Pedal Hard

     Sitting over at my old apartment on a bean bag, watching Tour de France. There were a bunch of bikers jockeying for position and pedaling hard. These guys RIDE their bikes. The talk was turned to the wrecks which had happened this year. Former champions were already out of the race. Watching road biking is sometimes about like watching paint dry. I  enjoy road biking as much as the next, but watching it isn't exactly the most exciting thing in the world. 

     I hung around and talked to my old roommate Joe about girls. Then we wanted to go do something. I had a problem. I had to get my bike back to my apartment before dark. I have no reflectors on my bike, so any reflectors would have had to have been on my shoes or my backpack, if they even had reflectors. I had no headlight. I was wearing jeans and a green shirt.

     Headphones in and helmet on, rock battering my eardrums I took off and then turned around. As the wind hit my eyes my vision was blurred and took a while to clear. I pedaled and maneuvered my way through town back toward my apartment. I reveled in the exertion on my legs and the speed as I rolled on my hard tail.

     I am not a totally reckless rider, but I take my risks sometimes. I will take corners quickly, ride with traffic, and jump around at times. I am normally pretty conscious of my limits and the traffic around me. When riding you have to ride for you and drive for everyone around you.

    Tonight I looked up some statistics about cycling. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Traffic Safety Facts, "In 2012, 4,743 pedestrians and 726 bicyclists were killed in crashes with motor vehicles (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Traffic Safety Facts)." I found this information at this site. http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/data/factsheet_crash.cfm#No1

     Why wasn't I one of them? Well one big reason is that in 2012 I was out of the country. One of my friends during this time said that he didn't want to become a statistic. I don't really want to become a statistic either. What kept me from being one in 2010, when my dad and I took our epic bike trip up into Canada and back down? We certainly had the opportunity to become roadkill more than once. Riding through a canyon in the rain with log-trucks running up your back isn't exactly a party. Hence the miracle of everyday life. Heavenly Father looks down on us.

     Pedal hard! Live life!