Cervelo Girl's Blog: Deep Thoughts, with Cervelo Girl

Holy hell, she's sexy.

Today was absolutely GORGEOUS, and a perfect day for my long ride. What could be better than perfectly blue skies, sunny, and nearly 60 degrees, in Seattle in February?? I really could not have asked for anything better. I was like a kid in a big outdoor candy store. :) 1.0 and I did just over 2 1/2 hours on the Burke Gilman/Sammamish River Trail, and we had a blast.

I'd like to take a moment to reflect upon a few things that I seem to notice when riding on the Eastside, and urban bike trails in general.

1. How many frakin' greyhounds really need rescuing, for frak sake?? Is this really such a huge problem still?? Every East-sider and their mailman has a greyhound! What's really stupid, is that none of the people who own, who are out on the trail, are actually RUNNING! Rescued or not, greyhounds need and want to run. Good grief. They are like the P.C. purse dog. Barf.

2. Why do women travel in packs, and why do they insist on walking 4-abreast on the trail?? They are like a Texas road block. When I pass them, I am always polite and say, "on your left," and make sure I give space so I don't scare them, so why is it they love to yell, "TOO FAST!" Ugh! I'm not going too fast lady! I am usually barely doing the trail speed limit while passing. One lady kind of got under my skin today. She really belted at me, and I was consciously being polite and cautious. Something unkind ran through my mind to yell back, but I managed to hold back. Good girl...

Me on my hybrid years ago, before I had any fancy gear.

My old hybrid. This is actually the bike I was hit by the car on.

3. People who ride bikes with flat handlebars look so weird when they ride on the trail. Now I may get myself in some trouble with this one! lol Not ALL of you hybrid riders look weird! Just some of you. lol Let me explain myself... Let's start with "chicken elbows." Why ride with your elbows out? It isn't necessary to look like a chicken, flapping it's wings, just because the bar is flat. Relax folks, and drop them elbows! Now onto "beer gut knees." This is actually a weird phenomenon that is not just limited to hybrid riders, but I notice it more among them. I assume this is because a lot of people who ride those bikes use bar pedals and aren't properly fit to their bikes, and many are more casual riders. "Beer gut knees," whether you have a beer gut or not, is what I call it when people ride with their knees splayed outward, (kind of like those chicken elbows.) The combo of the knees and elbows out look particularly ridiculous, especially from behind. And finally, my favorite weird thing I see hybrid riders do, is what I like to call, "wind dodging." "Wind dodging" is what I assume the hybrid cyclist is doing when they are trying to go fast, and their bodies start bobbing back and forth as they madly pedal with their beer gut knees out legs, and their chicken elbows. With all of the wind resistance they create with their bodies, perhaps the quick dodging motion is to dodge the wind as it comes at them?? I like that theory. It is funny in my own little mind. I should mention that I started out on a hybrid, and it was indeed the bike that made me fall in love with cycling. I actually would really like to own one again.