I enjoyed reading what Jim T. had to say about exercise. Bicycle commuting to work has been my mode of travel for the last 40 years. Unlike Jim, I weigh about twice as much now as when I was twelve, with the additional weight being in all kinds of places. Riding a bike to work gives you a different kind of perspective. You see a lot of people driving large SUV's, pickups, etc. to work. Not only are they missing out on an opportunity for exercise, I believe they have no respect for the planet and have lost touch with their ancestral roots. They have traded their souls for a tankful of gas and a paycheck. The same people roar past my kayak in their speedboats and personal watercraft, and buzz me with their snowmobiles when I go cross-country skiing. I plan on out-living them, if I don't get hit by a bus. That's the end of my sermon. Bradford R. Crain *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> I enjoyed reading what Jim T. had to say about exercise. > Bicycle commuting to work has been my mode of travel for > the last 40 years. Unlike Jim, I weigh about twice as much > now as when I was twelve, with the additional weight being > in all kinds of places. I have no idea what I weighed when I was 12. But I am now about 20 pounds heavier than when I was a skinny defensive back in (Canadian/American) football. That's about 8 ounces a year. <grin> > > Riding a bike to work gives you a different kind of perspective. > You see a lot of people driving large SUV's, pickups, etc. to work. > Not only are they missing out on an opportunity for exercise, > I believe they have no respect for the planet and have lost touch > with their ancestral roots. They have traded their souls for a > tankful of gas and a paycheck. The same people roar past my > kayak in their speedboats and personal watercraft, and buzz > me with their snowmobiles when I go cross-country skiing. > I plan on out-living them, if I don't get hit by a bus. > Interesting article in the Ottawa Citizen recently about guys training for marathons by running along the sides of roads. (In Winter, that's about their only option, with sidewalks snowed in and walkways and paths either snow-covered or in use by cross-country skiers.) Apparently, there have been a number of instances of people in motor vehicles getting their jollies by aiming at the runners. I've experienced similar close calls when trying to ride my bicycle, even when there is a four-foot wide "bike lane" along the edge of roads, marked clearly with a white line from the automobile portion of the roadway. After enough of that sort of nonsense, I decided discretion was the better part of valour and I mounted by bike on a stand in the basement and do my exercising there. Boring scenery, but so much safer! > That's the end of my sermon. > > > Bradford R. Crain -- Darryl *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> I've experienced similar close calls when trying to ride my bicycle, > even when there is a four-foot wide "bike lane" along the edge of > roads, marked clearly with a white line from the automobile portion > of the roadway. After enough of that sort of nonsense, >From motorist's prospective, I suspect cyclist is perceived as an alien object, something that doesn't belong in the traffic, - looking different and moving different (slower and less steady on course), and this can be annoying. It's a matter of atavistic instinct, which does exist no matter how hard we are trying to control it. >I decided > discretion was the better part of valour and I mounted by bike on a > stand in the basement and do my exercising there. Boring scenery, but > so much safer! Indeed. My friends thought I was crazy when I told them that was going to trade my apartment for a smaller one, but in 5 minutes walking distance from gym, pool and grocery store. Cycling in rain or snow adds more perils to those already existing in traffic, and pedalling a gym bicycle is 100% safe. Boring, I agree. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
alex wrote: >>From motorist's prospective, I suspect cyclist is perceived as an alien > object, something that doesn't belong in the traffic, - looking different > and moving different (slower and less steady on course) Good cyclists in a city ride a straight line and can keep up with traffic. Unfortunately for good cyclists, they are in the (small) minority among cyclists. > It's a matter of atavistic instinct, which does exist no matter > how hard we are trying to control it. No, they're just obnoxious jerks who put others at risk for no reason. One thing I miss since leaving Quebec - it's the only area in North America where bicycles are not seen as an alien object (at least when I lived there; I fear it may have "modernized" 26 years since I left). There were fewer such obnoxious jerks, but only slightly. Mike *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Bike or ski machine in front of the TV is not too bad. Not as boring as watching the wall, and sometimes interesting. GaryJ alex wrote: >Indeed. My friends thought I was crazy when I told them that was going to >trade my apartment for a smaller one, but in 5 minutes walking distance from >gym, pool and grocery store. Cycling in rain or snow adds more perils to >those already existing in traffic, and pedalling a gym bicycle is 100% safe. >Boring, I agree. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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