I am a cyclist. I am other things as well, but for now, for the purposes of this blog, I am one of the Lycra-clad, shaved-legged, uber-snob community of road racers (see photo). Really, that's not a fair characterization of the community, but it's certainly a common perception for reasons I will discuss another time.I entered my first race in the Fall of 1988 as a high-school senior, and won through sheer dumb luck. It's a good thing, too, because crossing the line with arms raised really lit my fire. Victories have been few and far between since then, but it's been an interesting ride... Some years, I've logged more miles on the saddle than behind the wheel. I reached Category 2 in 1997, then quickly returned to my rightful place as a Cat 3. I've seen the agony and the ecstasy of bike racing, and I have the trophies and scars to prove it.
In all my years of riding, which I reckon amounts to 90,000 miles or so, I've seen some interesting things. By "interesting," of course, I mean "astounding in audacity or stupidity," and nowhere can one be more audacious or stupid, with more immediate and devastating effect, than while operating a motor vehicle. The cyclist's best defense against loss of life or limb, as the blog's title suggests, is Situational Awareness, which is something else I'll discuss another time, but for now suffice it to say I cleverly worked it into the blog title.
The premeditated purpose of this blog is to share my Stories of the Road and Observations of Life In General, and How Nice It Would Be If Everyone Just Woke The Heck Up. I'm sure to diverge from that because, hey, it's my blog. Leave comments if you want; I'm not moderating them (yet). I'm learning this whole blog business as I go along.
Today's Song: "Quicksand Effect" by Lost Signal.
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