This blog post takes the form of a poemContinue reading
Your feet, they're Longfellows
Alas, ye hardly know 'em
Yada yada, the punster bellows.
Poem: Call Me Not Ismael, but Rather A Dude Atrikes!
Austin
On St. Patrick’s Day, How the Bicycle Helped Bring Feminism, Freedom, and More to Ireland
Today is the holiday of St. Patrick’s Day which falls during International Women’s History Month, plus it’s been two weeks since my last post. Also, I’m a quarter Irish-American myself. All together, those are as good a reason as any to blog. But when it comes to bicycling and Ireland, I don’t know much. Sure, I’ve heard of famous Irish pro cyclists Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche, and Dan Martin (born in England but a dual national, given his mother is Irish and related to Roche). I enjoyed watching the latter back when I tuned into the Tour de France. Martin was a cheeky breakaway and mountain climbing specialist. Professional sports isn’t for 99.9% of people who bike, though. There’s also that Idlecyclist chap, the fellow blogger who’s doing more hiking these days. (No judgement, and it still rhymes). But it was fascinating to learn that the bicycle has an important role in Irish history.
Continue readingHow Writing Has Helped My Bicycling
It’s Leap Day, 2024. Let’s jump right in. I have kept a journal for most of my life since being a young teen, encouraged by my maternal grandmother. There have been plenty of long gaps and since starting this blog in 2016, many days that I skipped both to work on my bicycle memoir. Writing is a way to express your feelings, and in a journal it’s private. Blogging is sometimes an online extension of that, depending how personal you want to get. Either way, helping to clarify thoughts, process emotions, outline goals, and refine motivation are all good for your health. Which in turn is both what one needs for any sustained exercise habit or practice and a benefit of the same. The fact that I’ve written a whole book (or two, since it’s too long–even as I try to revise it a third time, what it really needs is funding for an editor) is another way I’ve expressed myself, usually about all my biking. Sure, I could still ride a bike without writing, but both are entertwined and part of my daily do’s, and so far as I’m able to continue, I plan to and hope I will.
Continue reading2/2/2024: 5 Reasons Why Austin, Texas Is Not as Bicycle-Friendly As It Thinks
Austin, Texas. Just the words call up images in the minds of people who have lived here a long time, the recently arrived, and those dreaming of coming here. I know this because I’ve been all three, obviously in reverse order. I’ll stipulate that we’re much better off than Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and most other cities in the state. This isn’t a comparison with them. But compared to the great bike cities of the world, to which Austin can aspire, we are surely lacking. And Austin sure thinks highly about itself. It’s evident in our slogans — The Live Music Capital of the World, Keep Austin Weird, The People’s Republic of Austin, Silicon Hills, The Third Coast (as if–we’re over 200 miles from the Gulf of Mexico).
Continue readingBOOK REVIEW: Bicycle Diaries, by David Byrne
Talking Heads were active as an independent pop rock band from 1975-1991. They became world famous in the 80’s, the era of Music Television (MTV), with numerous danceable and singable hits that still get heavy radio play today. A big part of that fame were the whispery to soaring vocal sounds and quirky, herky-jerky dance moves of tall, angular, and gangly frontman, lead singer, guitar player, and co-songwriter, David Byrne, Spoiler alert, he’s also a bicyclist! This post is not a literary critique, but some random thoughts about his book. But stick with me, because as Byrne sings in the “Burning Down the House” lyrics: “Watch out, you might get what you’re after.” One thing is for sure: it’s doubtful such a multi-talented dude is being honest when he sings, “I’m an ordinary guy.”
Continue readingSophie’s Revenge: Meet My New Bicycle Soqi, the Cannondale Quick 4
Faithful readers already know that two years and ten days ago, my Fairdale Weekender Archer I dubbed Sophie (because she was sea foam green and to follow after Sonnie and Sookie) was stolen by a brazen bicycle thief. It was a shock and loss I never really got over. Sophie and I passed 20,000 miles together; through this blog she was known in other countries, and we did some pretty epic rides. She is gone but not forgotten. But keep reading, for the rest… of the story.
