AUTHOR: Drew Bryden DATE: 6/19/2004 08:28:38 PM ----- BODY: Okay, time for another traffic related rant! This one relates to my trip to Oregon last month.

One evening, while out for a stroll in the beautiful city of Ashland, Oregon, I walked up to the edge of a sidewalk to cross the street. I was nowhere near a crosswalk on a two lane, one way street. Two lanes of approaching traffic came to a stop. Surprised, as I crossed, I looked about to see if some magical pedestrian crossing lights had suddenly appeared. There were none to be found. I was in my own little Twilight Zone. Nobody around me seemed surprised in the slightest. I, on the other hand, had to move my dropped jaw back into place. This was not normal. Similar incidents were repeated throughout the trip, however, and I slowly grew accustomed to the respect paid pedestrians and cyclists there. Then I returned to Cape Cod.

This evening, I stood on the side of Route 6A in Sandwich, with dog on leash, for approximately four minutes waiting for a break in the traffic that was long enough for us to run for our lives across. I swear the oncoming cars sped up when they saw us crossing. This is the Cape Cod I have always loved… that I am slowly coming to hate (especially now that I have something to compare to).

In Oregon, if you lived within five miles of your work or errand, people looked at you funny when you didn’t ride a bike. On Cape Cod, it is the exact opposite. If you ride your bicycle anywhere other than the rail trail or bike paths, you must be some kind of nut.

Perhaps I am a nut, but I will take the Oregon mentality over the Cape Cod mentality any day. Take me back to the Twilight Zone, where pedestrians and bicycles have the right of way. Oregon has it right. It is as it should be. -------- AUTHOR: Drew Bryden DATE: 6/19/2004 02:03:30 PM ----- BODY: The following letter to the editor was taken from the Cape Cod Times today:

Motorists, beware - it's bicycling season

If motorists think they are safe on Cape Cod roads from anything but other motorists, think again.
It is the time of the year when bicycles galore will be unsafely crowding our very busy, narrow streets, again endangering their own safety and motorists' well-being. Accidents between bikes and automobiles happen on our roads all the time, and when they do the victimized motorists will most likely find themselves in court, facing charges and trying to prove themselves not at fault.
Bicyclists need to find other places to ride bikes and perfect their racing skills other than our tiny roads, most of which barely accommodate two-way traffic to begin with.

FAITH GAGNE
South Yarmouth

My response:

Safety of Cape Cod Roads

For some, like Faith Gagne in South Yarmouth (letter 19 June), our “very busy, narrow streets” are a battle zone where we fight for “our” spot on the road. Her recent letter illustrates one of the many problems we face as motorists (and cyclists) on the streets of Cape Cod. If we could all show a little patience, cooperate with other vehicle operators (this includes bicycles) and follow the rules of the road, we would all arrive home more relaxed, happy and secure.

I wonder how Ms. Gagne feels about cross walks? The few seconds that it takes a motorist to wait for safe passage around a bicyclist on a narrow street are not going to spoil one’s trip. Victimized motorists? There are many dangers that affect motorists’ safety on the roads, but cyclists are not one of them. Drunk driving, untested elderly drivers, habitual traffic offenders and ignorance of traffic laws are the real dangers. Impatience and combative use of vehicles seems to increase on Cape Cod roadways this time of year. Slow down and share the road.

With current gas prices, traffic congestion and the national epidemics of obesity and heart disease we should be promoting more bicycle use, not discouraging it. Next time you take that one or two mile trip to the local store, try walking or riding your bike. You will feel much better for it… as long as you don’t cross Faith’s path!

-------- AUTHOR: Drew Bryden DATE: 6/18/2004 09:54:19 PM ----- BODY: I am looking forward to my volunteer orientation at a local wildlife rehabilitation center tomorrow. Just having the weekend off is excitement enough...

Today was a misty, rainy bicycle commute day. I could have used wipers on my glasses. After the ride home, I went for a three mile run (a lot more wet than the commute)and lifted weights for forty minutes.

The ride in:
Temps in the low sixties with a heavy fog. I was slightly damp on my arrival to work.

Comments:
The Trek made today's commute again. The weather called for showers and the possibility of heavy rains developing by the late afternoon. A fine bike commute day!

At work, one of my coworkers asked me if I had listened to the weather and remarked that I was “stupid” for having ridden my bike. I asked why my riding the bicycle was any different than another coworker who drove to work in a Jeep with no top. The answer: “riding a bike in the rain is just stupid.” I explained that in my commitment to cycle commuting I have had to accept that I might get wet occasionally… and riding in summer rain is fun too!

