Sooooooo...there might be a transit strike...
During the summer I ride my bike into work most every day, and through the winter I ride when it’s above 30 degrees and the streets are clear. I'm lucky enough to work at a place that lets me bring my bike inside, it takes me the same amount of time as the subway (5-10 minutes quicker if I push it), there’s time to think, I don't have anyone grinding up against me for half an hour every morning and afternoon, and in the winter it’s my one chance at seeing daylight. Also makes me feel kind of tough.
I recently pulled FULL TILT: From Ireland to India With a Bicycle off the shelf and started flipping through it. The subtitle pretty much explains it, but the journal entries start in Yugoslavia and take her through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and finally India. So yeah, an Irish woman riding her bike BY HERSELF across Europe and a good part of Asia, over snow and ice on mountain passes and through 110+ degree deserts…pretty tough. It’s also an interesting look into Afghanistan and that whole area before the war with Russia really heated up and, well, ruined it.
Richard’s 21st Century Bicycle Book, which Overlook also publishes, has the most reasonable chapter on riding in city traffic I’ve ever read, including what to do when someone is trying to kill you with their car (seriously).
And speaking of riding in traffic, here’s a video of bike messengers racing through NYC set to Guns 'n' Roses' 'Welcome to the Jungle. It's 50M, but worth every bit of it...
--John Mark
No comments:
Post a Comment