Curses!

I have a video I would like to share, but be warned that I take JC's name in vain and drop an F bomb in it. At the time I'm cursing at a flatbed driver that startled me by driving very dangerously. When watching the video, however, I curse myself for my bad lane position instead. Riding where I was riding doesn't make dangerous passes OK, but it does leave the door open for them to happen in the first place.

 

 

 

 

 

My guess is that this guy was hauling ass (there I go, cursing again!) at the end of the work day and had no hope of slowing down to anywhere near a safe speed, which meant he had to thread the needle between that oncoming car and me.

 

I was riding into the wind and was moving pretty slowly and I'm always tempted to get right rather than slow the cars down. I KNOW I shouldn't give in to this feeling: here's a quote from something I wrote about controlling the lane just last September:

 

"The point I'm trying to make is that ticking people off for a short time is often better than keeping them happy, despite the basic and strong human desire to be liked. It took a shift in thinking that was a little difficult, but now that I've experienced the reduction in risk (and therefore fear and stress) it creates, I'll never go back".

 

Turns out I'm full of shit. Curses!

 

 

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

Smorgasborg

borg image source -- background image source -- plate of food image source

Yep. Somebody in my house, I forget who, accidentally said "smorgasborg" the other day. Might have been me. Anyway, Word To Form (WTF) syndrome kicked in hard. And here we are.

Are you disappointed that there is nothing about cycling in this post? I would hate for that to happen... I don't want to be a poor host, given that you've come all this way...

image source - a review of tire pictured above - that be cycling content right there, uh huh!



Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

SO CLOSE to open bike paths - Can't Wait.

Note: Fooling people is against my new found Spirit Guide's* teachings, so here's a straight-ahead normal post despite the date.

I am aching to get off the dirty crowded pot-holed streets of London Ontario and get onto the dirty uncrowded more peaceful MUPs that run along the Thames river.

 

I did a test run through a short section yesterday. SO CLOSE. Urgh. If I had fat tires, I might have even tried to stick it out. On my current winter bike, however, it was just a little too much hassle to do for longer than necessary:
 

 

 

 

 

Some say the City should plow the MUPs in winter. I go back and forth on that one. Right now I say the stupid Sun should finish its work on the paths and let me use 'em. Get crackin', ya damn life-giving local Star! I mean, I'm waiting here! Jeez! 

 

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

* I don't have a new found (or any) spirit guide! Fooled ya, suckas! Hah!

The Right Gear: Essentials for Winter Cycling

First off, hi! Long time! How have you been? Uhuh... yeah... how 'bout the kids/dog/fish? Some winter we're having, eh?

 

Speaking of the winter that refuses to end, I have been riding my bicycle in it. I had a spell where I kind of stopped, but thankfully I've been back on the saddle for a few weeks and loving it as always.

 

Anyone who has come across the right bit of gear can attest to the fact that it can make a big difference to your enjoyment of any physical activity. In my case, I got tired of being attached to my pedals in dicey icy snowy kooky road conditions, and I've gone back to a cleatless, "normal" shoe and pedal for winter riding. Finding just the right thing proved very easy. Like so many romantic comedies prove, sometimes your heart's desire is right in front of you the whole time... you just need to see it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So what is "essential" about an old pair of shoes? Nothing, of course. Because nothing is essential other than a bike and some attention to what hurts. If it freezes, cover it up. Whether you cover it with the sweetest bit of expensive bike gear or a chunk of tape don't matter none. That is essential. If you get my drift.

 

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

I'm Not Dead. YAY!

Dear Anyone Who Has Been Wondering If I'm Dead,

I'm not. YAY!

I have not ended up under anybody's wheels, had a heart attack, or gotten squished by a piano dropped from above. That last would be a pretty cool way to go, though. Snuffed in a cacophony of tinkling seems pretty cool to me.

Not that I want to die! I love most things about my life; my family, cycling, even work. What I don't love is that I'm in a dry spell here on the blog... sorry, but the juices just ain't flowin'.

I know myself too well to do a "callin' it quits" kind of post; I must leave this recreation open-ended. I always end up picking my guitar up again, even after long periods without. Same with this, I guess; heaven knows I'll get all wordy and annoying once more, I just don't know when.

So, I guess, don't stay tuned, 'cause it may be a long while. Or DO stay tuned, yeah, and read some of my older, better shit and hope that those days shall return. That's what I'm doing.

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K