Continue reading2023 In Review: I Did Other Stuff Than Bike, Too
In my New Year’s post I covered my year in cycling and a bit about the walking. In this post, I take a closer look at walking and my other daily activities and practices.
Continue reading1/1/24: 5,308 Bicycled + 496 Walked = 5,804 Miles in 2023
Year Eight of my journey since I began this blog is in the books. This annual post looks at the statistics recorded by my Garmin vivoactive 3 watch and Strava fitness tracking app. They show the numbers of what I did bicycling, walking, and doing yoga (with a few swims). Beyond the data, it tells a story of being active as I age and despite my efforts, remain a fathlete. Let’s take a look at how I did whe compared to 2022 (which you can read about in this blog post). Spoiler alert, I beat every year except 2020 and 2021. Not too bad, comparing myself to me, which is the only way to really do it.
Continue reading10 Years (A Decade!) of Consecutive Daily Yoga Practice
On December 25, 2013, I began what has now become a decade of doing downward-facing dog (or other poses) for 30 minutes every day. Before that there had been a three-week challenge my sister-in-law roped me into. Initially starting on December 4, those few weeks were interrupted by two days when I was too out of it from a medical thing. I began again (a key in establishing any habit), and I discovered a four-week Yoga Journal program called “Boost Your Willpower.” When that ended, I kept going. Another month, then a season, half a year, a year… and I have not stopped since. (Yesterday marked 3,652 days, if you’re counting.)
Continue reading12 Ways Not to Die on a Bicycle
Death comes as the end of all living beings, be they mammalian, amphibian, reptilian, and avian. To paraphrase a 1972 song that recently got stuck in my head by the band The Main Ingredient, “Everybody plays the ghoul, there’s no exception to the rule.” As my brother says, “Nobody gets out alive.” In this cheery and uplifting post, A Dude Abikes (c’est moi!) shares a few thoughts and a dozen pointers on how people on bikes can remain among the land of the living.
As the subspecies of Homo sapiens who propel themselves around on two-wheeled machines, bicyclists are certainly vulnerable road users and thus susceptible to death by car crash. “In 2021 there were 966 pedalcyclist fatalities, accounting for 2.2 percent of all traffic fatalities that year,” (in the USA). That’s 966 too many, but relatively encouragiing considering the 42,939 people who died total by car crash which includes pedestrians. Another stat says 20% of the cyclists in crashes with cars were drunk. Also, “In 2021 an estimated 41,615 pedalcyclists were injured.” This is according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. However, bicycling is still generally safe if you follow the rules and ride defensively.
So, what does one do to steer clear of the Grim Reaper, to avoid getting into that irreversible and proverbial pickle with that old black-clad creeper with the sickle? These tips are probably not news to most of you who are hard core cyclists, but they bear repeating. These tips are probably not news to most of you who are hard core cyclists, but they bears repeating. (Those two sentences were brought to you by Monty Python’s Department of Redundancy Department. Well, really just the second one, if you want to be precise. And where did the talking bear come from? What’s their story?)
- Know thyself. If you think you’re faster than that car barrelling down the road toward you, and you’re not, you’ll learn this lesson quickly. Be aware of your strengths and weaknesses, and ride within them. If you’re not sure, don’t risk it.
- Be visible. During the day you are more likely to be seen, but there’s also more traffic. At night can be fine with good lights, a safety vest, and brightly colored clothes are all great ways to remain among the not dead (yet), in the land of the living crowd. A very bright headlight that is flashing even during the day can really help you to stand out. Conversely, avoiding all of those things are a good way to get deaded quickly.
- Never trust car drivers to follow the law. Tonight on my daily ride, an idiot was driving a Jeep IN THE PROTECTED BIKE LANE HEAD ON! This happened as I approached an intersection, trying to enter the two-way bike lane HE HAD COMPLETLY BLOCKED. This was with a car right in front of me. Even if they signal or wave you on, watch them like hawks until they pass or you know you’re safe.
- Follow the law. There are plenty of cyclists who flaunt the rules. We’ve all half-stopped or rolled through four-way stop signs when no cars are around. But FFS, don’t go darting across red lights, rie in the opposite direction, fail to signal, and so on because you could die. Be predictable and act like the vehicle you are.
