As much as I miss cycling, and I really do miss cycling, I am touched by the number of my non-cycling friends who are asking whether I have started riding this year. I too have been thinking about this as I see other (braver) cyclists on the road. I need to give my bike a mechanical check, and finally learn how to clean/lube my chain, and then I, too, can think about riding.
The fact is, as some of my previous posts intimate, I am a cautious rider and so I have not started riding because of ice, sand/debris on roads, and winter potholes.
The ice has melted, mostly a week or two ago. The potholes are really a perennial hazard ... the only thing is to get familiar with the locations of the new crop. The temperatures and the (de-icer) sand and winter debris, which can be quite hazardous to cyclists, are the two final external impediments to me riding. The weather forecast is for more spring-like temperatures this week, and this morning I heard and then saw the first street-sweeper of spring. Not quite as inspiring for many as the first cuckoo in spring, but thrilling for me nonetheless.
Some of you know we have a friend in the ICU right now, and I have been preoccupied with his critical illness. There is little I can do for him right now, other than thoughts and prayers, and support his family where needed. However, I can look after myself and my family in fresh recognition of the frailty of our lives, and a good bike ride will help me, at least, burn off some worry and breathe in some optimism (it's not called inspiration for nothing).
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