Today was a scorcher, and I made a dumb mistake - I forgot my water bottle this morning. But more on that later.
Dogs - man's best friend, until you put that man on a bicycle. I knew it was bound to happen eventually, and this morning, I had my first dog encounter. Two dogs were bee-bopping along the sidewalk, as if they were just a couple out on a morning stroll. No leash, no owner to be seen anywhere. And just as if fate was intervening, one of the dogs [pictured right] and I met eyes and he darted right after me. Thankfully I had anticipated the chase and was poised in "sprint" mode. Once he made his first move, I was already standing on the pedals and out of the saddle, and took off. I got a good enough jump, and the dog was young enough, that I was able to out-run him.
I know every cyclist has their own preferred method of dodging the inevitable curious canine, but from my experience, the best thing to do is maintain control of your bike first and foremost. I have seen dogs lunge right in front of a cyclist's front wheel and get plowed over, which is certainly the worst-case scenario for both parties. If you are poised and balanced on your bike, you do have a chance at maintaining an upright position. I have found that sometimes, if you just stop riding, the dog will lose interest. Water bottles and frame pumps are useful in case you DO need something to fend off a more aggressive dog. Or, in my case, sheer speed works! :)
I love school. I am not a student anymore though. Now that school is back in session, school buses are running. And when a school bus pulls out in front of you 20 yards ahead, you are given a golden drafting opportunity! On the way home, a school bus pulled out in front of me, and sure enough I was able to jump right in behind it and draft for about 2/10ths of a mile. He was preparing to make a left turn (and signaled plenty early) leaving me with a bus cruising around 25 mph about 10 yards ahead of me. Primo drafting.
As mentioned above, the h2o bottle got left behind this morning. I usually leave it sitting on the kitchen counter, right next to where I keep my bike, so as to grab it on the way out in the morning. But yesterday, I had to run some errands after work, and my trusty water bottle accompanied me. I have plenty of other bottles, but every one has that one, special bottle that you take everywhere...except when you accidentally leave it in your car! Needless to say, with 106 degree heat, no clouds and 14% humidity on the way home, you get a little thirsty. I will not make that mistake again.
Here's a photo I snagged on the way home. I have noticed this sign the past few days, and finally captured it today. I find it a rather amusing choice of words...first of all, if not on the ground, do they expect you to park in a tree? Secondly, what are they protecting? - it must be some special dirt they have there.
On that note, it's time to go dip in the pool. Viva la Velorution!
Dogs - man's best friend, until you put that man on a bicycle. I knew it was bound to happen eventually, and this morning, I had my first dog encounter. Two dogs were bee-bopping along the sidewalk, as if they were just a couple out on a morning stroll. No leash, no owner to be seen anywhere. And just as if fate was intervening, one of the dogs [pictured right] and I met eyes and he darted right after me. Thankfully I had anticipated the chase and was poised in "sprint" mode. Once he made his first move, I was already standing on the pedals and out of the saddle, and took off. I got a good enough jump, and the dog was young enough, that I was able to out-run him.
I know every cyclist has their own preferred method of dodging the inevitable curious canine, but from my experience, the best thing to do is maintain control of your bike first and foremost. I have seen dogs lunge right in front of a cyclist's front wheel and get plowed over, which is certainly the worst-case scenario for both parties. If you are poised and balanced on your bike, you do have a chance at maintaining an upright position. I have found that sometimes, if you just stop riding, the dog will lose interest. Water bottles and frame pumps are useful in case you DO need something to fend off a more aggressive dog. Or, in my case, sheer speed works! :)
I love school. I am not a student anymore though. Now that school is back in session, school buses are running. And when a school bus pulls out in front of you 20 yards ahead, you are given a golden drafting opportunity! On the way home, a school bus pulled out in front of me, and sure enough I was able to jump right in behind it and draft for about 2/10ths of a mile. He was preparing to make a left turn (and signaled plenty early) leaving me with a bus cruising around 25 mph about 10 yards ahead of me. Primo drafting.
As mentioned above, the h2o bottle got left behind this morning. I usually leave it sitting on the kitchen counter, right next to where I keep my bike, so as to grab it on the way out in the morning. But yesterday, I had to run some errands after work, and my trusty water bottle accompanied me. I have plenty of other bottles, but every one has that one, special bottle that you take everywhere...except when you accidentally leave it in your car! Needless to say, with 106 degree heat, no clouds and 14% humidity on the way home, you get a little thirsty. I will not make that mistake again.
Here's a photo I snagged on the way home. I have noticed this sign the past few days, and finally captured it today. I find it a rather amusing choice of words...first of all, if not on the ground, do they expect you to park in a tree? Secondly, what are they protecting? - it must be some special dirt they have there.On that note, it's time to go dip in the pool. Viva la Velorution!
2 comments:
Aside from being careful to drink enough water, are there any other precautions that you take when riding in the extreme heat? I've been caught out in the middle of the day in the summer in Arizona, when conditions are relatively dangerous. One of my rules of thumb for riding at that time of day is to never spend more than an hour exposed to the heat at a time, and to always carry extra water (that means an additional bottle buried in a bag aside from adequate water for the trip).
-Rebecca Clark, TBAG member
Rebecca-
Thanks for the questions/pointers. I am going to highlight some of this stuff in the blog this week. This crazy heat we are getting right now merits a pointer or two about riding in 115 degree weather.
So there is a nice teaser to get you to come back and read the blog some more!
peace
jeff
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