I Made It Home This Time

 I finished my ride yesterday.

Normally, that would hardly be worth mentioning, especially since it's one I've done many times before:  to Greenwich, Connecticut and back.

Yesterday, however, marked one year since the crash that ended the life of Arielle, my Mercian Audax Special.  It was my first Mercian, so the loss was all the more painful.

Yesterday, I mostly retraced the route I took one year earlier. I must admit that I slowed down a bit more than I needed to, and was especially wary, when I made the turn onto Bonnefoy Avenue in New Rochelle.  That is where I crashed:  about 30 kilometers from home. Instead of home, I spent the rest of that weekend in Montefiore-New Rochelle's emergency room and Westchester Medical Center's trauma unit.

I was transferred to the latter facility because of the the impact to my face and head.  There was "slight" bleeding around my brain, but that healed relatively quickly.  After a month, I was back to riding more or less the way I was before.

 

Ironically, the "dooring" incident I suffered late in October kept me off my bike for longer, and led to a slower recovery, but the accident in New Rochelle had the potential to be more serious.  Once the bleeding around my brain subsided and there were no signs of a concussion, I was able to ride without pain:  the wounds to my face, while they required stitches, looked worse than they actually were.  On the other hand, after the "dooring," I suffered deep lacerations and injuries to my right thigh muscles and knee.  

I didn't finish that ride, either.  But I made it home yesterday, from Connecticut--and made myself a sumptuous dinner of cavatelli with broccoli rabe and fresh mozzerella, and a dessert of a fresh peach and cherries.

Does Size Matter?

As I've mentioned in earlier posts, I've ridden tandems only twice in my life.  I wouldn't mind riding one again, especially if it's a high-quality machine.

Or one like this:

After all, Jan Heine claims that larger-diameter wheels don't make you go faster! 

Bilenky Diplomacy

Boris Johnson has been called the "British Trump."

The moniker is accurate in some ways:  As Prime Minister, he has encouraged and implemented a kind of right-wing nationalism that appeals to English people who feel they've been left behind, and condescended to, by globalists, even if his ideologies and policies have pushed them further behind and favors the wealthy.

There are differences, though, between him and El Cheeto Grande.  While Johnson is an outsized media presence, he never could match Trump's narcisisstic ubiquity (or is it ubiquitous narcissism?).  And Johnson has not only encouraged, but participates in, something Trump discourages and has mocked others for.

I am talking, of course, about cycling.  When he was Mayor of London, he was often seen pedaling along that city's streets.  And, in January, he was criticized for traveling a few miles from 10 Downing Street for a bike ride while the rest of his country was under lockdown.

As it turns out, his cycling gives him common ground with the current US President, Joe Biden.  (I also suspect that they have more in common than they, or most people, realize.)  So, when Biden went to the G7 Summit meeting in Cornwall, England, he wanted to present the Prime Minister with a gift of--you guessed it--a bicycle.

So the State Department sent an urgent message to Stephen Bilenky in Philadelphia. He builds about 75 bikes a year, and most customers wait anywhere from six to eighteeen months for their orders.  The message exhorted him to build a bike in two weeks.

Oh, and State stipulated that the bike should have as many US-made components as possible--and cost less than $1500.  A typical Bilenky costs around $4500.

Mr. Bilenky rose to the challenge.  "It was a crazy 10 days," he said, but they got it done.  The frame, made from Columbus steel, is painted blue with red and white decorations to evoke the Union Jack--which adorns the frame, along with the Stars and Stripes and signatures of both men.

As for the components, the hubs, cranks and headset come from White Industries of California.  Also from the Golden State is the Selle Anatomica saddle.  Other parts, while not made stateside, came from US-based companies.  They include the SRAM derailleurs and levers, and Velocity  rims.

However Biden's and Johnson's relationship develops, it looks like our President is at least setting the wheels in motion (sorry, couldn't resist) toward something saner than we saw from Mango Mussolini.

(Photos by Daniel Kilkelly, from Painted Dog Media)