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.
Donald Trump has pledged to never, ever ride a bike again. I don't think he'll break that promise, especially now that we've seen how Joe Biden could "smoke" a lot of young whippersnappers. To tell you the truth, I don't think I'd be too unhappy if El Cheeto Grande never mounted two wheels. I don't feel that way about very many people. On the other hand, I might actually like seeing Heloise on a bike. I have absolutely no idea of what she's like as a person (or if she's even real). But at least she is trying to help people become something Trumplethinskin never is: civil. In one of her recent "Hints" columns, she answered a letter from someone who complained about scofflaw cyclists and wondered whether we should follow the same rules of the road as drivers and other vehicle operators.
"Heloise"
Most of Heloise's answer comes from the League of American Bicyclists' guide. It's stuff we've all seen and heard before, and makes sense, as far as it goes. But I don't get the sense she's on a bike since she was a kid, if she ever rode. If she were to take to the streets, it would be interesting if she could encounter the recently-departed John Forester.
OK, I'll confess: I'm listening to the Republican convention. My rationale could be something like the one I offered for practically memorizing Das Kapital when I fancied myself an acolyte of Ayn Rand and St. Paul: I was learning how and what "the other side" thinks. Oh, I offered a similar explanation, if only to myself, when I used to go shopping with girlfriends and female friends when I was in my boy-drag. Everyone from Kimberly Guilfoyle to Nikki Haley, when they're not accusing Trump's predecessor of leading us into an abyss to which his opponent will return us, are touting all of the wonderful things the The Orange One has supposedly done. I want to hear what he'll promise next. One of his most recent pledges, made last week, is to never, ever ride a bicycle again. Actually, he promised not to get hurt on a bike: a jab at John Kerry, who crashed in the French Alps, where he was negotiating with Iran's foreign minister. He plans to avoid Kerry's mishap in the easiest way possible: He won't ride a bike. Ever. Kerry took his tumble five years ago. Trump picked on him because he couldn't throw shade on Joe Biden who, on a ride near Valley Forge, zipped past a Fox News reporter. Trump's anti-cycling rant is ironic considering that, for two years, he sponsored what was arguably the most important bicycle race in the United States. It's fitting, I think, that one of the participating teams, Sauna Diana, was sponsored by a Dutch brothel. Somehow I get the feeling Joe Biden, even at his age, might be too fast for them.
I try not to ride with a backpack. When I must use one, I try not to carry more than, say, a few things from the market, a camera or smartphone and a notebook.
Of course, if I carry a backpack, I can blame it for slowing me down!
Some of my best memories from my bicycle tours are the conversations and other interactions I had with local people. I'm thinking now of the old couple living by the point where the Garonne bends and begins its opening to the sea. They took great pride in knowing the exact moments, twice a day, when the tide rolled in. I'm also recalling my ride with You Sert, a PURE guide, that took us to Cambodian farms where one woman practiced traditional healing and her kids and their cat played with me, and another where a woman guided me through weaving grass for a roof. These encounters might be different from the ones that await Nate Hegyi. I feel confident, however, that whomever he meets and whatever he shares with them will be interesting. A Public Radio-affiliated reporter in Boise, Idaho, Hegyi is embarking on a 900-mile bicycle trip along the Continental Divide. He plans to visit eastern Idaho's ranching towns; Missoula, Montana; Wyoming's oil and gas areas and the mountainous country of northern Colorado before ending his trip in Greeley. Along the way he plans to file radio stories, post to an online blog and, in late October, release a podcast he will produce.
"It's been a tumultuous year," Hegyi said. "A pandemic grips the region and the economy is in freefall. But the voices of folks in the Mountain West's small towns and rural communities are often unheard in regional and national media outlets." One purpose of the trip, he explained, is to "learn more about the area's residents and hear their stories." I am sure that whatever stories he hears aren't the ones one can hear from a car, tour bus or resort hotel!
