What is it like to bicycle in autumn?

Autumn is one of the best times to ride a bicycle. The cool air keeps you from getting too hot, the beauty of the changing seasons surround you, and the humidity is down so you don't get sticky.

I enjoy seeing the change in the local scenery. Gardens lose their colors, squirrels are crazily searching for nuts and seeds to hide away for the winter.  Homes have a quieter look about them since their occupants like the squirrels are preparing to nest for the winter.  The leaves overhead are brilliant in fiery colors; they fall in a lazy rain of yellows, reds, oranges, and browns.

There is one danger that is not often considered in riding a bicycle in autumn. Those beautiful leaves that color the trees blanket yards and roads. When they are wet they are slippery. When they are dry they hide potholes.

I was bicycling a different way home from work and my attention was divided between enjoying the beauty of autumn and looking at the road. I noted patches of leaves on the road and continued past some and through others. I went through a patch of leaves and my front wheel sank about eight inches below the ground. The bike stopped as the rear tire came up. I held onto the handlebar and was thrown into a handstand.  My ribs came back down onto the handlebar while my feet looked for mother earth. The bicycle twisted sideways and lay down like it was playing dead. Falling off I broke my fall with my hands and found myself on all fours.

I was fortunate and thankful that I did not suffer any injury other than bruises. Most people experience a broken wrist from that kind of fall. I surmise that my speed was just under the threshold which would have caused such an injury.

Every season has its beauties and challenges. If you are aware of the challenges and respect the dangers you can enjoy the beauties. 

How Traffic Rhythims Affect The Quality Of Bicycling To Work

I never considered that traffic patterns could have such a major effect on the enjoyment and safety of bicycling to work, until I was late to work and saw different activities on the road.

I try to leave for work with enough time to cope with all the challenges of bicycling, but if I leave on time there is heavy traffic. A lot of cars compete to make the left turn at the second light I come to and then the cars bunch up behind me on the boulevard. I slowly negotiate left turns across lanes among cars. I pass several schools where the moms are crowding the curb to get into the parking lot.  There is a contractor's oversize van parked in my way as I come down a hill. The last half mile is fraught with speeding people late for work.

If I leave for work fifteen minutes early the patters are different. The school where the kids are being dropped off is quiet and only a few cars are there. Traffic is light at the mini mart. The left hand turns are easier nice since there are fewer cars on the road. The last half mile is a relaxing wind down on an almost empty road.

I do not often have the leisure to leave early. A few times I have been late and it was better than early since the traffic pattern was even lighter than the normal times. I could ride in the center of the lane without the worry of cars passing inches to my left, or bunching up behind me. I could drift across lanes and make a left turn without looking over my shoulder the whole way. The moms were gone now that they were done dropping kids off to school. The contractor's van had already left giving me a clear passage down the hill. The last half mile was the relaxing dream that bicycling to work should be.

It felt much safer to not have to concentrate on the traffic.

I do not have the liberty to make my own hours but if I did I would opt for the later commute which is more enjoyable. 

How I Rode Eight Miles On A Flat Tire.

I admit I am not the kind of guy who spends a lot of time with details. I do not get the oil changed in my car every 3,000 miles like the manual says I should. I do not change the filter on my home air conditioning every 90 days like I am supposed to. I just turn things on and expect them to run. I accept they may not be new anymore and live with poor performance. It makes life interesting.

When my bicycle tire is a little low I figure that is life and it will mean a little extra huffing and puffing on the cranks that is all.

The other morning it was just that. Not only was the tire low but the valve stem was at a slight angle suggesting the inner tube was slipping with the roll of the wheel. I could have taken two minutes and forced the tire forward on the rim to straighten the valve and pump the tire up, or I could just get on with it- which is what I did.

So I started to work on a low tire. BIG MISTAKE! I did not get half way before I knew I was in trouble. The front fork was wobbling back and forth. Looking I saw that the tube had gone flat and the rim was rolling on the rubber tire, which was folding one way and then the other throwing the steering back and forth. The valve stem had completely disappeared; it must have been drawn inside the rim by the friction of the rolling wheel.

