Spokesman - Winter 2004

The Spokesman

the newsletter and ride schedule of the

Tri-City Bicycle Club

Serving Richland, Kennewick,
Pasco, and environs

Volume XXVIII, No. 1
January – March 2004

What's Inside

From the President
Who's in Charge in 2004?
Bicycle Banquet – Friday, February 20
New Meeting Place and Time
Our New Home on the Web
Inland Empire Century — May 8, 2004
Ride Calendar – Winter 2004
Still Laughing at Tackweed
Three Views of Tumbleweed
Editor’s Note

TCBC Officers and Board Members
President Vice-President Secretary Treasurer Ride Coordinator Newsletter Editor Past President	. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	George Kyriazis Vicki Patten Evelyn Painter Jim Britton Ed Nordquist Gene Weisskopf Kathleen Nordquist

Club Undulations from the President

Happy New Year to all TCBC members, friends and readers of The Spokesman. What a wonderfully enthusiastic new Board of Directors we have for 2004 (see cover page, and their comments that follow). The Board will be instrumental in providing positive direction and growth for the club. This will take some sincere, cooperative and time-consuming work.

Generally, we will have Board meetings every third Thursday of the month, and a general meeting with a program presentation every fourth Thursday. Inevitable exceptions to this schedule will be announced by e-mail or in future Spokemans. The Board will invite individuals to meetings if they wish to express ideas or concerns that are of benefit to the TCBC or the community.

This past year we had some wonderful experiences and accomplishments. One notable one was the annual Banquet, where we had outstanding support from several local bike shops. This year we will hold the banquet on February 20th at the Shilo Inn, with the best (and most expensive) program ever! Our speaker will be Willie Weir, the world renowned cyclist, writer, poet and lecturer. An article about the banquet follows.

A highly successful and profitable 23rd annual Inland Empire Century bicycle ride netted over $2400. We are optimistic about increasing rider participation this year, May 8, 2004.

Last year, the group that went on the Summer Tour was small, but they had a delightful time in northwest Montana. This year (date to be determined), the tour will be along the Oregon coast, a beautiful area.

Another ride taken by TCBC members in 2003, but not club sanctioned, was an eight-week self-sagged tour down the length of the Mississippi River. Thanks to super planning by the Brittons and Roberts, this was a great success. A similar adventure being planned for the summer of 2004 will be a self-sagged ride to follow the return route of Lewis and Clark, from Astoria to St. Louis.

Because the “healthy” future of our Club depends on member participation and “new blood”, I will be coordinating a lot more activity in this regard with the members. We have so many willing, giving and enthusiastic members in our Club that with extra support from the Board of Directors, we have the potential of becoming a much larger influence in our community.

I plan to develop more partnering with local bike shops and organizations such as the Fun, Fit and Over 50 folks, the Chinook Cycling Club, REI, the Three Rivers Road Runners, and the Inter-Mountain Alpine Club. We should also not overlook the potential of the Tri-City’s recreation departments and local schools. We should let the Tri-Cities know what a wonderful asset they have in the Tri-City Bicycle Club. Of course, we must take small steps so as not to dilute our efforts, but we should begin making long range plans that cover several years.

As a last note, with all the worldly problems of wars, terrorism, and poverty, please give your hopes, heart, and thoughts for a peaceful and prosperous New Year for 2004.

Who’s in Charge in 2004?

The officers and board members for 2004 offer a few thoughts about their roles in the bike club.

George Kyriazis, President – The strength and vitality of an organization such as the TCBC are growth and participation of its members. I will aggressively pursue both by working through the Board of Directors to develop a defined plan and direction to accomplish this. I will start by having two Board of Directors meetings before our first Club meeting in January.

Vicki Patten, Vice President – I look forward to working with George and the other board members to promote fun and safe cycling within our group and the community.

