Trains of Joy

 

Little riding  yesterday.   But I went to the New York Botanic Garden’s Holiday Train Show.

The electric locomotives and cars snaked their way through scale models of  New York buildings and landmarks, all made from tree and other plant materials.

 

Day 2

 So what was Day 2 of 2026 like?

Cold, gray, windy.  A day of housekeeping. (Gotta start the new year right, right?) And a few very low-intensity miles, doing errands, on my bike.

I was the only cyclist I saw on a non-electric, non-motorized bike.  Was that a result of the weather? Or,  perhaps, many people are still away for the holidays: I didn’t see much traffic, even in normally- busy areas like Fordham Plaza. I hope it’s not part of a longer trend.  I’m not against assisted bikes, per se, but I believe they need to be better-regulated.

And most of the riders I saw are younger than I am.  People normally don’t switch from electric or motorized machines to pedal-only bicycles as they age.  Also, people who ride delivery bikes of any kind tend not to ride them for any other reason and stop riding if they get a job that doesn’t require it.

Then again, they might have a midlife “crisis” and return to, or stay on, two wheels and two pedals.  I can hope.

Happy New Year—And A Reflection On The Past Year

 

Happy New Year!

What was 2025 like for you?

For me, it was strange. Perhaps it has to do with the twinges of guilt I feel when things are going well for me, but not for others or when the world (or at least my native country) is going to hell in a handbasket.

Of course, the main highlight of the year, for me, was my trip to Japan.  I didn’t do a day-by -day posting of it because I wanted to get out early and make the most of every day and, at the end of every day, I was tired, from seeing so much—and the heat.  Although the places I visited were roughly at the same latitude as Virginia, it seemed that Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto were even hotter than Cambodia and Laos, two countries well within the tropical zone, when I visited them in 2018.

Going to Japan may also be a reason why I’ve been posting less often. (Another is that I am working on another writing project.) Posting every day became a kind of addiction for me.  Of course, addictions aren’t always bad, as I believe that one wasn’t.  But for some reason, going to the Land of the Rising Sun taught me,  more than any other trip I’ve taken, that what’s comforting, as daily posting had become, can be a trap.

Also, cycling there changed the way I see bicycles and myself as a cyclist. I didn’t do any high-mileage rides, but the bikes I rented became my vehicles to temples and other sites—and to shop and simply get around.  Of course, many Europeans ride the same way, but I felt that bikes were more integral, and people seemed less self-conscious about them, than anywhere else I’ve been.  Now, for all I know, there might be forums on Japanese Reddit (or whatever they have) where people who, I suspect, post more than they ride verbally bludgeon each other over whether a 1971 Campagnolo Nuovo Record rear derailleur can handle rear cogs larger than 26 teeth or triple chainrings in front. But as I rode to Nijo Castle and parked the bike without locking it—and realized that I’d been leaving bikes unsecured in front of other sites, stores and the hotels where I’d stayed, much as people leave their shoes at the door when entering a home—those arguments seemed silly.  Just ride it.  If it doesn’t work, fix it.

Finally, since returning from my trip, I’ve felt the focus of this blog shifting more toward the “Midlife” part of its title. As I am becoming less obsessed with equipment, I also feel less of a need to report on bicycle stories that have been covered in other fora.  While I probably will continue to write about bicycle transportation and safety issues (and express outrage at drivers, especially those who are intoxicated—whether with substances or misplaced rage—killing or maiming cyclists who are following the rules) and how bicycles and cycling relate to history, art and culture, I want to focus more on what it’s like to be a cyclist and human being of, shall we say, a certain age in a society (and cycling world) obsessed with youth,

So what might 2026 hold for me?  Well, I hope lots of cycling and writing , time with friends and a trip somewhere.  Whatever I do might be influenced by a decision I made towards the end of 2025:  I will be semi-retired. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have left the teaching job I’ve had since 2021.  But it looks like I’ll be teaching part-time (as an adjunct) in another institution, where the commute will be shorter. Income is just one reason:  I also figure that being engaged with other people, even if for less time, is probably better for me and my writing than having nothing but free time.  Whenever I visited my parents in Florida, I saw too many people dying slow deaths—whether physically or mentally—in their retirements.

And what else do I hope for 2026? Health and happiness, for me and you. And that the Fake Tan Führer and his cohorts don’t do more damage. Isn’t hope what a New Year is about, after all?