched as a woman rolled through it, completely ignoring me while her two kids in the car stared in awe at the fact that I can ride my bike whenever I want.

To be fair, there are as many people who wave me through an intersection or go out of their way to give me space as there are that ignore me or try to see how close they can drive by without actually touching my bike. But parents with kids in the car seem to try especially hard to pretend I'm not there. Reminds me of the woman in the mini-van who used to drive 35 mph around the residential neighborhood where I used to live in Boston.

Parents: I'm just trying to get to work alive. I know you're trying to get your kids to school on time. And that the line at Starbucks was longer than usual so you're running late, but please: if you want your kids to have safe streets to ride their bikes on, you have to set an example.

In the meantime, check out this example of drivers gone wild.