miscellaneous ramblings

It's funny, the stuff cyclists write about, because the sport seems to have a meditative aspect to it.

One thing I love about cycling is you can eat as much as you want, but I'm cutting back again on trans fats, etc. But on long tours you can eat like a fat person and not gain weight. It's great.

I love my little Panasonic rice pot, four bucks at Salvation Army. But I worry about the fact that it's aluminum, I don't want Altzheimer's later on. (They suspect aluminum residue causes it) . I am looking for a steel pot.

I have discovered that mixing sweet short grain rice with regular short grain rice is amazing. So I woofed down a really great rice, lentil and veggie stew and went for an intense training ride in the drizzle.

I've been training in a quiet neighborhood where there's a pretty decent hill. So I just ride up it about ten times, then do some heavy sprinting work on a well lit, well paved street. Much less chance of getting killed, and if I do crash, I'm only a mile or so from home.

I will get on the magnetic training rollers only if I really have to this winter. Rollers are an intense workout, but excruciatingly boring. But they do save your bike from road-crud.

I am down to a size 32 waist, which I was at age 18. This feels really, really good. It's amazing how quickly you can gain weight, though.

Just a couple road - notes:

First, I am getting sick of women with kids in minivans endangering their whole families (and other vehicles) by passing me over the double yellow, going completely into the oncoming lane.

I've worked out some better strategies to prevent this from happening, but it still happens. It happened yesterday, this woman couldn't wait five seconds to let me pass a parked car on a slight incline. The car was parked in the bike lane, of course. I was going to let her pass me after I got around it. I mean, we're talking the time it takes me to go eleven feet was the time she decided to gun the motor.

To Moms: forget about teaching your children anything good or compassionate anymore. The hell with it. There's a war on, every man for himself.

Your kids had to sit there and witness this whole selfish act on your part.
I give up. You Ma'am, are a poor role model.

On a plus side, other people are starting to wave and beep, especially when they see me hammering away in the cold and wet.
Thanks! Peace to you all this Xmas.

I'll share this last note: when pulling up to an intersection, let a car or two go ahead of you. If you are the first one to the green light, hang back about 30 feet, so a car can get in the right lane, and/or maybe make a right turn if they want. I have noticed a lot less motorists get huffy if you let a couple go first. The ones behind you in line will mellow out as well, you are a "team player".

If you hang back in the car's right blind spot at an intersection, you don't have to deal with harassment with the vehicle right next to you, like if some idiot rolls down their window... and you can keep an eye on them through their passenger mirror and though the back right side window. This is what the cops do when approaching a vehicle, so they don't get shot. (It's hard to aim a gun backwards over the back seat)

It's also a good idea, IMO, to not be the first in line at the left of the intersection. You can easily get clipped by someone making a left turn, cutting across the lane from your right. Half the time they won't even see you, as they don't expect a bike to be there. They're always on the phone.

When approaching a left turn with hedges, obstructions, stop all the way to the right, then ease out carefully, looking both ways, but especially around the hedge, truck, obstruction, etc, Again, you can be hit by that driver zooming in from your right as he/she makes a left turn, cutting the line.

This is one scenario I have yet to see on any bike safety website.

I highly recommend the new strobe white headlamps, my Planet Bike LED rocks! And it's not even the deluxe model.

Motorists flick their headlights now to let me know they see me. This is great.
I've had much less problems lately with the dreaded "left cross" scenario as well.

I ride with a police whistle in my mouth at all times in traffic. Three bucks, and it works so much better than any ding-ding bell or horn on the market. I would love a nice loud air horn, though, but it's reserved for intense scenarios. I believe
an air horn startles people, especially pedestrians. So use it wisely, when you have a right to be a little pissed.

There's a horn on the market that you pump up with your tire pump. It's like 34.99.


Ok, brain fade. All for now...