Evelyn Painter, Secretary – I hope the year ahead has more of the good things we had in 2003, but fewer of the bad. The year 2003 was a mixed bag to be sure, but good things far outweighed the bad.

We enjoyed many fine bike rides on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The Century was a financial success because of the hard work of several loyal members. The summer tour in Montana was great, even though only ten members participated. The holiday party at the Brittons rounded out the year’s activities on a happy note.

On the bad side were the crashes that several members experienced. Except for those of Dave Bechtold, Vicki Patten, and Gene Weisskopf, injuries were minor and quick to heal.

Some new ideas are simmering for the bike club in 2004, with the hope that a new “stew” will result that will make more members want to come out and enjoy our activities. Among them are plans for Tuesday and Thursday evening rides with assigned ride leaders. A tour of the Oregon Coast is planned for the annual summer tour. The Century ride will be enjoyed by many, and we hope to enlist more helpers this year. The Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday morning rides will continue. We hope to have a new club jersey made in 2004, hopefully in time for the summer tour. Finally, we have a permanent new and beautiful meeting room at the Richland City Shops that can be easily reached by members from all three cities.

All in all, 2004 promises plenty of biking with congenial folks. My hope, as a board member, is that more of you will come out and enjoy the opportunities for companionship and great exercise that your bike club makes possible.

Jim Britton, Treasurer – The job of the treasurer is to keep and manage the finances for TCBC, to inform the officers and club members of the profit or loss incurred by special events such as the annual banquet and the century, and to keep track of money donated to the TCBC club for special events such as the Flying Tigers.

Ed Nordquist, Ride Coordinator – In 2004, I plan to submit the upcoming quarter’s ride schedule to the newsletter editor on or ahead of the newsletter deadline, be more responsive to rider’s requests for rides, maintain the club’s values at all meetings, support TCBC with ideas for club activities and rides, help (or rather learn how to help) with the TCBC web site, and ride more TCBC rides. Oh, and ride on the summer tour.

Kathleen Nordquist, Past President – In 2004, I plan to support the TCBC leadership and membership with ideas for club activities and rides, provide labor for club activities, and ride more TCBC rides.

Gene Weisskopf, Editor – The newsletter is the main line of communication for the club, and I’m happy to assemble it and add my own touches, as well. I look forward to other members adding their own stories and announcements, so that the newsletter is a reflection of our membership.

Bicycle Banquet – Friday, February 20

[Bike club members John and Ellie Ittner have graciously volunteered to arrange our annual banquet.]

The bike club will hold its annual Banquet on Friday, February 20. The social hour starts at 6:00 pm in O’Callahan’s International III ballroom at the Richland Shilo Inn (50 Comstock St, off George Washington Way). Tickets are $25 per person and will be available at Tri-City bike shops and REI beginning January 24.

The featured speaker this year will be Willie Weir. Willie is the author of SPOKESONGS, a columnist for Adventure Cyclist magazine, and is known to public radio listeners for his commentaries aired on KUOW in Seattle. His writings have appeared in newspapers across the country and earned him a gold Lowell Thomas Award, given by the American Society of Travel Writers. He has cycled over 40,000 miles throughout the world. Willie will describe some of his recent adventures. For more information on Willie Weir see:

The festivities will include door prizes and an opportunity to renew your membership in TCBC. For more information, call John or Ellie Ittner at xxx-xxx, or check out the banquet link at our Web site:

New Meeting Place and Time

Bike club meetings will now be held on the 4^th Thursday of the month at 7:00 pm at the Richland City Shops administration building, near the Richland Wal-Mart.

If you’re coming from Pasco, Kennewick, or Richland on I-182, take the Queensgate exit and go as if to Wal-Mart, but do not turn left to the store. Instead, proceed straight ahead through the traffic light and take the second right turn into the Shops’s parking lot. The meeting room is to your right, just inside the entrance door. Planned Thursday meeting dates are:

We hope you’ll attend the meetings and also give the board your ideas to make our club better and more enjoyable for all.

