A third type of cyclist
“Tell me she was wearing a helmet?” I pecked in the question to the chat line and pinky-fingered, enter. I waited and navigated around my desktop on other tasks. Earlier this morning I watched a classic Tour-de-France stage and have a ride planned with Keith this afternoon. The Tour is once again mired in drug problems. We live in the twilight of idols. The drug scandals bum me out, hurt me inside. We’ve been granted a gift of riding bikes for leisure and fun and sport. They – the cheaters - were bestowed with a special gift and spoiled it. I’m excited to ride my bike this afternoon and tap into the part of cycling that isn’t polluted; what I can do and see and experience when joined to a bike.
The light in my toolbar blinks and I click it open.
“Yes she had a helmet on. I guess it did its job but the force with which she fell was too much” Unfortunately the light in my head doesn’t blink, the light doesn’t go off and I’m not listening. I jot down a response arrogantly quoting five-time tour winner Bernard Hinault. Known as the Badger, or Le Blaireau, he insisted there are two types of riders; those that have and those that will fall. We fall. Scraped, bruised and busted we get back on. I fit into the former. I hit return without thinking or rather, assuming she was okay.
I minimize the window and whirl my mouse pointer to another application, open it and work. Soon I’ll be out climbing Old La Honda with Keith and then descending confidently. A few minutes later the toolbar blinks again. I read, “She is brain-dead. Actually, they called her time of death yesterday afternoon so I guess she is technically dead. They are keeping her body alive for organ transplant. They should harvest tomorrow. The accident was on Sunday and the girls and I have been taking turns sitting with her and caring for her husband. We will continue to do so until they come and harvest her organs. It’s just so terribly sad.”
I read the comment and then keep rereading the first three words. I’m wishing I could somehow pour some inflection, emotion and empathy into the chat line in response. And remove my ignorant quote from the Badger. I can’t. I’m stunned. I’m trying to figure out what to say when another sentence blinks onto my screen. “I don’t care for Bernard Hinault’s thought, by the way. Or maybe I don’t care for the category I fall into. Not now. Not here sitting near her in the hospital room.”
You can tell a little bit about a person by how they ride a bike. I didn’t really know Deb but I often saw her out on the road, riding. She was a hard worker, serious, studious and no nonsense. She pushed big gears. Huge gears. Knee crushing gears. She pushed those same gears at the YMCA spin class where I’d seen her. She sat in front and she hammered until she was spent. It was clear she loved to ride.
We love our bikes. They love us. Wear your helmet, always. PLEASE. Riding our bikes for leisure, sport, fitness and fun is a gift. Whatever combination and at whatever level you do that, wear your helmet, don’t cheat, wear your helmet, don’t cheat, and wear your helmet.
The light in my toolbar blinks and I click it open.
“Yes she had a helmet on. I guess it did its job but the force with which she fell was too much” Unfortunately the light in my head doesn’t blink, the light doesn’t go off and I’m not listening. I jot down a response arrogantly quoting five-time tour winner Bernard Hinault. Known as the Badger, or Le Blaireau, he insisted there are two types of riders; those that have and those that will fall. We fall. Scraped, bruised and busted we get back on. I fit into the former. I hit return without thinking or rather, assuming she was okay.
I minimize the window and whirl my mouse pointer to another application, open it and work. Soon I’ll be out climbing Old La Honda with Keith and then descending confidently. A few minutes later the toolbar blinks again. I read, “She is brain-dead. Actually, they called her time of death yesterday afternoon so I guess she is technically dead. They are keeping her body alive for organ transplant. They should harvest tomorrow. The accident was on Sunday and the girls and I have been taking turns sitting with her and caring for her husband. We will continue to do so until they come and harvest her organs. It’s just so terribly sad.”
I read the comment and then keep rereading the first three words. I’m wishing I could somehow pour some inflection, emotion and empathy into the chat line in response. And remove my ignorant quote from the Badger. I can’t. I’m stunned. I’m trying to figure out what to say when another sentence blinks onto my screen. “I don’t care for Bernard Hinault’s thought, by the way. Or maybe I don’t care for the category I fall into. Not now. Not here sitting near her in the hospital room.”
You can tell a little bit about a person by how they ride a bike. I didn’t really know Deb but I often saw her out on the road, riding. She was a hard worker, serious, studious and no nonsense. She pushed big gears. Huge gears. Knee crushing gears. She pushed those same gears at the YMCA spin class where I’d seen her. She sat in front and she hammered until she was spent. It was clear she loved to ride.
We love our bikes. They love us. Wear your helmet, always. PLEASE. Riding our bikes for leisure, sport, fitness and fun is a gift. Whatever combination and at whatever level you do that, wear your helmet, don’t cheat, wear your helmet, don’t cheat, and wear your helmet.
posted by wigdawg at
2:34 PM
2 Comments:
Well put.
Sorry about the girl.
But ... wearing a helmet? No way!!
Look at all those people on sturdy and not so sturdy bikes going to/from school, to/from the cinema, to/from work, to/from the baker, to/from the dentist.
All with a helmet on their heads? Horrible!
What is nicer than sitting on a bike, looking around you, relaxing , going slowly through the polders or over dikes with the warmth of the spring sun on your head or the wind through your hair (or over your bald heads) blowing away the stress.
You want to forbid me that feelings by saying i have to wear a helmet?
When speed bicycling, OK. Then you are enjoying speed and you can be a danger for yourself and others.
But slowly bicycling on bicycle roads (a lot of them overhere in the Netherlands) wearing a helmet, NO WAY!!
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