- Wear a helmet. Yes, they’re not perfect, they mess up your hair, and look silly. Try watching this crash test dummy (head only) video on YouTube by Chris Rollins on YouTube. The slow-motion in particular shows the graphic impact of a head hitting the road at 55 mph with a helmet (granted, it’s a motorcycle helmet) versus one without protection. Then go immediately to buy a helmet and wear it 100% of the time you’re bicycling. I once crashed on a shitty sidewalk and hit my helmet, not my head. That’s why I’m here and not dead. Here’s my post titled New Bicycle Helmet Poem, which has a link to a more serious post, Helmet Schelmet: Should You Wear a Brain Bucket on a Bicycle?.
- Plot your route. Ask your local bicycle shop, other bike riders, or even find your city’s bike map if they have one. But when going somewhere new (which is not often, since I’ve been in Austin about 27 years total), I pull up Google Maps, select the Bicycle option to highlight the green or dotted-green paths. These are usually safer ways to go. Usually; you can verify this yourself by looking at the street view to see if there’s a bike lane, a debris-filled narrow shoulder, sidewalk, or nothing. If it’s a commute, and you have a car, you could drive first to find the best way.
- Ride only on trails, sidewalks, and side roads. Depending where you live, you might be able to find shortcuts that take you away from major streets. I often ride sidewalks, especially when there are no bike lanes and traffic is screaming by at 50 miles per hour. Just check your municipality for where it’s legal; in most places, it is fine. Of course you have to pay extra attentiion to vehicles coming out of parking lots, especially if you are goiing against traffic; cars definitely are not looking for you. Then there are curbs, gaps, pedestrians, etc. Trails are great if they go where you want to. Streets are likely inevitable though at some point.
- Be willing to go off the beaten path. Some places are more bicycle-friendly than others, so be prepared for some dirt, mud, grass, and the like. Recently, on a ride in the ‘burbs of a certain large Texas city, I had to do some rough riding in the dirt. Although it could be anywhere, including Austin, it is more common for that area for a sidewalk to simply end. The alternative was biking on the service road of a tollway, so I chose life and stayed away from Death Race 2023 by going slowly over the uneven udeveloped earth.
- ABC — Always Be Checking. Keep your head on a swivel. Look as much ahead, to the sides, and behind you with peripheral vision. Some people opt for rear-view mirrors.
- Eliminate distractions. Never use headphones (bone conduction might be an exception, but still, I don’t), talk on your cell phone, or blast your Bluetooth speaker. These are no-brainers, which your head will bee if you do them and don’t see hear the silent electric vehiclee behind you with a distracted driver as they smash into your clueless body.
- Get an electric bike. I don’t use one (yet) or go out of my way to advocate for them, because it feels like cheating. I call them motorcycles, which they are, technically. And, although I’m a fathlete, I’m trying to not get fatter, so I need the exercise. However, they are less polluting than cars, so I’m not opposed to them whee operated safely. They are risky when ridden by inexperienced riders. But if you can handle them, they will give you extra power going uphill or to get out of the way of cars.
- Ride in a pack. Group rides are generally better especially on rural roads because there is safety in numbers. Unless you get some jackass who plows into your peloton. Vehicles generally will get the point and wait until it’s safe to go around you.
- BONUS: Don’t ride at all. This one makes no sense to me, because not bicycling does not compute. And, no risk, no reward. Not bicycling guarantees you won’t die by riding a bicycle. But if you get around some other way than by bike, those aren’t risk-free either. You could also include riding exclusively on a trainer with this point, because you’re not really riding. However, you could die on on a trainer, especially the kind with rollers, or from a heart attack, or sheer boredom.
I thought about including those newfangled air bags that iniflate from your helmet when it senses a crash, but it’s a product that’s not widely available yet, is expensive, and it won’t keep the rest of your body from being mangled in a crash.
Well, there you have it: a baker’s dozen ways to stay alive on your bicycle. Which is your favorite? What would you add to the list?
Copyright 2023 A Dude Abikes. All rights reserved. Shortlink for this post.
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