FINALLY – NEW TIRES MEET OLD PAVEMENT

Well, it took awhile but my new Continental Grand Prix 4 Season tires finally became acquainted with the roads of Haywood County. I certainly wouldn’t go so far as to say that “spring has sprung” here in beautiful Western North Carolina but I can quite positively proclaim that Friday, February 26th, 2010 was a day fit for a ride. The skies were mostly blue with just traces of high fluffy clouds adding contrast to the scene. Mt. Pisgah remains snow capped as does Cold Mountain. I knew by lunch time that I had to get on the road today.

After taking care of a number of tasks mid-day, I was home and getting dressed by 3:00 p.m. I wasn’t in a big hurry because I knew I was going to be riding around the Pigeon Valley and I usually start out at the local middle school parking lot on this loop. I didn’t want to be part of the Friday after school madness so I took my time and let school traffic clear the roads.

I was starting out at a “balmy” 39 degrees as I left the parking lot. I was close to being dressed properly for the cold biting wind that decided to make a brief appearance. I gambled on my feet staying warm without my Pearl Izumi booties. It is a good thing I didn’t have money on the bet – I would have lost. I could tell that I was going to miss those booties within the first mile.

The initial 4.5 miles of this loop is along the Pigeon River on the “dark side”, which means it is heavily shaded by trees and embankments. Along with the naturally moving air along the river, this can be a cool ride even closer to summer. I was pleasantly impressed with the courtesy shown to me by passing traffic. No one blew a horn at me, screamed at me, or threw anything at me. In fact, you’d think N.C. has a 3’ passing lane. I tried to reciprocate the courtesy by waving cars around as soon as it was safe and throwing up a hand in acknowledgement as they went by me. One car contained a young man that appeared to be around 5 or 6 years old. He had a big smile on his face and an energetic wave as his car accelerated by me. Even the work trucks were providing lots of room today.

A couple of observations that I made on the leg “down river” included spotting what appeared to be two terns in a field. While it isn’t unheard of to see seashore birds in the area, it does seem a little early for them to be vacationing in what has become snow country this winter. I also took odiferous note of two star crossed skunks that didn’t negotiate the crossing of the highway successfully.

A sure sign that spring isn’t far away was the Pisgah High boys baseball and girl’s softball teams practicing as I rode by their respective fields. My niece is a junior on the Pisgah softball team so I imagine I’ll be seeing them in action as their games get underway. Last year, I would leave my office in Waynesville and ride my bike to their home games in Canton and then on home after the game. It was a good way to get in a commute and some exercise and still get to see my niece play.

(Pigeon Valley field awaiting the spring plowing.) 

The run “up river” on NC 110 was mostly in the sun and I actually broke a sweat. This loop is almost entirely river grade so I was able to work on my rusty spinning muscles both down and up river. The gutters of NC 110 are still full of grit and gravel from the many layers of stone put down on ice this year. It is still early for DOT to be thinking about sweeping up the winter debris. Consequently, I had to ride a little closer to the lane of traffic or actually in the lane of traffic than I normally do on this stretch.

Upon arriving at the intersection of NC 110 and US 276, I still had plenty of sunlight left and, happily, apparently plenty of leg left as well. I intended to cross over to Love Joy Road and get in a couple of small hill climbs and then loop back to my truck at Bethel Middle School. Traffic at the intersection tended to guide me onto US 276 instead so I made a 1 mile run to Bethel Grocery and then south on NC 215 toward Lake Logan.

My first thought was to just ride up a couple of miles and then return on the same route. When I got to my turn around point, however, I was at the intersection of NC 215 and Edwards Cove Road. This road has two decent climbs that I thought might challenge me today as I’ve not been on the bike in close to a month. The longest climb is about .5 mile and averages 9% grade. The second climb is shorter and but has a 11% gradient. Having not ridden this section of road before, I wasn’t sure what to expect other than that I’d learn something about myself today. The short jaunt back over to US 276 was very pleasant and one I’ll definitely look forward to in the future.

Upon returning to US 276, I had to wait out several fast moving groups of workers heading home on Friday afternoon. I had a right hand turn onto a short hill that drops quickly on the backside and can provide a dangerous spot for a cyclist if someone tops the hill too fast. I wanted plenty of room and time to make that short climb. Once over the top, I picked up speed quickly and could pretty much hold my own with the traffic behind me until I turned onto Sonoma Road and the final .2 mile to my truck. On this leg, I was treated to a beautiful almost full moon rising just to the east of Mt. Pisgah. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get an image of it. Well, actually I have an image – I just can’t share it except in words.