Our New Home on the Web

In many ways, the Web site is like the newsletter. For example, it’s essentially another form of publishing, where information is presented in a (hopefully) pleasing format.

Both the newsletter and the Web site are a way for our group to stay connected. But the newsletter is only distributed to our members and local bike shops, whereas the Web site is available to anyone on the planet who has access to the Internet.

The Web site is actually a lot cheaper than printing newsletters, and requires no trips to the copy shop with the commensurate folding, taping, and stamp-licking.

Producing pages on the Internet, as opposed to printing them on paper, means that they can be updated whenever needed and as often as we want. There’s virtually no limit to the amount of information we can publish on the Internet, and that can include text, photos, maps, drawings, as well as stupid animated GIF images and obnoxious Flash-generated movies. Of course, all that material and frequent updates would require a lot of work, so we can’t get carried away.

Don’t worry that the Web site will replace the newsletter, because it won’t. It’s going to be a few more years before computers completely replace printed material. Having a printed newsletter in hand is far too convenient when you want to look up the next scheduled ride or meeting, and it’s nice to leave them at bike shops for anyone to pick up.

The bike club board will be discussing possible content for the site, such as the newsletter, ride schedules, and upcoming events.

So we now have a permanent place of our own on the Internet, where anyone anywhere can find us. And this is a good opportunity to express our thanks to Jerry Lewis, who has been taking care of the previous TCBC Web site via his own at owt.com/tcbc.

Inland Empire Century — May 8, 2004

Mark your calendars for the upcoming 24^th annual Inland Empire Century ride! Last year our weather was perfect, and we had a record breaking number of riders—many who came from over the mountains commented that “they would be back!”

We had a great group of volunteers to share the work last year, and we look forward to an even larger number of helpers this year. Our route makers from the Tuesday/Thursday morning riders have suggested some interesting changes, George has agreed to try some new fundraising ideas, and some have suggested we get local wineries involved in the sponsorship.

If you have some energy for volunteering and, especially, if you have some ideas about routes, foods, sag support, publicity, or other issues, PLEASE come to our first planning meeting on Thursday, February 19th at 7 pm at George and Jane’s home in Horn Rapids (call 375-1977 for info or directions).

Ride Calendar – Winter 2004

Tuesday and Thursday morning rides start at 9:30am at the Richland Community House. Destination is chosen by group. For more information, contact Bill Dunbar, 627-0167. Note that starting this quarter, the Saturday rides will also start at 9:30 am (in most cases), with a switch to 8:30 am on April 10^th when Daylight Savings Time begins.

Ride Codes: Green – less than 15 miles with nearly level terrain; Blue – 15 - 40 miles with moderate terrain; Black – greater than 40 miles with moderate terrain, or fewer than 40 with asphalt moguls.

Riders: No need to call ahead unless otherwise indicated. Just show up at the start. Feel free to call the ride leader for more information.

Leaders and Sweeps: Ride leaders and sweeps are always needed. As a leader, you can choose a ride that’s been done before, or create the ride of your choice and have it immortalized in this Spokesman ride calendar. The day you lead the group on your ride, you may be surprised at the number of riders who have never followed your route before. Ride sweeps provide the “rear guard” for the ride, ensuring that slower riders or those with mechanical troubles don’t fall back behind the pack. Call Ed Nordquist 627-1195, to volunteer.

And two more Very Important Notes: First, WEAR YOUR HELMET! Second, please obey the rules of the road at all times. The Club is active in community affairs, which helps us promote legislation that could provide better facilities for cyclists. Don’t ruin it by blowing through stop signs, tailgating left turns, or riding against traffic. If you wouldn’t do it in a car, don’t do it on a bike!

Beginning riders and those who want a shorter ride: Show up at the longer rides and let the ride Sweep or Leader know you’d like a less strenuous ride. They can help you with a shorter route and try to match you up with someone to ride with.We won’t leave you dangling.

