Thursday, May 22, 2008

alternatives to running, pt2

foot still hurts; can't run; bailing on next weekend's half-ironman.
so i'm riding more -- which isn't so bad: i have E and laf and options for group rides justabout every day of the week. but cycling by nature offers challenges you won't encounter running trail through White Clay Creek SP.


- why is that man so angry? - i asked laf as we rode past a gesticulating driver waiting to turn onto rt 4 from the Taco Bell.
- i guess we kept him from making his turn.

so even though we're going with traffic -- ARE traffic -- seƱor Dodge Durango is pissed off because he had to wait 20sec to make his turn. WTFever. i don't engage with irate drivers because i am a big scairdycat, i mean i am a lover and not a fighter, but being as italian as risotto laf is both; and when the Durango roared by us, wheels squealing in protest and nearly clipping laf's shoulder, he sprinted to catch the vehicle at the red light 50yds up the road. i poodled along, prepared to call 911 should shots ring out. from my position of cowardice, i mean discretion, i could see words and spittle exchanged. when i caught up with laf his hackles were spiky and his face mottled with emotion.
- everything okay? - i asked insouciantly.
- you know what he said to me?!? he said 'my daughter has a bike like that.'
- THAT'S what he was shouting? that his daughter has a bike like yours?
i thought of TuesNiteTrack's john, whose daughter sally kicks my ass over any triathlon course, long or short. i don't know what kind of bike she rides, but if it's a fuji like mine and laf's, my chest would puff out if john said that to me. i'd feel kinda bad-ass.
- well that's cool - i pronounced, wonderingly. people are funny.
laf looked at me skeptically.
- he had a 4-year old girl sitting in the back seat. he was saying SHE had a bike like mine.
- that little girl has a fuji?
he sighed.
- it was an INSULT, finn. like i was riding a little girl's bike.
my brow furrowed.
- really?
- really.
- hmm, i still think i would have said 'thank you.' after all, you have a very nice bike.
- you keep assuming people are like you. they're not.

and that's a good thing. because if they were, weddings would never be on time, no one would do taxes and there would be constant shortages of jelly beans. there would be no floaters in the crapper and no marinated carrots, and no one would have heard of nora roberts.

4 comments:

heather said...

hey, where'd ya find the cover art for the Virginia EP? The promo ppl told me that nonesuch thing existed. If you have a larger jpeg of it, I would love to replace the artwork in my recent post about it. Thank you!

addon said...

Take care finn there are some crazed loons out there. One motorist here zoomed past a group of cyclists on a training jaunt (some of them would-be Olympians), cut in front then slammed on his brakes - major pile up - then burned rubber getting away. Luckily no major damage to limbs altho a few bikes were bent a bit. and I am happy to say the cops got him and he is facing sundry charges.

I take care around cyclists, thinking "that could be finn".

Subhangi Arvind said...

what Addon sez. Be careful. Them jerks driving bigass petrol-guzzling, ozone-eating vehicles think out the wrong end.

FINN said...

i don't understand why the sight of a cyclist on the road triggers such rage in some drivers. unless we're strung out across the road impeding anyone trying to pass (which we're usually NOT), what's the big fucking deal? and why would a motorist *intentionally* cause a crash? don't.get.it.

heather, i replied on yr blog.