grumpy thoughts about cycling
I wonder if there's something I'm missing when it comes to cycling properly. The last few days I've seen several other cyclists—cyclists who, from their outfits and expensive rides, seemed likely to know what they were doing—peddling furiously for a few several seconds and then coasting for perhaps twice as long, before repeating the process. I always thought that was the cadence of a youngster on a "bmx" bike, the kind with an unfavorable gear ratio and a too-low seat. On an expensive road bike, not so much. Maybe it's some kind of a warm-up thing? I don't know. I try and keep my cadence as steady as I can, mostly because if I let it slow down too much I'm afraid I'll stop and never be able to get going again.
I don't know enough about the subject to teach it in gym class certainly. If I did I could tell the kiddies that they shouldn't ride on big roads and that they need to wear bright colors on the bicycle. And teach them hand signals! Essential for riding around the block. I suppose that it's nice that the subject comes up at all in the public school, but too me it seems like just another way to make riding a bike strictly a leisure-time activity. These kids should be riding to school! Although maybe not tomorrow; I hear there's snow in the forecast.