(Post ride view from my home looking east to Mt. Pisgah) 

It was a good ride and one I’ve been longing for during these snowy days over the past month. Even ending the ride in 32 degree weather was pleasant! My new tires held up well and didn’t flat or come off the rim or show any negative signs of my having mounted them. It is too early to tell how they will compare to my old ones. I did feel more secure hitting the grit and gravel than I did on my old tires but that could just be me getting influenced by the advertising. Time will tell.

Here’s hoping for some more weather like today.

Until later,

-  Zeke

A CONFESSION – I HAVE STRAYED!

 

The dictionary says: Stray: verb: … turn aside especially from the main subject of attention or course of argument in writing, thinking, or speaking, …having wandered away from home.

 

Yes, I must cleanse the “cycling soul” tonight. I have strayed from my appointed course of riding and writing about cycling. This is particularly unacceptable behavior on my part because we finally had a great weather weekend here in the mountains of Western North Carolina. I turned my attention away from noting the wonderful feeling of being back on two wheels after the snow imposed cycling hiatus. I wandered away from my “cycling” home. I did not ride; I did not write. Sure, I made the quick foray into Cycling Experiences to see the latest on the Fargo trailer build. Yes, I managed to jump into L.A. only to find that BikingInLA had documented yet another Hit and Run event resulting in the death of a cyclist, and yes, I discovered the many, many ways Fatty utilizes bibbed shorts. But, I didn’t write and I didn’t ride. Let me take you back…

72 Hours Earlier

Friday and Friday evening was spent prepping for participation in a major community effort to package 60,000 meals for the children of Haiti. My Rotary club participated in the project along with two more Rotary clubs in my home county, students from several local schools, and members of a local United Methodist Church. As Rotary District 7670 Team 7 Coordinator, my job was to marshal the troops and help provide manpower. We are connected with Stop Hunger Now!, a Raleigh, NC based non-profit organization that feeds the people of the earth in poverty, drought stricken, and disaster situations. All of our meals were directed to Haiti as part of our 1 Million Meal packaging project.

We had this project planned well before the earthquake. The need only became much more intense as everyone knows. Our meals all go to schools and are served only in the schools. Funny thing… parents will send their kids to school when they know they will get a good meal – probably the only one of their day.

Saturday morning dawned bright and beautiful and the event got underway with the first of 3 shifts of two hours each. Our Rotarian shift was to be the third one of the day and would culminate in a final packaging of 25,000 meals. The meals consist of a mixture of dried ingredients: soy protein, dehydrated vegetables, a multi-vitamin source, and rice. Each package must weigh between 350 and 380 grams. Each package is weighed and then sealed and has a shelf life of 5 years although none of the meals will ever see a shelf for that length of time.

(SHN rep Micky Hoerner orients personnel to project. Weighing stations can be seen on the right and sealing stations on the left.)

Following orientation, the assembled troops hit the ground running and started packing meals. We were in a relatively small space due to having been moved from the school’s cafeteria to a portion of the library due to a “make-up snow” day being held on Saturday.

(A work station ready for action. clockwise from top left: rice, funnel, vitamin powder, dehydrated veggies, soy protein) 

A “Funnel Captain” holds a bag on the bottom of the funnel and directs the products to be placed in the funnel. Rice must go last for weight adjustment later. When several bags are filled, a “runner” takes the bags to the weighing station and from there to the sealing station. Once sealed, another “runner” takes the sealed packages to the packing section where they are counted and placed into cartons for shipping. A final group carts the packaged product to a waiting 18 wheeler for transport to Charlotte, NC for international distribution. The “gong ringer” ( a fun role!) hits a big gong each time 1000 meals are packaged. Our group of 9 stations rang up 1000 meals every 3 minutes. I was amazed at how fast the process worked.

(Three work stations can be seen in this image.) 

Our total day’s effort resulted in 41,418 meals being packaged at the astronomical cost of twenty five cents per meal – Yes, that’s right a quarter a meal. Each package holds 6 meals at a cost of $1.50. Mull that one over the next time you grab that $3.50 Latte. We came up short of our 60,000 goal only because we ran out of product. Not to worry though because we have another work day scheduled for April 24th when we will package that 1,000,000th meal!

