Search with Google

Custom Search

Monday, November 15, 2010

On Blowing Up and Burning Out

So as I mentioned previously I did a lot of riding last week. I rode every day from Saturday November 6 (63km) though until (and including) Saturday November 13, 85km. My shortest day was November 6 at 63km, my longest was Sunday the 7'th at 125km. The total distance was 674km in eight days, which does not sound all that impressive I suppose, except, pulling eight consecutive rides in November, and averaging almost 85km/day this time of year is something that is worthy of a blog post.

My ride on Saturday (November 13, 85km) was a strange one. First it was not raining, just very misty, foggy one might say. But from the house the road looked dry and visibility was pretty good to a few hundred meters so I figured I'd be fine for a ride. Then I hit the road and almost immediately visibility dropped to under 50m. Having ridden every single day for the previous week I was feeling pretty enfeebled and with the lousy visibility I was seriously tempted to just abort and head home, but, I soldiered on. As I rode North the fog started to lift and with the clearing of the sky my head cleared as well and I started to really enjoy the ride. Car drivers were bizarrely exceedingly courteous and frankly the ride up Royal York was little more than a big love feast. Not that I mind, I wish more drivers would behave the same way around cyclists as the motorists on Royal York.

I rode east across Steeles for a while, Steeles is a lot better ever since the city resurfaced almost the entire length of the road, except just past every major intersection the right lane is undergoing road work for about ten meters. I wish they would hurry that road work up, there is nothing worse than being squeezed into a tight lane with cars that are in the post red light rush to the next red.

In frustration I gave up on Steeles and took a side road just east of Bathurst. Just after the turn a blue hatchback Mazda with an empty bike rack passed me. (No big deal so far. ) Then without signalling or looking the Mazda made a right turn at an intersection (no stop required) and had it not been for decent reflexes and outstanding brakes (thank goodness for Malcolm Munroe and Shimano Dura-Ace) I would have been either t-boned or plowed into the Mazda. I yelled at the driver, something along the lines of questioning his intelligence and some other choice expressions and continued on my way. A block later I encountered the Mazda again and the driver tried to engage me in some sort of conversation, now talking to someone who nearly kills me is not my idea of a good time. I tried to get away as fast as I could. (It took a few tries, but eventually I managed to escape the idiot in the blue Mazda.) Irony, besides the bike rack, he was wearing some sort of high-tech long sleeve jersey, like he had just done some outdoors activity, maybe he was going to reprimand me for riding?

Thanks go the mist at the start of the ride Jordan was covered in mud by the time I got her home. I am doing another one of my uber cleaning jobs on her - good timing, I am on call this week and cannot go for a ride.

No comments: