Preaching to the Choir

After two in a row about grandkids, it was obvious to me (and others) that it was time to move on to a new topic.  I'm often asked how I come up with ideas for this space.  After 28+ years, you would think I would have run out of ideas.

There are several topics I've visited more than a few times.  How to deal with the heat.  What it takes to be a good parent of an athlete.  Ankle sprains.  Concussions. Weight control, being healthy, nutrition, and...the bike.

The day the late great Jim Dykes told me he enjoyed my column was also the day that he suggested I quit writing about that (expletive deleted) bicycle.   But it's what I do and what I know--that and a little about sports injuries--so it has become a recurring theme.

Most of the time, it is an attempt to help others understand why it is that we do what we do.  I guarantee you that every single time I am on the bike, I encounter someone that doesn't think I should be on public streets and roads. 

It isn't always the one-finger salute nor is it getting buzzed by a driver trying to scare me.  And I've never been hit by a thrown object as most of my biking peers have.   More often it is just a toot on the horn and the impatience of cutting over quickly in front of me after they pass by.

This one fellow in Alcoa has quit responding to my articles on bicycling.  For years, he would send me a note every time I wrote about bicycling (you will notice that my personal e-mail account is found at the end of the column), telling me how bikers did not belong on public roads until we paid taxes to do so. 

I guess he was talking about a license plate, which, by the way, costs $56.60 in Tennessee for a car or truck and $49.50 for a motorcycle.  Or maybe he was talking about the tax on gas but the way I figure it, the time I spend on my bike reduces our dependence on foreign oil.  I'm betting that I spend more on sales taxes than he does but I guess that doesn't matter.

Anyway, this column isn't for him or the drivers that don't want us on the road.  This one is for the bikers.

Sometimes, we are our own worst enemy.   When we blow through a stop sign, the guy in the truck sees that and remembers.  When we crowd the yellow line on a narrow road, we risk losing the respect of the person in the mini-van.  When we ride three abreast and make it hard for someone to pass us, we don't make friends.

So bikers, listen up.   Ride safely.  Ride defensively.  Ride courteously. 

If there is a car behind you, ride single file.  You don't have to come to a complete stop when you get to a stop sign (that is compliant with state law), but you should allow the motorist first option what to do. 

Avoid the busiest roads, especially those that don't have any place where the motorized vehicles can pass you.  You'll almost never catch me on some of our main arteries like Montvale, Old Niles Ferry, or Morganton Road until well out in the county.  It's just prudent. 

If you find me on Broadway or Alcoa Highway, I've lost my mind.  I'm not saying that bikers don't have a right to be on those roads, just that it isn't smart.

Be aware of the position of the sun.  You are on a small vehicle and can be lost in the sun pretty easily.  Ride with extra caution near dusk or dawn.  Flashing lights are good and get you noticed. 

And if the state of Tennessee wants me to pay that $49.50 for a license plate for the right to ride these roads, so be it.  I'll be the first in line.