Jan 10 – Burbank Revisited - Leave Espresso World in Kennewick at 9:30 am. Edison to Columbia Park and over the Blue Bridge. Out “A” Street and Hwy 12 to Francisco’s. Return same route except go over the Cable Bridge. Blue, approx. 32 miles. Leader: Bill Dunbar, 627‑0167

Jan 17 – Benton City (second try) ‑ Leave from Some Bagels in Richland at 9:30 am. Ride to B.C. via I‑182, Kennedy, Dallas and Badger. Lunch at Bear Hut. Return via DeMoss, Ruppert and Van Giesen. Blue, approx. 30 miles. Leader: Bill Painter, 946‑1076

Jan 24 – West Richland Tour ‑ Leave from Some Bagels in Richland at 9:30 a.m. Out Kennedy to Bombing Range. Ride through residential areas on Ironton, Broadview, Riverside, returning on Van Giesen and Hains. Gradual climbs and a steep downhill; Blue, 19 miles. Leader: John Ittner, 627‑1858

Jan 31 – Wannawish Dam Bombing Run - Leave from Some Bagels in Richland at 9:30 am. Bike path thru Howard Amon Park and Haines to Van Giesen to Fallon, Canal and Grosscup to Harrington. Follow Harrington to the pavement end beyond the Wannawish Dam. Retrace route back to Some Bagels. Blue, approx. 30 miles. Leader: Ed Nordquist, 627‑1195

Feb 7 – Chocolate Factory ‑ Leave from Some Bagels in Richland at 9:30 a.m. Cross Columbia River on I‑182, out Court to Harris, left on Harris to Dent. Left on Rd. 68, right at fire station, out to Hwy 395, and lunch at the Chocolate Factory. Retrace route to return. Black, 40 miles. Leader: Bill Painter, 946‑1076

Feb 14 – Loop the Parks - Leave from Some Bagels in Richland at 9:30 am. ride through Chiawana Park. Return via Cable Bridge and Columbia Drive through Columbia Park, I-182, Jadwin, back to Taste. Blue, approx. 25 miles. Leader: Bob Morford, 375‑0839

Feb 21 – Sagemoor Loop - Leave Some Bagels in Richland at 9:30 am. Rd 100, Harris, Dent, to Rd 68 at Douglas Fruit. Rd 68 to Sagemoor. Return on Taylor Flats Rd. Black, approx. 35 miles. Leader: Dave Gerkensmeyer, 628‑3084

Feb 28 – Dallas Climb ‑ Meet at Espresso World in Kennewick at 9:30 am. Out Clearwater extension to Leslie, down to Gage, Keene, Queensgate to Kennedy and Dallas. Climb Dallas to I‑82 and on to Badger Road. Return on Clearwater extension. The climb up Dallas makes this ride a Dark Blue, 25 miles. Leader: John Ittner, 627‑1858

Mar 6 – Zintel Dam – Leave Espresso World in Kennewick at 9:30 am, or get there from Some Bagels in Richland at 8:30 am. Take Kellogg to 10^th, then Union to 27^th. Ride UP to Dam. Continue through Canyon Lakes to Ely. Left on 27^th and retrace back to Kellogg. Black approx. 25 miles (or 40 miles from Richland). Leader: Gene Weisskopf, 946-1316

Mar 13 – Tour de Hanford – Leave from Some Bagels in Richland at 9:30 am. Ride Rt 4S north to Rt 10 at the Wye Barricade. Rt 10 and Horn Rd to Benton City. Lunch stop at the Bear Hut in Benton City. Return via Kennedy, Queensgate, I-182 trail, Goethals, and Lee. Black, 47 miles. Leader: Bill Dunbar, 627‑0167

