I had a bit of time this afternoon, so off I went again. The 'taking it easy to begin with' principle seems to be working, as the aches and pains in my gluteus maximus, while there, were annoying rather than a hindrance.
And was I a little less out of breath today?
Maybe.
I managed a shade under five miles in my self-imposed half an hour, which wasn't too bad ( but certainly leaves plenty of room or improvement).
But while I was out, marvelling at the range of distances that drivers seem to think is acceptable to pass you at (mostly ok, but an AA driving instructor - not a student, no-one else in the car - seemed to think that eight inches was ok) it got me thinking.
"Same road, different world."
Since I managed to save up some money when I was 19, and bought my pride and joy, a blue Escort MkII 1100 Popular that was immediately named 'Jennifer' for reasons which now escape me, my main mode of transport has been the car. Some have been great (MG BGT - loved it!), some haven't (A Class Mercedes - hated it.) but they've been my default for anything other than short walks.*
Like most people, I reckon I'm a pretty good driver, but we can't all be above average, right?**
When I drive, I concentrate. I think about what I'm doing, where I'm going, who's behind me, whether that car looks like it's going to pull out.
It's hard work, and rightly so.
But it's nothing, compared to making the same journey by bike.
If I'm driving and I want to know what's behind me I've got three mirrors, and I can check them all while barely moving my head. My eyes are off the road for a split second at most.
But on a bike, it's a big physical movement.
And if, in that split second behind the wheel, I hit a bump in the road? A crack? A pothole?
It's just a bump. That's what suspension's for, right?
I might complain about the state of the roads when I'm driving, but on two, skinny wheels, the harsh realities of poor road surfaces are brought home with a vengeance.
When I'm in the car, I 'own' my little space on the road, but when I'm cycling, that space is much, much smaller, and others give it varying degrees of respect. If I come up behind a cyclist, I always wait until I can clear the centre line before I overtake, and I've done that out of courtesy as much as anything else.
But passing someone on a bike and only giving them a foot? That's not rude - it's terrifying!
I'm sure you get used to it (though I'm not sure I ever want to), but if every driver experienced a ton of metal passing them at 50mph, close enough to reach out and touch it, I suspect they'd all be a bit more considerate.
There are plenty more things that I thought about, partly while I was out, but mostly after I got home.
Because I might have thought I concentrated while I was driving, but that's nothing compared to the level of focus you need on two wheels.
Anyway, I'm preaching to the converted here, so I'll shut up now.
But I'll give every cyclist I pass and additional foot of space from now on.
Just to be on the safe side.
*Long walks, that's something different. Didn't use a car when I did the Pennine Way. Though if there had been a bus stop on Cross Fell, I'd have been tempted...
**Well, actually, the vast majority of people have an above average number of legs, but we're getting off the subject now.
Nice write ups.
