I HAVE THE INFO

Some Notes on Rides Since Becoming a Father

Since Graham’s arrival on 4/11, I’ve logged 111 miles.(YTD I am close to double where I was mileage wise compared to last year. I have no idea how this has happened as I haven’t done any epic 8 hour/125 mile rides this year, and don’t plan to.

Jocko Weyland, a writer whose work I am familar with from skateboarding, has a piece in this week’s NY Times on bicycling. I think he’s a little pre-occupied with the whole trendiness/ people I don’t like doing something I love and that makes me love it less thing. But he does touch on a good point about riding a fixie in one of his quoted riders:

…The group also includes people like Toni Germanotta, a 42-year-old owner of an art studio that serves the apparel industry. “When you’re on a fixed gear,” said Ms. Germanotta, who works in the garment district, “it gives you a higher skill level. You have to be constantly aware, always watching the road. You don’t just ride, and it feels a little crazy…”

It kind of touches on the gift of riding a fixed gear for so long(for me, probably something around 2000 of my last 4000 miles)…that being situational awareness. You can’t have it on autopilot when you are riding a fixed gear bike. And nowadays, when on group rides, I get bored, and sightsee because I have extra cycles in my head.

To wit, things I’ve seen on the bike over the past two weeks:

• A siamese cat, less then a year old with the most beautiful blue eyes ran out into traffic in the 50s on Haverford Ave. And then ran back under a car. People should keep animals like that in doors. Or just gather the cash they spent on them and burn it in the fire place…
• A Cormorant flying maybe 2-3 feet off the water, on the Schuyckill. The wind was up that day. It occured to me that this was the reason the bird was flying so low. He was above the water, but below the elevation of the banks.
• A stray dog, behind the Mann Music Center. I’m always tempted to stop and help stray dogs. And then I remember rabies and being bitten and think better of it. I kept seeing bitches with huge saggy tits on rides in west philly a month back. Running wild, looking for something to eat, so they could go back and feed their pups. This was just some male pit mix. Looking like he wasn’t quite sure where he was going. other then away from where he came from. Sad.
• Monday thru Thursday, I rode into work. I go down Chestnut street. I pull up next to this giant Dodge Durango SUV. And I recognize the driver, AK. AK is a guy I met 17 years ago. I was trying to decide what to do about College. He had just graduated from Columbia and was at Temple Law. He was encouraging. Now he’s a partner at a big law firm in center city.
  He see’s me riding and as he passes, says ‘Grab on to my bumper!’ which is funny only because…I immediately go out into the lane to his passenger side, and keep pace with him for about 3 blocks. He drops me going up a hill. Then gets caught at a light.
  I pass him and don’t see him again for the rest of the ride.
  Fun.