Mar 20 – Badger Canyon Loop ‑ Leave Some Bagels in Richland at 9:30 am. I-182 to Queensgate, Columbia Drive, Leslie, and Badger. Return on Jacobs Rd from Kiona, then Dallas, Kennedy and Queensgate back to Richland. Blue, approx. 35 miles. Leader: Dave Gerkensmeyer, 628‑3084

Mar 27 – Over to Hover - Leave Espresso World in Kennewick at 9:30 am. Kellogg, Metaline, Edison, Columbia Park Trail, Fruitland to First Ave, left on First to Chemical Dr., 3^rd, Yew, 7^th, Havana, Finley Rd Riek, Meals and Hover Rd. to the Old Hover town site. Return via Game Farm, Haney, Bowles Rd., Oak St., 27^th, Washington and 10^th. Blue, approx. 35 miles. Leader: John Ittner, 627‑1858

Apr 3 – Benton City ‑ Leave from Some Bagels in Richland at 9:30 am. Ride to B.C. via I‑182 and Kennedy. Lunch at Bear Hut. Return via DeMoss, Ruppert, and Van Giesen. Blue, approx. 30 miles. Leader: Bob Morford, 375‑0839

Apr 10 – Cherry Hill Loop ‑ Meet at Some Bagels in Richland at 8:30 am. Car pool to the Dairygold dairy store in Sunnyside. Leave from there about 9 am. Head east to Grandview then loop back around to the west through the orchards and vineyards north of I-182. Around Cherry Hill, return along Yakima River. Late lunch at the dairy store in Sunnyside. Blue, approx. 40 miles. Leader: John Ittner, 627‑1858

Apr 17 – B.C. to Prosser – Leave from Benton City Park & Ride at 9:00 am or, for those wanting a longer ride, start from Some Bagels in Richland at 8:00 am. Up Weber Canyon to County Wells Rd. Over to Patterson Hwy, and down into Prosser for lunch at Blue Goose. Back via Old Inland Empire Hwy to Benton City. Black approx. 35 miles (or 65 miles from Richland). Leader: Gene Weisskopf, 946‑1316

May 8 – Inland Empire Century - 100 miles of pure (Horse) Heaven and shorter rides, as well. All rides begin from Howard Amon Park. Watch for flyers with application forms at local bike shops, on the web and in the next issue of The Spokesman.

Still Laughing at Tackweed

In the last issue of The Spokesman, I wrote about my seemingly flat-proof tires, the Specialized Turbo Armadillos. In fact, the rear tire was, quite literally, flat-proof, as it never had a flat throughout its entire life of 5,336 miles. I’ve since replaced it with a new Armadillo that has 813 flat-free miles on it. The front Armadillo has reached 3,787 miles without a flat.

It was statistics like these that prompted me to strip the tires off my other road bike, my fendered wintertime Trek, and replace them with the new model Armadillos called the All Condition. The added convenience and safety that comes with flat-free tires was enough to make me replace two tires that still had lots of life in them, but were not flat-proof. Plus, on a drab, drizzly, 34-degree, grey winter day, the value of not having a flat is magnified ten-fold.

So far, I’ve only put 100 miles on the All Conditions, but I’m hoping that the “new and improved” model will prove to be as tough and long-lived as the previous model. I’ll let you know.

Not Taking a Tumble

I was witness to an extraordinary feat of cycling stupi…er… I mean skill by two of our most active members. In early November of this year, Bill Painter, Gene Weisskopf, and I were returning to the start of our ride on a Tuesday or Thursday morning, I forget which. I was in the lead as we headed down the bike path adjacent to I-182 over the Yakima River.

As I rounded the turn at the bottom of the bridge, I found that the path was almost completely blocked by the mother of all tumbleweeds, leaving only about 12 inches of path for me to ride on. I maneuvered around the obstacle and immediately stopped, planning to warn Bill and Gene. I knew they would be deep in conversation about something important, such as the relative prices of pancakes at local restaurants, while riding side by side. But, alas, I was too late. I turned around just in time to see them approach the weed at full speed, side by side.