The ride home:
Temps in the lower sixties, sprinkling and thick mist with a strong wind in my face. Short sleeves and shorts were fine. I definitely ended up more wet than the inbound commute.

Number of fellow cyclists seen on both trips: 0
-------- AUTHOR: Drew Bryden DATE: 6/17/2004 10:16:23 PM ----- BODY: Just returning from viewing the new Harry Potter film. Well done. It would have been better had the theater not been eighty degrees, and if there weren’t some kind of biting bugs inside. Rain fell during the movie, but it still felt steamy outside afterward. The bicycle rides to and from work were steamy today as well.

The ride in:
Temps in the sixties with overcast skies.

Comments:
Today was a day for the Trek with its fenders, as forecasts called for occasional showers that never really came. The ride in was marked by a street sweeper that removed much of the broken glass that lines my commute route (hurray!), and a state police cruiser pulled someone over in front of me, forcing me out into the traffic as I passed them. Local teens find sport in hurling their bottles at road signs from moving vehicles. The result - broken glass everywhere!

The ride home:
Temps were in the upper seventies, humid and overcast (looking like rain, but it never came).

Number of fellow cyclists seen on both trips: 0
-------- AUTHOR: Drew Bryden DATE: 6/16/2004 08:38:21 PM ----- BODY: The chest cold (and perhaps allergies) have really had me knocked out until the past couple of days. I went for a long run and lifted weights Monday evening, after I just could not take another day without exercise. Yesterday, I came home from work and got a lot of yard work done. Today was a perfect day to get back on the bike and cycle commute, followed by a short run and weights tonight.

The ride in:
Temps around sixty, with light winds and sunshine. Short sleeves, shorts and sunglasses were necessary.

Comments:
Today was perfect for the Bianchi. A little on the hot and humid side on the ride home (and for my run), although the thermometer only read in the seventies.

The ride home:
Temps in the seventies with a warm, humid breeze. The ride home was thirteen minutes! Short sleeves and shorts were mandatory.

Number of fellow cyclists seen on both trips: 1 -------- AUTHOR: Drew Bryden DATE: 6/13/2004 02:34:38 PM ----- BODY: What a waste of a perfectly beautiful weekend! I have been stuck, unable to enjoy this wonderful stretch of weather. Just when I was feeling that I had won the battle with this cold, it comes back to knock me on my ass again. I spent several hours of what should have been sleep time last night, hacking my brains out again. Perhaps a trip to the doctor may be in order, as this is a week and a day after the start of this thing. Typically, I have kicked a cold after three days max. A week of not feeling quite right is normal, but this is a week with no improvement (perhaps even worse)! Can you tell that I don't handle personal health issues well?

On a lighter note, I have a somewhat embarrassing story regarding the new bike that has been awaiting my return to good health:

After purchasing the new Stumpjumper FSR Elite, I had some questions regarding the rims being different from the manufacturer's specs. I was also curious about the color scheme difference from all the models I had seen and read about prior to my purchase. The LBS had me try an earlier model large so I could compare it to the medium. The large was definitely too big, so I did not question that the medium felt way smaller (too much so). It turns out that there was good reason the medium's geometry didn't feel right. The LBS had sold me a women's model medium, which has a completely different color scheme, geometry and some component differences from the men's medium. I find it interesting that the LBS could not find owner's manuals for this newly assembled bike. I wonder if the manuals mentioned that it was a women's model. They did apologize and suggested that the salesperson "must not have known." They also offered a loaner to use while I wait for the men's model to arrive (hopefully in three to four days). I am most irritated by the three trips I have now made back and forth from Sandwich to Falmouth in pursuit of this bicycle, and now the fourth trip upcoming to pick up the replacement when it arrives.

Being familiar with the inventory should be a prerequisite for selling anything, especially bicycles! In my own defense, I had researched my purchase. I had never seen the feminine version of this model, as I had never looked for one. I innocently assumed the color scheme was unique. Next time I will question when the floor model looks nothing like the catalog, web and magazine pictures. Another bicycle shopping lesson learned... unfortunately, the hard way.

In my downtime from being able to ride (or doing any other exercise), I have found that tuning and working on bicycles is good therapy when I can't ride them. I took the opportunity yesterday to tune my youngest sister's ride, and enjoyed it immensely. If I can't ride, I may as well tinker.

Here's to a healthy week ahead!
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