The first and most important is the motivation to get out from the snug and soothing wrap of the settee and turn off the "Best of..."compilation DVD of great Classic Races, large screen bio's on the controversial characters of the sport and docu-dramas about the more unsavoury and darker aspects of high level competition.
If the weather is half decent, ie the road surface is not obscured by a covering of snow or a torrent of rain and the windspeed permits fully upright rather than offset and sideways riding then there is very little left by way of excuses not to get out and test yourself.
This assumes that the bike itself is well maintained and rideable without squeaks, creaks and ominous structural groanings from tubes and lugs.
After a few checks on tyre pressure and tread condition, ease of chain movement, wheel alignment, saddle and handlebar height and fixing and with the stock of spares squirrelled away in the large, floppy back pockets of the road jersey it is only a matter of easing out into the wide world.
That is when the fun begins.
In an ideal cycling environment there would be a complete separation from motor vehicles and wandering pedestrians. This has long been the worthy ambition of two wheel activists but in our modern cities and towns there is an inevitable compromise brought about by costs and space of sticking a cycle lane inbetween the pavement and kerb which impedes actual fluidity of riding and still exposes the rider to interference by those on foot and yet more persons encased in the cocoons of their vehicles.
In my area this funnelling of the cycle tracks has created some weird anomalies, notwithstanding a high level of hazard from, most notably in my experience, the sudden arrival at a gaping hole where there should have been a bridge across an old subway cutting. There had been no prior warning of this void along the route nor any chance of satisfaction in getting an explanation for it from the local authority. Another favourite obstacle encountered in my area is a Post Box which sits in the cycle lane forcing riders to make a choice on which side to pass by. This makes for an interesting situation when riders approach from both sides.
Here are a few local and national examples;
Other cycle lanes just evaporate into thin air or at a main road merge point just leave the cyclist to guess where on earth it resumes on the other side. The craziest innovation is the cycle lane in the gutter actually between parked cars and the pavement. Talk about being unsighted and invisible to other road users.There are promising signs that urban councils are adopting a more realistic approach. This position has been forced upon them by the upsurge in those taking to two wheels as their primary or regular form of transport rather than a philanthropic and benevolent tendency. Begrudging or what?
I do advocate cycling in traffic as an essential part of road craft for any regular user of a pedal cycle although it is a case of being very cautious and defensive in the company of motorists otherwise oblivious to the presence of any others on the road that they regard as their exclusive domain.
This does appear to be very much a UK based attitude of car drivers towards cyclists as I have ridden extensively on the continent and have always been given more than a generous amount of room and consideration.
Perhaps the average motorist in being on the clock in financial outlay from the moment of firing up the engine simply, for example insurance, road tax, garage bills, parking charges, fuel and running costs, begrudges the perceived freeloading on the highways by cyclists. It should not be forgotten that a tangible proportion of cyclists are also car drivers and in using their bikes are actually gifting additional facilities on the road to those who remain behind the wheel.
I admit that some bike riders are irresponsible in ignoring traffic lights, jumping the kerb and using the pavement to beat a traffic queue , riding into a flow of traffic, not having lights at night or wearing headphones all of which I put down to recklessness, stupidity, ignorance, the decline in cycling road safety education and poor cycling amenities generally.
Only after putting all of the above into the required level of background awareness makes it possible to cycle happily and meaningfully.
Some may try to emulate the stars of the Professional ranks in speed and endurance, others to achieve a personal best time on a Strava route or just get to the top of that pesky hill.
Me?, I just try to make it back alive and in one piece from a quick dash to the local shop having purchased goodies and snacks for another session in front of the television engrossed in the sights and sounds of a re-run of a scorching European summer at the Tours de France and Spain, just as the September snow, gales and torrential rain kick in on the shores of this damp northern nation.
No comments:
Post a Comment