The “best half” and I made it back home around 6:00 p.m. I think we were asleep by 6:30 p.m. No riding – no writing. I strayed…

(My '”best half” Kathy after having registered everyone.) 

48 Hours Earlier

Sunday was another outstanding day weather-wise. We were both still tired and somewhat sore from our Stop Hunger Now! event but were still determined to make our way to Catawba College to see our niece play in a softball game.

(Photo credit: Catawaba College Athletics) 

 Kat, our niece, is starting her final year of collegiate softball so we are making every effort possible to catch as many games as possible. Kat has never missed a start as a 4 year starter on the club and is one of the perennial leaders in statistical categories. Catawba is located in Salisbury, NC in the Piedmont section of N.C. It was pleasing to drop down the mountain and get out of the snow for a change. We had some really nice weather off the mountain and were able to sit around in short sleeve shirts for the first game of the double-header. After a fine time watching collegiate sports and getting in a short visit, we headed back up the mountain and home.

12 Hours Earlier

Monday – work… ‘nuff said.

So, there you have it – a full fledged “getting it off my chest” explanation for having strayed from my appointed rounds. The confession is complete. The sordid affair now behind me. Tomorrow – I ride! Well, maybe – it’s supposed to snow again!

(Note: the Stop Hunger Now! organization is an outstanding group of people to work with. Their administrative fees are only 4% so 96% of all donations directly serve the intended recipients. They have great relationships “in-country” and the meals really do get to the targeted sites. We sent a team along on a distribution flight and saw the incredible work being done. If anyone out there is looking for a great project to get involved with, I highly, highly recommend these folks to you! There are numerous YouTube videos about the program so just google away for more info!)

Until later,

- Zeke

MILESTONE FOR BLOG REACHED

Zeke’s Great Smokies 2 Wheeled Adventures reached a new milestone in the wee hours of February 17th. The 5000th visit to the site occurred at 3:24 a.m. Unfortunately, I can’t thank a specific human for the special visit as it was a googlebot crawling the site. However, I can say  a big THANK YOU to the 5001st visitor from Goleta, California, who came via a referral from BikingInLA. The visit occurred at 5:24 a.m.

This blog has been up and running since my first post on Saturday, January 10, 2009. The post was titled A New Year, A Renewed Set of Goals. While starting the blog was somewhat of a lark on my part and to learn more about the power (or lack thereof) of blogs, I must say that 1 year and a month later, I have discovered that through the blog, I’ve become a better rider and, hopefully, a better writer as well. I’ve also been fascinated by the technology of the experiment. I’ve made new friends with whom I have constant contact and have found a medium by which my brother, David, who lives on the west coast,  and I (living in the mountains of Western North Carolina) can enjoy a common activity despite the 2300 miles that separate us physically. My understanding of the world of cycling has been immensely broadened on too many levels to list here.

In addition to Bro Dave and my “best half” Kathy, I received early support and encouragement from Kent Peterson at Kent’s Bike Blog and from Jim Artis at Cycling Experiences. Alan at Ecovelo was kind enough to give me a listing on his blog roll relatively early on as was Tracey at Springfield Cyclist. Dave Moulton was equally gracious in giving me a listing at Dave Moulton’s  Blog. Most recently, I was very pleased to be honored with a link on BikingInLA. As anyone, who participates in this electronic medium knows, building links and cross links to the best sites is a major part of the success of any blog. I can only say THANKS to each of these folks for their support and confidence in my work. I take it seriously that each of you give me the opportunity to expound on my thoughts/rides/observations on your sites.

Of all the help that I’ve received, a very special thanks goes out to Jim Artis as his frequent postings regarding my writing, his suggestions, and his feedback have been of immeasurable help!

So, I fully realize that 5000 visits are mere child’s play in the greater world of blogging. It is a start though and that 10,000th visit cannot occur without having achieved this milestone first. Again, thanks to all those who have helped Zeke’s Great Smokies 2 Wheeled Adventures “ride” this far. I hope you’ll continue to join me as we head down the road!

Sincerely,

- Zeke

THINGS TO DO ON A SNOWY SUNDAY

Yesterday was our umpteenth snowy grey day here in the mountains of Western North Carolina. It seemed like a good time to take stock of my cycling “to do” list. Here goes:

• Order extra wheel/cassette to use for trainer.
• Recheck recently mounted new tires to see that they are holding pressure.
• Clean bike:
• Read as many cycling related blogs as possible.

