More From David Nord

Here are my latest thoughts about riding roads with the minor frustrations, and sometimes major ones from dangers encountered. Writing with a humorous twist allows us to make biking all the more enjoyable. Its content is universal to all who seriously train. Use it if you want, and if not, enjoy it for yourself.

Perils of a Safari Peloton
By David W. Nord

As with all aspects of life, we must deal with disappointment or disaster, re-energize, and move forward. If one does not wish to spin in one place, he or she must re-engage gears of purpose, learning to move from frustration to facilitation, to explore one’s inner roads of meaning. This writing provides us with a practical lesson in levity, which lightens one’s load.

From the moment you click into your pedals to the moment you peel off your gloves, road hazards perceive the instinctive provocations far-off, and are ready to champion their turf to take you out. Whether you are tired of leg or Armstrong, all of us are prone to pavement pummeling, and all of us are equalized on flats (of tires that is). Take for example, the perilous mailbox. Our mundane thoughts only resign them to being Uncle Sam’s benign servants for bills and blessings. Yet, in our road warrior mentality, we see through the disguise of their inconspicuous demeanor.

In reality, mailboxes are predators, not the spectator fans we had hoped would line our Tour de Ditch. They hold their armored, rhino heads high into downwind biker scents, anticipating instinctive collision. They are keenly aware of our approach, even for lack of good eyesight. Jaws open and jaws shut matter-of-factly, chewing the cud of private and public pulp. Metal skin quivers both flies and fears to flight. Notorious for being in aphrodisiac demand, they delight in territorial defense. They stamp a single foot and wave the red flag horn, warning encroachers from a distance. Lead cyclists always rightly point them out, as wildlife guides on a safari peloton. Though their metal mouths are toothless, mailbox mandibles are capable of gashing a biker’s forearm, and impervious heads are proficient in butting the unaware to the ground. A helmet slightly down tipped, or a shoulder sideways swayed signal weakness to their beady eyes. Thud! Skirmish over; the rhino-box takes to munching grass again at its stone-toed foot. As a bystander, one might notice the lightning bite or the imperceptible lunge if caught on motion-capture cameras. Bandaged or bruised without and within, we struggle again to stand upon the feet of dignity beside a derailed chain of intent.

Are you skeptical that we are both hunter and prey on every ride, on every road? There are indeed many dangers lurking on our random expeditions. Most roadways seem innocent on approach, and the dangers are difficult to detect, until it is too late. Venomous asphalt bites at tires in innumerable ways, draining the life from their rubber lungs. Glistening teeth of paranha-glass dart about in the open shallows of mirage hot tar, tearing at anything intrepid. Indigenous potholes evade swerving riders, reverberating rims with impartial, snapping mouths. Wire-wasps pulse with fiery barbs near entrances to underground spool-hives, for a chance to defend the wire-haired queen. Chisel-barbed, nail-bugs scurry erratically, experts in the art of acupuncture. Meandering sloth-stones inadvertently migrate into wheel’s trajectories over the duration of weeks, to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. They are as dumb as, well…as dumb as rocks. Not far down the road, a punctured tire staggers in nausea and exhales its last breath with a rider’s shout of “Flat”! Everyone comes to an apprehensive stop in the eerie silence when a predator stalks, fingers cautiously exploring the circumferences of tires for evidences of teeth or claw marks.

I once witnessed a rabid, fluorescent-orange highway construction sign suddenly consume a distracted recumbent rider in a thunderous gulp! And when the rider’s cloud of delirium dissipated, our laughter echoed throughout the farmland for miles. And I freely admit to my own preoccupation while riding, in having fallen fifty feet from a mountain cliff in the Andes. I had not perceived the brown-throated erosion crouching at road’s edge, which had lain in wait for years to feed. Harrowing landslides across mountain bike trails have swept all but faith down their gravel slopes off precipices. I rejected the thoughts to turn back, but they did cross my mind more easily than I navigated the cascading sea of sand. Another bump in the road laid a repulsive bloated horse partially blocking passage beside a five hundred foot drop. That encounter called upon technical riding skills to avoid exchanging mounts. My armpits didn’t smell so bad after that ride. We all as roadies and off-roadies are subjected to, or pick our own punishment in pursuit of the peace, which cycling provides. It is therein that the tradeoff is equitable in truly living.