I rode slow, very slow, hoping the rubber tire didn't come off of the rim, and because the kind of guy I am I did not carry any tools. When I came to a corner I took the turn at a crawl fearful of having the tire come off and wrap around the forks. The cranks felt like I was peddling up a steep hill all the way, and when I came to a hill I was crawling slower than ever. I worried all the time that the rim or tire was being damaged. I got to work on that flat tire fifteen minutes late.

I had no tire pump and no change for the air pump at the service station, (they all charge fifty cents for air in this town) so, I began the long ride home on the flat tire.I worried about the rim being damaged all the way.  I rode slower than I had since the third grade. I was watching the tire more than the road. My forearms burned with the ache of keeping the wheel straight as the tire wobbled from side to side.

The ride home normally takes forty minutes but this time it was more like an hour and a half which turned my legs into rubber. I went to sears and bought a new inner tube. When I took the tire apart to replace the tube I found the valve stem was completely gone. There was no way it could have been pumped up.

Now every morning I greet the bicycle with the pump in one hand and feel the tires with the other to see if they need any air.

When I lost my lunch while bicycling to work.

I should have not been surprised that forgetting one of the little details before my bike ride will lead to a very bad day.

It is hard enough to manage the details of the morning but when you bicycle to work there are added dimensions to getting ready for the day. You have to have that change of clothes, extra deodorant, water bottle and so much more.

I checked to make sure I had everything I needed set in my back pack; clean socks and shorts, a washrag and face towel, my work shirt, my lunch, wallet, keys and other little things. If I forget something it is an hour ride back to the house to get it, and then an hour back to work; but it was all there.

I strapped my backpack to the back of the bike and pushed off to the morning ride.  It was a crisp morning but the cool helped me make head way and I was pushing my limits a little. Half way to my job I stopped at a light and heard something strange behind me, a thump. I looked around but there was no car nearby, so I didn't give it a thought and when the light turned green went on my way.

Later I was coasting down a nice slope and again wondered about that sound. Feeling uneasy I stopped and looked my bike over; when my eyes rested on my backpack strapped to the rack I realized the sound was my lunch falling out of the unzipped compartment of my pack.  A panicked search found my wallet and cell phone was still in  place since thier zipper was closed.

I rode back up the hill watching the gutter for the fruit and granola bars of my lunch bag. At the intersection there was no sign of my lunch bag. I considered tracing my route all the way back to home but would be over an hour late for work. I do not want to be the guy who is always late so I headed off to work thinking that I was going to eat out of the vending machine unless I could find a forgotten rice cake in my desk. It was going to be a long day without my snacks.

There are many things to remember when riding a bike to work daily but you must never forget to zip the zippers or you can just forget everything.

The Conquest Of The Middle Hill

I bicycled to work in the morning and worked a long day on my feet in the mail room printing reports and documents then running all over the building to deliver them. It was a very long day.

I was glad to be off work and was looking forward to getting home. My bike ride was peaceful and relaxing after such a busy day. As I was rolling through a shady neighborhood I heard the familiar sound of pat, pat, pat over my shoulder. It was the footsteps of a jogger who was catching up to me. I was not in the mood for the humiliation of being caught up to by a jogger, so I changed gears and stood on the cranks to give it all I had. As the muscles in my legs groaned in protest the sound of the runner receded away behind me.

With satisfaction I kept the effort up and listened to the sound of the jogger growing faint behind me. My route turned a corner and went a ways to the foot of a small hill. I was tired and eased up a bit- the hill was going to be really hard.

I changed gears to tackle the hill and set my pace for a not too easy conquest when I heard the runner approaching.  Muttering a word I shouldn't have said under my breath I stood on the cranks and gave it all I had left. It must not have been enough because over my shoulder I could still hear the pat, pat, pat, of the approaching athlete. The hill seemed to grow in my mind and become steeper than I ever remember it to be. The pat, pat, pat grew louder, it was no longer behind me but beside me.

I couldn't be overtaken and strained my legs against the cranks while I pulled against the handlebars. I pulled away but only for a moment. I couldn't keep the struggle up, and just slipped into a pace to keep me moving forward but my speed was declining.

The wiry form of the marathoner passed me by. I looked to my right to see who it was that had the strength to pass me while climbing a hill, and saw the white hair and thin form of an old man in his seventies. I shifted into my easiest gear and took it easy the rest of the way.

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(c)Adron Dozat 9/10/14