ITEM #1: In a prescient move, John (my LBS owner) contacted me via email and said that word had reached him that he was supposed to be ordering a part for me but he couldn’t  remember what it was. So, he logged on, read this blog, and determined that I probably meant a wheel and cassette to use on my trainer. I had to write back and let John know that we had never actually spoken about this matter but that, yes, I had been by the shop to inquire about the possibilities. So, following John’s recommendations, he has or will be ordering for me a 700X20-25 REAR UCP SPOKE HG8/9 ALLOY SILVER ALEX RP15 36H RIM AND KT ALLOY QR HUB pairing.

This will give me an easy on/easy off option for using the trainer in inclement weather. I’ll probably simply use my old set of tires before ordering a special compound tire for the trainer.  I’ll be mating a Shimano 9 speed HG 50 cassette to the wheel. 

ITEM #2 & #3: This was easy enough. After returning from a painting interlude at my mother’s home, I turned on the heat, called over my work crew consisting of Mattie, Orla, and Zeke, and promptly went about cleaning the bike and checking my tire installation for the 200th time.

(Zeke, the dog, can be seen checking for any OSHA violations)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Yep, chain needs a good cleaning…)

After Zeke’s exhaustive search turned up zero workplace violations, he and the rest of the crew retired to their individual beds in front of the fire. I guess they weren’t up to Sunday work. For me, I’m always amazed at how much grime and grit you can find on a bike (Fuji or Harley) when you seriously look for it. A solid hour of cleaning resulted in a much cleaner future ride.

ITEM #4: While no picture exists as proof that this item was accomplished, I can only report that it most of my regular authors must have taken to their own beds as there was very little new material out there. The exception being Jim Artis at Cycling Experiences, who continues on with his prep plans for the Tour of Discovery 2010: Ride for the Republic. I keep writing to the Stanley Tool Company suggesting to them that they become a corporate sponsor of the Tour as Jim is doing some interesting work adapting their products to his travelling needs.

Here’s hoping that we get bypassed for awhile with winter storms and can actually get outside and ride for a change.

Until later,

- Zeke

IT WAS SO HOT IN AUSTRALIA…

So, how hot was it, you ask? Koala’s were begging water due to the extreme heat. The 120 degree caused some unusual behaviors. I don’t know who to credit these images too so I’ll just send out a BIG THANK YOU!

 

A visitor looking for a cool place finds one!

Stay cool! Well, unless you live in the mid-Atlantic and then you may want to warm up! By the way, we are currently up to 1.5” of new snow in the last hour here in Western North Carolina (Friday, February 12th at 15:15).

Until later,

- Zeke

DOWNTIME LEADS TO MIND IMPROVEMENT – MAYBE!

It is certainly no secret that the eastern part of the country has been hammered with winter storm after winter storm this year. For those of us who are single bike owners and that one bike is a skinny tire attired frame, it has meant too many hours inside. I’m currently enjoying that first cup of morning coffee as I await the next round of moisture to enter the area and drop some additional snow. We aren’t predicted to get snow starting before late afternoon but you can tell that Mother Nature is setting the table this morning.

(Flat, heavy clouds are rolling in from the southwest – upper right of image) 

With an apparent break in snowy freezing weather finding us on Saturday and Sunday of this weekend, my ambivalence about mounting my new rear tire was resolved. Rather than keep the old tire mounted for trainer purposes, I went ahead and mounted my Continental Grand Prix 4 Seasons rear tire last night. I’m ready to roll on the roads now when the opportunity arises. I went by my LBS the other day to look into purchasing an additional wheel, cassette, and tire for trainer specific use. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to connect with anyone so that little detail will remain to be checked off my list of “to do” things.

I have spent the down time trying to improve my Cycling IQ. In addition to my normal daily readings of my favorite blogs, I’ve finished off all of the current cycling related magazines at by favorite local bookstore, Blue Ridge Books.

(A small grouping of recent reading materials)

Note that, in the center, is the 2005 edition of Bicycling Magazine’s Bicycle Maintenance & Repair, which I received earlier this week. Normally, I don’t respond to telemarketers when they call hawking products but the Rodale rep was just so darn pleasant on the phone I agreed to 3 easy payments and a free 30 day look at the book. Yes, I know the 30 days will come and go and another book will find its way onto my already crowded bookshelves. My “best half” will tell you that I am a book “pack rat” and have difficulty parting with them.