Gene was on the left and could have maneuvered around the weed as I had, but Bill had nowhere to go but into the thorny bush. He yelled something to the effect that he was going straight through the bush. The bush immediately stopped his forward movement, at which time he fell over onto Gene, knocking him into the soft (thankfully) bank of dirt on the left side of the path.

Neither rider was the worse for wear, and I was thankful that I had not hit the weed ahead of them, whereupon they would have …oh well I would rather not think about that.

Tumbling in Tumbleweed

It was Tuesday, November 11, 2003. Bill Dunbar, Gene Weisskopf, and I were on the finishing leg of a typical Tuesday morning bike ride. We had ridden from the Richland Community Center over to Pasco along the river. The weather was great for that time of year, cool, but not cold, and there was only a slight breeze. We continued over the Cable Bridge and through Columbia Park to the Sage Port Grill for lunch.

As the causeway to Richland is closed to bike riding, we continued up Columbia Trail to the bike path which goes along I-l82, across the Yakima River and back to Richland. As we were now free of vehicle traffic, our attention lagged.

Bill Dunbar was leading the way down the path. Gene and I were discussing hiking and the best way to break in his new hiking boots. Bill disappeared around the blind curve just beyond the Yakima River bridge. As Gene and I approached the curve, we had no idea that trouble lay ahead.

As we rounded the curve, we suddenly were confronted with a giant tumbleweed which completely covered the path. Numerous smaller ones were piled on and around the giant, barricading the path. Only a narrow one-foot-wide opening bordered on the left. This Mother of all tumbleweeds looked to be the size of a large dining table and was higher than my bike. Gene, slightly ahead of me and on my left, happened to be where the small opening was. As we were both going too fast to stop, I had no option except to plow my way through the center of this huge Medusa with its thousands of menacing, stabbing tentacles.

I yelled a warning to Gene, and then I hit the pile...dead center. Somewhere in the middle of the monster, the tentacles grabbed and locked both front and rear wheels. I skidded to the right and somehow straightened up the bike again. Then I skidded to the left, and I just knew I was going down. As luck would have it, I hit something with my body and was able to again get the bike back in an upright position. A few more yards distance, and I was able to dismount, with no injuries. I dug the tumbleweeds out of the wheels, chain, derailleur, and myself. I admit that I was shaken up!

I believe that what saved me from going down was the “something” that I bumped. That something was Gene. This enabled me to gain some control of the bike and save myself. Also, the good news was that Gene was also okay, after going down on his knee into soft dirt alongside the bike path.

I am amazed at what went through my mind in the microsecond before hitting the weed. I recalled that years ago a fellow rider, Paul Dahlke, hit a giant tumbleweed and was injured. Dave’s and Al’s recent accident also flashed into my mind, and I knew I had to somehow make it through as best I could. Most of all, I had to try to avoid injuring both Gene and myself.

After scattering the defeated monster and pushing it off the path, the three of us mounted our bikes and continued our ride.

A Random Cycling Accident (or was it?)

I think it started on Thursday, November 6. I and a half-dozen others were cycling along Columbia Park Trail toward Leslie Road when we saw Don Cockeram riding towards us on his distinctive recumbent trike. I was in front and slowed to a stop so we could say hello.

Unfortunately, the person behind me didn’t read me mind, a fact made clear by the sizeable impact to my bicycle and me. I remained standing with my bike still under me, but Evelyn Painter was less fortunate—it was she who kept going when I stopped.

Evelyn ended up flat on her back, stunned and in the middle of the road. A minute or two later, we determined that she hadn’t damaged anything, other than a crack in her helmet, that is, and she was up and ready to go.

But we didn’t want her to continue riding. When we had stopped to sweep her up off the road, David Rose was passing by and kindly stopped to flag traffic around us and see if he could offer any other help (he probably didn’t realize that crashing was not so unusual for us in 2003). So we asked if he could give Evelyn a lift home and he gladly obliged. Bill Painter joined her for the trip home, and the rest of us continued on our way.

