Now Hear This

The Frogman made it out to The Sunday Ride but had to don my knee-high tourniquet, an egregious piece of fashion but an article that helps keep my anterior tibialis muscle attached to my shin bone. That's worth braving a comment or two (or ten). Many of my comrades took the opportunity to kindly quip, "Business casual-nice look", or "You're late for your meeting", while some recognized my attire and asked with concern, "What the F--- is wrong with you?!"

Talk this week has been all about the Capital Crescent Trail speed limit in Bethesda, a trail safety measure pointed at only on user: Cyclists. Yeah, make it "safer" by randomly posting a 15 mph sign to slow bikers down but ignore chastising the Oblivious-IPod-RollerBladers, or the Infinite-Ratchet-Leash-Dog-Walkers or the Random-180-degree-turn-Joggers. Word, that Washington Post article (too lazy to link and you've read it by now) says it targets the Lance Armstrong Wannbees, but if pulled over at least I can still produce an active USA Cycling License and you'd never catch me sucking face with an Olson Twin (Either One!)

So stop writing blogs and write to the Editors and make this injustice heard, or we'll be chased off the paths as well as the roads. Why, just the other evening (Not the one where the winds were doing a "Surrender Dorothy", Kansas style) I was on a Trek down Persimmon Tree Road where a pubescent pig-tailed punk in an aggressively passing Ford Exploiter or Exhibition or Excretion or whatever you call them, yells "Sidewalk!"

Right. Let's do the math. If I'm humming along at 26 mph and the speed limit on sidewalks is 15 mph, then that would be like driving on a highway posting double-nickels at 91 mph! Some would call that "aggressive". So we're not welcome on the trails and too often threatened on the roads. It is our right, but one we have to fight for. Get out and prove a point by riding responsively and don't worry about what anyone calls to you.

You know, in retrospect maybe she was actually yelling "Nice sock!"