My initial reading of this book though leads me to believe that it will see some significant use as a resource and reference guide. In addition to expanding my general fund of knowledge in the world of maintenance and repair, it has already proved interesting and useful in filling in gaps in my personal cycling database. The book was published in 2005 so is already 5 years old. Still, the information is new and relevant for me so I think it is a Zeke’s Keeper. The book can be purchased in either paperback or hardcover on Amazon. If you are interested in purchasing, please let me suggest that you go to Kent’s Bike Blog, click on the Amazon link, and purchase from there. Kent will use the proceeds from sales originating on his site to fund his fixed gear assault on the the Great Divide Race later this year. Heck, if you buy anything on Amazon, go through Kent’s site and help out a dedicated cyclist and very interesting writer.

If you haven’t done so recently, click on over to Cycling Experiences and check out Jim’s ongoing development for the 2010 Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic. Jim’s trailer development is well underway and coming together nicely. If you’ve ever wanted to meld technology and cycling, this is the place to go.

I’ve also used my downtime to try and improve the functionality of this blog. Thanks to Jim Artis for his support and suggestions. To get started, I’m adding a Table of Contents called “My Stories” to make finding past posts easier and to make seeing posts in related categories a single click away. I’m also working on some other concepts but they are quite ready as yet.

Until later,

Zeke

BLINDING LIGHT ILLUMINATES AREA

Local National Weather Service forecasters and other weather buffs are reporting that the blinding light first noted around 10:00 a.m. on February 8, 2010 in the Waynesville, NC general area is a phenomenon known as SUNLIGHT. They further report that SUNLIGHT once occurred in this region on a regular basis. In an apparently related event, scores of local residents were seen standing with their backs against local buildings and their faces raised upward in a southerly direction in an apparent effort to store the energy from this wild weather related event. Interestingly, the local whitescape created by days of lingering snow, seem to exacerbate the illumination factor of SUNLIGHT.  Forecasters were quick to note that the weather phenomenon was not likely to last for than a few hours. Unfortunately, the local mayor was too busy soaking up SUNLIGHT to declare a REGIONAL HOLIDAY releasing workers to enjoy the event.

Over the past few days, I’ve bounced back and forth between going ahead and mounting my new rear tire vs. keeping my old worn out tire on the rim for use on my trainer. My ambivalence has been such that I’ve spent too much time pondering the situation and not enough time making a decision. This “downtime” has been extended further by going to see the movie “Crazy Heart” and watching that football game that was on last night. Both events served to improve my spirits somewhat. After all, in both events I was in a closed, dark environment safely removed from being able to see the cold, gray light of yet another overcast day. I almost forgot about not riding recently. But, like the groundhog, I had to emerge only to discover yet more cold gray overcast skies but this time they were accompanied by a consistent and steady cold wind that was very skilled at changing direction at every corner in order to always be able to blow into my face. 

In a short brief burst of self-exploration today, I determined I would research whether I suffered from S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder). According to the DSM-IV-TR and that other paragon of authority, Wikipedia, I’m pleased to report that I do not suffer from S.A.D. It turns out that S.A.D. isn’t a standalone condition. It is only a subset of a much more major mood disorder and, thankfully, I don’t qualify for that.

So, I’m left to ponder the cosmos again and perhaps find the motivation to mount my tire so I can get back on the road once the heaping gray mounds of frozen precipitation once again recede to showcase our roads. I hear that SUNLIGHT may once again make an appearance along about Thursday of this week. By the way, I haven’t seen my shadow in a week now. I wonder what that portends…

In some actual cycling news…

BikingInLA reports of a cyclist hit by an alleged drunken  driver and dragged three quarters of a mile. A good Samaritan helped corral the offending driver, who appeared more upset at being filmed during her arrest than concerned about her alleged victim. Hmmm, maybe she was intoxicated. You can see the 3 videos HERE! Thanks to Tucson Bike Lawyer for the story!

Have you checked out the amazing power work being done over at Cycling Experiences as Jim Artis prepares for his upcoming summer tour on his quad Fargo? If not, take a few moments and review Jim’s use of a Stanley Fat Max toolbox. It is amazing what he has managed to work into this space. His work involving charging systems is very impressive.