Some species of risk are themselves endangered by street sweepers, tar trucks, pest control services, scavengers and do-gooders. But please don’t establish a Save The Sloth-Stone Foundation anytime soon; rendering road shoulders protected game preserves, and cycling illegal. Circumnavigate these perils, if you can, and resist being the squeaky wheel at your local County Public Works authority. And at all costs, avoid being victimized by the horn-harassing, bumper-bullying, mechanical-grillas driven by Neanderthals of a different club. Of those I know all too well. It’s a jungle out there, so follow the path of wisdom by Robert Frost in the last line from his poem entitled, The Road Not Taken. “I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

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Cycling Inspires

Ahh, alone on your bike, at peace, as one with nature. Wouldn't it be grand if you could put those thoughts down on paper? David Nord can and did ...

Another day, another ride. Blustery, I should say! The first 26 miles of 45 were into the fist of the wind, cheeks slanted to the task and shoulders bowed. Someone through the centuries should have planted more trees or plowed much less I believe. I thought county roads were void of monolithic vehicles. A gigantic, four rear-wheeled tractor craned upon the burdened back of a semi truck's flatbed, furrowed highway sand in its wake, unimpeded in its lateral avoidance of a stick man on a stick bike. Its massive secondary treads somehow levitated over tar, past the groaning steel platform sides, the tractor stretching wide its one and a half lane domination. I celebrated the truck driver's navigation courtesy after the fact of his passing.

Wind. Wind. Wind. I am a son of the most high! Stand up! Reach out! "Be still!" I shouted. Gust. Gust. Gust. The white highway shoulder stripe had whitecaps, as do lakes. The highway's yellow center stripes were caught on barbed wire fences and tattered on occasional tree branches past the ditches to my right. Their presence or absence would not have mattered to the obesity of the tractor transport anyway. Even fair and undulating farmland in its graceful serpentine motion seemed blown in obedience across the plains.

Finally arriving at the Blackbird Marsh Airport, I taxied onto the homebound runway to flow like silver mercury into the ground level jet stream, just as cliff jumpers freely leap into the allure of gravity. I had barely to cooperate as flattened black carpet ushered my crowning and my allegiance to twenty five and thirty five miles per hour, mile after mile after mile. Fatigue still lingered in my legs, my quads "hulkified", suggesting some grotesque apportionment to my already non-biker frame, which somehow would become permanent. But oh to glide with air between tire and tar, when velocity matches velocity, and nature's sounds again are heard in the slippery silence of unopposed speed."

David W. Nord

Good News From The U S DOT

The following is an announcement from the U S Department of Transportation. As an introduction, almost every dollar that is spent on transportation infrastructure comes from the U S DOT. It would be sweeter still if there is a link between the receipt of DOT money and proposals for bike/ped facilities. Maybe then we will get the Lake Woebegon Trail finished.

On Monday, March 15th, US DOT Secretary Ray LaHood announced a new “complete streets” policy that would put planning for bicycling and pedestrians on equal footing with highways and transit. In his blog, Secretary LaHood states that “this is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized.”

He goes on to say:

“We are integrating the needs of bicyclists in federally-funded road projects. We are discouraging transportation investments that negatively affect cyclists and pedestrians. And we are encouraging investments that go beyond the minimum requirements and provide facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.

To set this approach in motion, we have formulated key recommendations for state DOTs and communities:

· Treat walking and bicycling as equals with other transportation modes.

· Ensure convenient access for people of all ages and abilities.

· Go beyond minimum design standards.

· Collect data on walking and biking trips.

· Set a mode share target for walking and bicycling.

· Protect sidewalks and shared-use paths the same way roadways are protected (for example, snow removal)

· Improve nonmotorized facilities during maintenance projects”.

The new US DOT Policy Statement on Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodation Regulations and Recommendations are posted on FHWA’s website.

Is it Summer Yet?

We all know that there is plenty of winter left, but the vast majority of people coming into the store are shopping for bikes!

Anyhow, snow is forecast for Monday. So, take advantage of all of the incredible bargains in the shop and get outside!

Crass Commercialism!

SO WHAT!

Just in case you haven't heard, we're having an early season clearance sale! Savings from 30 to 50% on ski equipment and clothing. BUT WAIT! if you call in the next 10 minutes, we'll double the offer - WAIT! I'm suffering from media confusion ... we'd really like to throw in the free back scratcher and the premium quality terry cloth bath robe but alas, this is not an infomercial it's an honest to goodness bike/ski shop and we wanted you all to know that there are some real bargains to be had.

Hope to see you real soon.

Good Bye 2009!

Thanks to everyone for helping to make 2009 another good year at Revolution Cycle and Ski. I wish we could say that the economic slowdown had no effect but, all things considered, we're happy. Let's all hope that 2010 brings as much happiness and good health as possible to everyone.

As for us, we're adding Cervelo to our line up of bicycles and we are really looking forward to supporting some new bike racers and the new Duathlon/Triathlon team, DuTri St. Cloud.

Good luck to one and all during 2010!