Crisp autumn air steals the soul. The shard like wind slaps my face as I step out onto Washington St. in Brighton at the intersection with Comm Ave. I squeeze my helmet down tight and eyeball the traffic flow. At the moment it opens up I mount my ragged Univega and pump my crank, steaming across to hang my left toward Boston. A couple quick breaths to center myself and the road drops away, I drop with it. Speed gathers around and in me. Gravity doesn’t pull me, I’m chasing it. The first of many more lights rushes toward me green and friendly. I grin and drop through it. My chest beats in time with my feet, my cadence is roaring. The next light hoves into view at the base of a steep drop, it goes yellow then red. I judge the little maroon four door, staring right into it, into the driver’s face. A flurry of action and the intersection is mine the road evens out as if for me, for my reward. I sway easily around in my lane and on toward the congestion of Harvard St. I wind to the dotted white line in anticipation, keeping my cadence up, holding on to my well earned momentum. The lights are red both ways and the little white man is flashing at all corners. I jump out of traffic, inches from someone I can barely see and whip into the open space someone howls at me and I glide on like the prick I am. The next drop is an easy one and I take the breather to roll up my sleeves and undo the top buttons on my jacket. My core temp is rising, and sweat is beginning to dew on me. I pump on, swaying down the hill. I hit a tricksy intersection, the big turn, the light is red and not calling my name but it’s easy to fold into the traffic rushing in from North Beacon. I slide right in, bullying for space and then taking a lane, stomping on my pedals, barely touching my saddle. A huge pickup lays on its horn behind me again and again and in that second I fly left to the dotted white around a little hatch back and pass it leaving them both at the light. I casually take another intersection. Around this bit of Comm Ave. Boston goes flat and I coast, free, soaking in the sun and that crisp autumn air.
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Just so you know, I have thought about what I’m doing. If you read the bio I put up you’ll see that I have calmed down with age. I’m simply sharing my experiences from the last 13 years, crazy riding and not so insane. As I continue to post I think you’ll see the lessons I’ve learned. I have been hit by cars, many times, but that’s another post as much as it is further in the past. As I’ve grown older I may not have slowed down much, but I’m a great deal more considerate on the road now. I never come close to pedestrians any more and allways try to give slower riders a wide birth. Try to remember the maxim ‘it takes all kinds’. I am also well aware of the consequenses of those reckless actions and would apreciate if you could refrain from mean spirrited ill wishes. In future, I’ll not respond to such gripes, I’m going to try to finnish relating my story and let that do the explaining. You’re alot like me, in my dickish self centered youth, I used the anonimity of traffic, you utilize the same bennefits from the inerwebs. Lets all try to be civil before jumping to snap judgements. Wishing you safe riding. Farewell.
You are going to wind up getting really hurt or killed riding like a moron and pissing off everyone else on the road. It might seem cool now, but dying or being left paralyzed and crapping into a plastic bag the rest of your life sure isn’t. The laws of physics and common sense may not exist in your small self centered universe, but you really may want to consider them, along with the impact of your behavior in agitating ill will against cyclists. For your own sake PLEASE take some time to think about what you’re doing.