Wednesday, September 15, 2010

I love Biking

So I decide to ride the singlespeed to work, the weather being all rainy and all that. With my singlespeed having a 32x16 gear ration there is no way that I can sprint around so I try to keep the heart rate low and enjoy the ride in. Everything goes smooth, until I get into Brussels, all of a sudden a geriatric creature in a family van comes riding next to me while honking and shaking a bony fist in my direction, at the same time trying to push me off the road. Eventually she realizes that the body work of her fuel guzzler is more expensive than my life and she lets go. Unfortunately for her traffic lights turn red and I catch up with her giving her a nice "speech" about her life expectancy and how she could spend the rest of her time amongst the living.
Heart rate goes down and again and we're back on out way, on Rue La Loi a tits-for-brains in a Bairische Motor Wanker decides, out-of-the-blue, to cut two lanes at the same time to make a hard turn to the right, exactly the same moment I cross the street. My disc brakes wail,the profile of my tires smears itself on the bicycle lane and I ready for impact. The Japanese engineering however manages to fight faith and I come to a halt mere inches form her right front wheel.
XX chromosomes gets a speech about visual impairment and the suggestion to get a guiding dog with a drivers license, and I want to proceed and then I loose it.
A big pink poster says I love biking in Brussels and some broadly smiling promo creature on stilts wants to offer me a reflective vest for my safety or whatever.
I tell her to fuck off and ultimately decide against pushing her over.

I like biking in Brussels, biking not dying.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

The art of dressing up.

Summer is not officially over yet in good old bHellgium but the morning rides are no longer a bib-short-short-sleeved-jersey affair neither. Until the winter hits us straight in the teeth, we must choose what to wear and what to carry along in the backpack. It took me a day or two before I found the working combo which consists of bib shorts, a short-sleeved base layer, sleeveless wind-breaker and leg pieces.
I keep all the water proof stuff in the Chrome pack, thus making sure it actually never rains. The day I forget it I'll probably end up soaking wet.
Luckily the change in weather also deterred the fair-weather commuter, making the streets a little safer.

have a safe ride.