Not So Fun Being Prey in the Urban Jungle

Yesterday Arik and I ventured across the Trinity again, this time to get a membership at the White Rock YMCA (I can't run anymore b/c I have the knees of a 90 year old ex-mogul skiier so I wanted an outdoor pool to swim laps in) and to stop by the Kroger on Mockingbird. Our ride there was pleasant again- not much traffic and sunny skies with a breeze. We took a rest outside Kroger and enjoyed some tasty watermelon we picked up there, then headed to the YMCA and got signed up.

Our ride to White Rock, and the previous long rides we've done in the past 2 weeks, had made us feel really positive about riding in the big city- we know Dallas is car-dominated, but we hadn't had any bad experiences and were feeling confident and enjoying ourselves. The ride home was not so cheery- there was a ton of traffic, right lanes downtown were often filled up with parked cars, and for the first time we appreciated how tough it is to navigate streets not designed for bikes alongside cars streaking by doing 50 mph with drivers often openly hostile to us being on the road. Bike lanes would sure be a godsend. We made it home in one piece but with our confidence a bit shaken. Like a good nerd, I ordered two books on urban cycling (here and here) in hopes of getting some of that confidence back. Wish us luck!


In other news, we'll be doing the Tour d'Italia, in Italy....Texas on June 20. It has 12, 30, 40, 50, and 63 mile routes and promises free snow cones, but alas, no lasagna, at the end. We're thinking about doing either the 50 or 63 mile routes, but we aren't sure yet.

As always, please let us know if there's anyone you'd like us to ride in honor or memory of, and thanks so much for the support and encouragement.

Be well,

Arik and Mia

http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots2009/ariknmiabike