An Inch and Granny

Ok, I’m interrupting my vacation post writings to jump up on my soapbox for a minute to get something off my chest.

Yesterday I went out with my dear friends Lisa & Alison for a bike ride. It was an absolutely beautiful day, a late summer/fall day with the perfect mixture of everything; brilliant blue sky with the cotton-white clouds, no humidity and cozy warmth from the sun. I almost didn’t go as Alison and I rode pretty hard the day before and I was tired from having a glass too many of wine from a girl’s night out. But, I threw my bike in the car and said F-it, I’ll go.

Seems that was on the mind of my companions as well and we had a “Nantucket Day” ride ahead of us; just a nice casual spin full of conversation and soaking in the surroundings, not a day to hammer out a workout. The only goal I set for myself was to NOT use my “Granny Gear” on any hill.

Ok, Soapbox time.

We were maybe 7 miles into our ride and were talking about getting out of the saddle vs. sitting while doing climbs and what muscles are built with each style. I love when Lisa shares her training knowledge; I learn a lot from her pointers. As we were riding during the week and in the middle of the afternoon, traffic was minimal; however, the traffic that was out there was downright scary.

Most riders will take advantage of the chat time with riding side by side so you can hear what the other is saying. If you hear or see a car coming from behind, a rider will say “car back” and someone will ride ahead so that a single file line is made. As Lisa and I were talking, we hear a car horn beeping and I started to ride ahead to move over for the car. Before I even had a full revolution to my chain, a speeding red truck was blowing by and within an inch of brushing the side of my arm. It took my breath away. The driver must have laid on the horn only seconds before passing. I shared the same thought that Alison spoke out loud “He didn’t even give you a chance to move over!” My immediate reaction was to give a full hand salute, a better gesture I thought than a true flipping the finger.

What is the freaking hurry? There is no traffic what-so-ever on the road ahead of you or behind you. You have three riders on the road, which I might add is a bike-shared road, that are no match for your half-ton vehicle. Why on earth do you feel the need to pass in such a manner? If you were an inch closer, you would have been in a hurry to go nowhere but a courtroom. Drivers do not think of the consequences to their actions until it is too late. Like Lisa wrote in one of her blog posts, just once, drivers should ride a bike on a road to experience what it is really like to ride with traffic. Drivers don’t realize that if we are in the road, we are avoiding a huge hole, glass, debris, or it could be that there is no pavement to the right of the white line. For whatever reason, drivers seem to get so angry when they see a cyclist on the road that it takes all rationality out of the brain and instead the mindset of “I’ll show them” sets in. Just remember, and inch will not only change my life and your life, but it will change the life of my husband, my kids, my family and my friends. Was your pass really worth all that?

Ok, I’ve climbed off the box and appreciate you letting me vent for a moment.

The ride continued through winding roads to a familiar stop on our route. It was nice to grab a drink and sit and chat. We continued back and I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation and company.

I am happy to say that “granny” was not visited on this ride and I hope that the girls and I can share another “Nantucket Day” again soon.