We decided that the obvious lessons learned from this incident were that the person in front ought to bark a little advanced notice when he is about to slow down or turn, and that a person riding right behind another ought to be alert for unexpected events.

The aftermath of the accident was that Evelyn bought a new helmet and I had my rear brake repaired (the impact had broken the cable stay). At least, I thought that was the only aftermath, but was I perhaps blind to a darkening umbrage?

We jump ahead to that fateful day when Bill Dunbar, Bill Painter, and I were riding down the bike path alongside I-182 over the Yakima River. Bill D. was out front as we crossed the river and approached the curve where our path meets the other path along the Chamna Natural Preserve. Bill P. and I were riding side by side as we made the turn and suddenly saw the wall of tumbleweed blocking the path.

It really seemed like a wall, standing higher than our bikes and about as thick as our bikes were long. I was on the left and saw a narrow patch of blue where the path was still visible and not completely blocked. As I saw my salvation, my mind briefly pondered what the heck Bill P. was going to do—he was dead center in the path with nothing but tumbleweed in front of him.

It was at that moment when Bill P. shouted out something to the effect of “I’m going straight through!” Which was fine with me as I had already scoped out my path around the tumbleweed. But as we each met the line of tumbleweed, me sneaking around the left and Bill going through the middle, my plan didn’t pan out.

Instead, I suddenly found myself being pushed off the path into a bank of dirt, while I heard Bill driving into that wall of tumbleweed. Next thing I knew, I was getting my face out of the (fortunately very soft) dirt and lifting myself up, to find Bill standing on his bike, waist deep in tumbleweed. What a sight! The only difference between Bill and Evil Kneivel is that Evil would’ve had the tumbleweed ignited and in flames. And he would’ve made it through, too.

The happy ending is that we all survived and had a good laugh, with me brushing the dirt out of my beard and Bill P. disentangling his bike from the tumbleweed. It was, however, somewhat of a nervous laugh when we considered the possibilities.

The only thing I’m still not sure about is just what Bill P. shouted as we descended on the wall. Was it “I’m going straight through!” or was it more like, and I’m still wondering, “I’m going to get you!”

Editor’s Note

It seems a bit odd to be talking about bicycle-related issues when the snow is piled high outside. I’ve not ridden my bike since December 18, which will be three long weeks ago come tomorrow. I’ve been walking here and there, which gives me a dose of fresh air and a bit of exercise, but it’s not the same as a two-hour ride on two wheels.

So now I’m longing for the days of flat grey skies, cold air, but very dry pavement. The sort of days that seemed endless last winter, to the point of my getting very tired of flat grey days.

Last year was also notable for the number of two-wheeled accidents among TCBC members and others outside the group. I had my own encounter with a pit bull on DeMoss Road, a dog who “took me out” not with his teeth but simply by running in front of me. He was kind enough to leave me alone once I was down and out on the pavement.

The accidents taught us a number of lessons, I hope. Unfortunately, the only lesson I learned from my dog-and-bike experience is that accidents can happen that are unavoidable. That means we should either not ride at all and stay home and watch TV, or participate in a great sport but wear a helmet that fits well. And when we ride in a car, we should wear a seatbelt.

I’m still not sure why 2003 was so notable for bike accidents. It might be due to our getting a bit too relaxed on our rides, or maybe because we’re aging and just not able to respond as quickly as we might have ten years ago. There’s also the fact that the planet Mars passed very close to Earth in 2003, and I suspect it must have had a huge effect on us inhabitants. It would certainly explain a pit bull’s rush at my front wheel, and a nation’s rush to aggression in international affairs.

So as Mars recedes, I hope we can make our riding, as well as our own lives, more in tune with the graceful flight of birds, who seem to defy gravity while actually working within the laws of the universe. Have a safe and happy cycling year in 2004.