Greater dangers
Last week I complained about a sore rump. This I had considered to be one of the greater dangers of cycling. And while I still see it as a major issue, I'm getting the bigger picture.
I went on a double Millerton ride again this weekend. On Saturday, I did the loop from Friant, over the dam, past Millerton, down Auberry, and out Copper. On Sunday I did the whole thing again, but this time in reverse. Sunday was beautiful and along the way I met some very nice riders, and saw several single-female riders out there.
Although beautiful, Sunday was a ride full of trouble: a slow leaky tire (which I stopped to pump twice), chain issues, and a flat. Worse, I stopped at a Sherry's Road House there at the turn off toward Millerton, and used the Port-a-Potty. One of the most heinous experiences of my life. Let me just say, some people should just go easy on the granola.
I also met a lovely woman who was getting back into cycling after taking a few years off. She was with a pack of hard-core athletes, and after having some trouble with her cycling shoes (they were clips), left her pack to stop at the road house to fix them. We chatted a bit in the way that strangers do; I called my kids to make sure they were safe; and off I went.
Later that afternoon, at the cycling store (needed more inner tubes), I heard a terrible story of a lone-female cyclist who was hit by a car on Auberry Road. Her new Trek was totaled. The car that hit her was in bad shape, ending up in a ditch. Rumor had it she was still in the operating room at that point (4:15 Sunday afternoon), with a punctured lung.
It's an amazing thing to be out there; the beauty, the freedom of the ride-- getting so completely involved in nature while simultaneously being equally absorbed in personal thought while focussed on the challenge being faced-- all the while, cars zipping by at 70 miles per hour. You never forget that they are an intense danger. But even while you are completely keyed in, they just might not be and can still take you out.
I keep thinking of the lovely woman I met, and the other women I saw riding along the way,each facing the same challenges I was (and perhaps meeting them with more grace). I really hope they all made it back home safely.
I went on a double Millerton ride again this weekend. On Saturday, I did the loop from Friant, over the dam, past Millerton, down Auberry, and out Copper. On Sunday I did the whole thing again, but this time in reverse. Sunday was beautiful and along the way I met some very nice riders, and saw several single-female riders out there.
Although beautiful, Sunday was a ride full of trouble: a slow leaky tire (which I stopped to pump twice), chain issues, and a flat. Worse, I stopped at a Sherry's Road House there at the turn off toward Millerton, and used the Port-a-Potty. One of the most heinous experiences of my life. Let me just say, some people should just go easy on the granola.
I also met a lovely woman who was getting back into cycling after taking a few years off. She was with a pack of hard-core athletes, and after having some trouble with her cycling shoes (they were clips), left her pack to stop at the road house to fix them. We chatted a bit in the way that strangers do; I called my kids to make sure they were safe; and off I went.
Later that afternoon, at the cycling store (needed more inner tubes), I heard a terrible story of a lone-female cyclist who was hit by a car on Auberry Road. Her new Trek was totaled. The car that hit her was in bad shape, ending up in a ditch. Rumor had it she was still in the operating room at that point (4:15 Sunday afternoon), with a punctured lung.
It's an amazing thing to be out there; the beauty, the freedom of the ride-- getting so completely involved in nature while simultaneously being equally absorbed in personal thought while focussed on the challenge being faced-- all the while, cars zipping by at 70 miles per hour. You never forget that they are an intense danger. But even while you are completely keyed in, they just might not be and can still take you out.
I keep thinking of the lovely woman I met, and the other women I saw riding along the way,each facing the same challenges I was (and perhaps meeting them with more grace). I really hope they all made it back home safely.
posted by @traciAWESOME
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