It's been a bit since the last post. Yeah - like 4 years.....so I will repent. Here I go again.
I've really started to commute since moving South. The weather seems to be much more accommodating for a greater part of the year. My route is usually along the American River trail. I love the ride - vegetation, animal life, the sounds of the river, the river itself. Many days of the year I start in the dark and experience the sun rise during the ride into work. Joy!
Today was one of those days - start in the dark and experience the sun rise.
We all know how competitive we all can be - even cyclists. I passed a fellow commuter lugging a nice size back pack. I said "good morning" as I gradually rolled past him. As I got past him, I geared down and hit the hammer. Yep, I wanted to be sure he didn't jump my wheel. I was rolling 20+ MPH and letting my legs yell at me. That FTP last night on Zwift really did a thing on me. I still wanted to go fast this morning anyway.
As I got down the path a mile or so, I looked back, expecting to see the fellow commuters lights. I didn't. I thought I caught a glimpse of him on my wheel but it was dark so I kept on pedaling. As I rolled by the park, that I don't know the name of at mile marker 15.5, I saw some ducks up ahead on the trail. Most mornings, there are ducks on the trail so no biggie. They usually just sit asleep, not moving, while I roll past. Not today! The two ducks start moving in opposite directions across the path. I yell "duck" and stop pedaling to decide what to do. Next thing I hear is a "ping" on wheels. I look back only to catch my fellow commuter hitting the deck. Oops! I slow to roll, turn around, and go back to help out if I can. I inspect the commuter, the bike, asking a few questions only to not get a response. He could have been in shock or since he had head phones on that probably explains the non-responsiveness. Or he was extremely pissed off and not saying anything because of that as well. I know it hurt to go down like that but I could only see small scratches and limited clothing issues. I felt for this dude. Way to start your morning - from the possibility of a beautiful sunrise to hitting the deck and hoping your cycling clothes will work for the commute home and that there are no other unseen injuries. Bam!
I rode with him a short ways after he got back on the bike and then I continued the push into work.
Here's a reminder from this experience:
- Speak up when you decide to draft on someone. especially if you don't know them
- Know your surroundings, light conditions, time of day, etc. when determining following distance
- When drafting, take the headphones out, be aware
- Ducks are inconsistent in the early AM; they need their coffee too!
Stay Alert. Happy riding! Be safe out there.
No comments:
Post a Comment