Hot enough for ya?

Record heat, me wearing my standard gear of jeans on the bike. Yeah, it was hot enough.

Saw a couple of commuters on my way home today and it felt like I was riding in a pack for a bit...I might have to try to leave the office before 5:30 more often. I came out to a flaccid tire tonight and after the 4 flats we got on the WRT I wasn't really relishing changing another so soon. Seems to be holding air so far but we shall see the truth in the morning.

Tonight I satisfied my stupid side and read some of the rants/raves on Craigslist Boise. Gawd, people need to get a life. (including me...) Of course I'm always looking for the posts on bikers and the sour attitudes that come from the driving community around here. Sure enough, I was not disappointed and I was lucky to read a wonderfully informed post about how I should get my candy@$$ on the sidewalk instead of riding on the road. Also that we cyclists look ridiculous in our skin tight shorts and wind breaker helmets. Let me tell you something Mister Car Driver...I wear my damn helmet in case of an accident just like you wear your seat belt. And you know what? Those tight shorts have pads to keep my buns from getting sore and they're tight so I don't get chafe on my legs from the material moving. So besides looking stupid, they serve a purpose, just like a bib does on foolish mental idiots like yourself. Drooling your drivel out on Craig'sList and hoping for a bite...and here you get me.

I'm a bike rider. I always have been. I was lucky enough to have parents that saw the value of a bike as entertainment, exercise, freedom and everything else. I grew up riding on gravel out in the country and some may call me a backwoods hippie, greenie, earth momma or whatever, but I'll tell you something, I am not going to be fully responsible for the desecration of this earth that using up every last bit of oil will do. I want to be part of the solution. If you, Mr. Car Driver, rode a bike 2 x a week instead of driving your vehicle, you might reduce your chances of a heart attack (unlikely because of the alarming way that cars fly around you and disregard you), reduce chances of diabetes, reduce your carbon footprint, reduce your wear and tear on the road, reduce your stress level (also unlikely because people like you will be writing about how much you suck or how ridiculous you look.), reduce your world view to that which is right in front of you. This last reduction strikes a cord with me for sure. I've reduced my view so much, and in turn expanded my hope for a change. It's hard to be on the bike every day. What if I didn't have a choice? What if this was the only way to get my kids to school or to my job? What if I am on my way to the hospital to see a dying friend and it's the only way to get there? Do you think you are the only one on the road with a human life, something to move, or someone to care about? It turns out that I'm riding to my JOB everyday and not because I got a DUI, but because I choose to. I have the right to be there.

OK, obviously this post on Craigslist struck a cord. Here's the actual text from the posting:

SHARE THE ROAD does not just mean cars have to get out of YOUR way! If there's a lot of traffic, MOVE YOUR ASSES TO THE SIDEWALK! Bully for you for going green and helping the environment, but the rest of us are trying to get to work, moving furniture, or maybe visiting a family member in the hospital. And we want to be able to do it without nearly running you over or getting in a wreck because you are hogging the fucking lane. Your holier-than-thou behavior means jack shit. How do you think your bicycle ended up in the shop where you bought it anyway? It got here by truck, not by bike, so MOVE! And remember, traffic laws also apply to you, so wait for the light, anus-face. Also, unless you are in an actual race, or training for one, take off those ridiculous spandex "look at me" biking outfits and wind-reducing helmets. You look like a fucking moron, and there's no need to get into your full bicycle regalia to make a quarter-mile trip to the Hollywood Market for cigarettes and Gatorade.

I certainly appreciate our right to freedom of speech which I have also exercised here. I only hope that somehow, some way, we can each realize that we do not know one another's circumstances. So next time you see me on my bike, realize that I have a beating heart like you, that I want the same thing as you. I'm not trying to take away your right to drive a car, so why are you trying to take away mine to ride a bike?

Until we ride again...and I'll be watching for you, Ciao!

Oh, and I'm not an "anus face." ;-)