I want to recommend to you a most illuminating essay written by Kent Peterson at Kent’s Bike Blog. Kent crafts words into pictures in a way that few writers pull off. I was particularly taken with his February 4th posting “Past the Gate”…

Well, I’m going to go research this SUNLIGHT thing again. If I find it occurring again, I’ll let you know…

Until later,

- Zeke

LOOSE ENDS AND MISCELLANEOUS THOUGHTS…

When last I posted, I was attempting, in my own way, to “make lemonade out of lemons”. The weather and road conditions were such then that being a roadie didn’t work out so well. At the end of that post, I threw it over to Bro Dave out on the west coast so that at least one member of the clan would get in some riding time. Here is his report:

 

“Well, my ride didn't happen. I got dressed, filled up my water bladder and headed out to top the tires off with air and discovered that my rear tire had developed some nasty blisters. I can only guess that they are a result of the Stan's No Tubes sealant that I have used. I can't imagine anything else causing that. Oh well. I guess I'll be buying some new tires with my REI gift certificate!”

 

Bro Dave went on to later report that he was unable to find some tubeless tires at his local REI so he tried some with tubes. Unfortunately, that didn’t work either so he’s back to making a trip to the Santa Monica REI. In the meantime, his supervisor, BoBo, took the opportunity to do some serious thinking on the issue as shown in the following image submitted by Bro Dave:

(Yep, looks like some serious contemplating going on here!)

 

An Unpleasant Interlude With A Cyclist…

I would be willing to be that, if you read 10 blogs on cycling,  at least 8 of them would feature a comment or story about bad dangerous behavior by motorists when intersecting with cyclists. On a much less frequent occurrence, you’ll also find those same blogs reporting on the negative behavior of cyclists, i.e., BikinginLA Feb 1st post). Clearly, in larger cities like Los Angeles there are simply many more cyclists and much, much more traffic so you get much more frequent negative interactions.

Living here in my area, the instances of negative interaction between cyclists and motorists are not a daily event or even an hourly event as it seems it must be in L.A. and other urban areas. Even Asheville, NC  only 28 miles to my east seems to have a high frequency of negative cyclist/motorists encounters.  Generally speaking, I encounter few hostile and/or dangerous motorists when I ride and find that most motorists are pretty accommodating.  Yes, there are certainly those jerks who want to assault you with verbage and/or liquids in cups and bottles but they are in the minority.

This past Sunday I found myself in somewhat of a role reversal when my “best half” and I were out in our Ford Escape making a run to get some gas and supplies. It was our first trip off the mountain since Friday’s snow storm. The roads were and continue to be packed with piled snow and ice where they have been scraped clear. Shoulders are non-existent.

We were travelling southwest into the mid-afternoon sun when I spotted two cyclists up ahead. My first thought was “I wonder who is out riding in this mess?” As we proceeded on, I realized that the cyclists were not only coming toward us but were travelling in our lane of travel. I noted one vehicle whip out into the oncoming lane of travel to avoid them and then realized that not only were they coming toward us but they were riding pretty much down the center of the lane of travel in my direction. I began braking from what, fortunately, was a pretty slow speed.

The lead rider began waving his arms at me to get over, i.e., move into the wrong lane of travel. He was close enough to me that I could see his face turning red and him mouthing at us. I then realized that the second cyclist was a young girl appearing to be about 7 years old on her bicycle. She was riding without a helmet as was the lead rider, who looked to be at least in his 40’s and maybe older. My deduction was that this father was leading his daughter on a bicycle ride. I came to a complete stop in the lane of travel.

At this point, the lead rider was coming rapidly upon the front of our vehicle, waving wildly, and clearly screaming at us. I just sat there considering my options. My first thought was to get out and “educate” the individual on the proper lane of travel and the need to get a helmet on his kid. (Note: N.C. law requires bicycle helmets on children under the age of 16 when riding.)  I pretty quickly decided that any attempt at conversing with this guy would likely escalate into something more than a conversation and would increase the risk to the child. I let them get by us before we proceeded.

In retrospect, I probably should have called the local police to intervene if, for no other reason, to protect the child. At any rate, it gave me the opportunity to witness irresponsible behavior on the part of a bicyclist from the perspective of a motorist. I’m certainly glad that the majority of cyclists I know don’t behave in this manner. It was an unpleasant eye-opening segment in our day. 

You can bet my eyes will be open for this fellow in the future when I ride that road!

Until later,

- Zeke