Tomorrow is Labor Day here in the US.
Some people are going to the beach one last time.
Some are cycling there.
Not many, I reckon, are combining those activities.
In the middle of the journey of my life, I am--as always--a woman on a bike. Although I do not know where this road will lead, the way is not lost, for I have arrived here. And I am on my bicycle, again.
I am Justine Valinotti.
Tomorrow is Labor Day here in the US.
Some people are going to the beach one last time.
Some are cycling there.
Not many, I reckon, are combining those activities.
Beach cruisers aren’t meant to be high-performance bikes. So their designers can be, shall we say, a little whimsical:
I never have had children. If I had, I like to think I would have taken them on bike rides. Somehow, though, I don’t think it would have looked like this:
I know I’ve posted images like this in previous “Sunday Funnies “ posts. Yesterday’s “How Many Bikes” reminded me of it.
Some say we become jaded in midlife. Actually, we are simply not as easily impressed as we once were. While some retreat into quiet resignation, others ask the “rude” questions:
No matter how much money we spend on bikes (or anything related to them), it’s still less than at least one of the alternatives:
You’ve heard of MAMILs: Middle-Aged Men In Lycra.
Although I am in the middle of my life, I can’t be a MAMIL for one reason, and won’t be one (or, for that matter, a MAWIL—it doesn’t have the same ring) for another.
What determines what your ride will be like?
Is it the weather? The kind of bike you ride? Its condition? Or, maybe, what you had for breakfast?
Did you drink tea or coffee? If you did, did you have o e cup too many?
If you ride, or have ridden, a fixed-gear bike with no brakes, this video might remind you of your first, or only, attempt.
I haven’t heard the expression “cool cat” in a while. (Maybe I hang out in the wrong circles.) It meant, as I understood it, someone who was unflappable, self-assured and stylish. Or, at least, such a person had their own un-self conscious sense of style and their ease with it was exactly the reason why others tried to emulate it, but couldn’t.
What sort of image would a “cool cat” cyclist project?
Including Marlee, I have had six, and lived with eight, cats in my life. I have also petted, played with and fed others— more than I can count. But I have never been able to get even one to ride a bicycle.
Who trained them? Or did these fabulous felines teach themselves? Inquiring minds want to know.
The sartorial customs of ICE made me realize that, except during cold weather, I rarely see a cyclist’s face covered. The SS wannabes are trying to avoid recognition; while most cyclists I’ve met aren’t actively seeking it, few are hiding.
There are exceptions, though:
Rear cyclist: Are you working on your aerodynamics?
Front cyclist: No, I just don’t want to be recognized in the photo,
Early this morning the temperature dropped to -2F (-18.9C) in my corner of the world. And the wind gusted to 30 MPH (50 KPH).