An introduction...

My friend, the quasi-legendary Ben(jie) Kendrew, and I were talking the other day about my committed intention to bicycle to work year-round when he said: "Wow, you should have, like, a reality show or something!" Well, so many people have expressed the same kind of admiration/disbelief in my hardcore cycling conviction that I thought "Hey, maybe I should get my blog on." I'm sure that my myriad other interests like guitars, music, other athletic endeavors, and the like will creep in here as well. Oh, and family and stuff. But mainly this will be the ol' electronic fireside by you can hear tell of the many wonderous tales that riding to work and back no matter what will regularly give to me.

Then maybe I can negotiate a contract for that reality show.

So for this inaugural post, I present a (possibly) worthy two-parter:

Part 1) A recap of this past week-

Mon.-First colder (sub 40 degrees f) morning ride in. Naturally, I overdressed and was dripping underneath my fleece when I got to work.

Tues.-Again a bit chilly in the a.m. On the way home some guy really cussed me out for gliding through a red light. He was probably jealous that he and his Chrysler Sebring couldn't do the same, so he zoomed up beside me in said convertible and let loose, as it were. At first I just mocked him and his sailor talk (better than responding in kind but still not what I should have done) but I was slowly tempted to respond in kind. It wouldn't have mattered; this guy was like a swearing, late middle-aged, white robot. He was most likely venting, as ridiculous as it was. Where ever you are, buddy, I forgive you.

Wed.- Had a good discussion about Tuesday's run-in with Mr. Potty Mouth with Evan at Dirty Harry's bike shop in fair Verona. He shared some very keen philosophical insights about riding in traffic, dealing with enraged motorists, and choosing routes. Which leads me to...

Part B. Safe at Third, like Charlie Hustle

So my new friend Evan from Dirty Harry's reminded me about the trail that leads from a gravel parking lot at the intersection of Washington Blvd and Allegheny River Blvd to the bike track and then to the police station on Wash. Blvd. I decided to incorporate it into this morning's ride in to work. I ended up looking like a clip from the beginning of the television show Jackass.

Trying to get into that gravel parking lot (so I could access the trail) at a speed quick enough so as to not make cars coming into the right hand lane slam on their brakes left me with this:

Yep, bike went out from under me when what I thought was fairly solid earth underneath the gravel and dust was just...a pile of loose gravel and dust. Bike: exit stage left. Chris' body: slide forward hands and elbows out, kinda like Pete Rose:



I lead with my right side a bit, though. I think I'll have a small bruise on my right 'bow. I'm sure it looked hilarious.