Saturday, April 24, 2010

Selma Cyclepaths - Winded at Windell - almost.

Some how I got the time for the ride messed up and arrived there about 5 minutes after everyone left. So I got ready, borrowed a que sheet and took off at 9:23. I am doing better with the depression or I would not have ridden with this happening. I enjoyed my ride, I get sort of zoned when riding and do not pay close enough attention to the que sheet and the roads so I missed a few and had to go back then missed one completely and wound up off the course. At about 20 miles I just decided to take Buffalo Road back to the start. At this point there was no way I was going to catch the group so I just turned it for home. I had a pretty good chance of catching at least some of the group until I made the wrong turn.
Turtle was preforming beautifully. The time I spend working on her Friday night was worth it. I tried to find a way to mount the new bracket for the new power side idler pulley I just bough from Utah Trikes but in spite of what Ashley told me I could not find a way to make it work. I am beginning to believe that a lot of what he tells me is subject to interpretations and that his and mine offend differ. For instance he was sure I would have no problem with using their three pulley system, however I could not find anyway for the chain not to hit the seat and seat frame. When I move the seat forward if I ever get my new boom and HS drive I will check again about mounting the idler. Moving the front derailleur almost as high as it can be mounter does allow the chain to not hitting it in the big ring - shifting is not as easy but at least I can see it and tell what is happening also I no longer have the plastic shield under my seat and the chain is not hitting it or the frame of the seat. The nice quite ride I was use to is back and it felt good.
I did have a first time experience for me today. I was pulled over by a North Carolina State Trooper. I have read some real horror stories online about cyclist being hassled by the police so I was a bit apprehensive. He pulled up behind me and turned on his lights then pulled on side of me and pointer to a entrance to a parking lot of a church I think and I nodded to him and followed him in there. I did not know if I should have gotten off the trike or not so I just sat there. He was very pleasant, polite and almost apologetic. He told me he had followed me from a distance for a bit and that he had not seen anything wrong but that there had been a compliant called in there there was this person riding a three wheel bicycle down the middle of the road and blocking traffic. He said he had no way to know if it was me or if I had been doing that but that he had seen no problems. He said that since there was a call he had to check it out. He asked me if I knew I was going 20 mph. I told him that I had been going 20 mph and was that a problem, he said no it was not a problem. I thanks him and explained to him that I do somethings ride toward the center line of the road because it is usually the most flat part of the road and flat is more comfortable than the edge which usually has a crown to it, but that I tried to never impend traffic and do whatever I can to stay out of the way of motorist. I got the impression I was not what he was expecting to find out there. I think he got the call and expected to find someone older than me on one of those adult tricycles(one wheel in the front, two wheels in the back with a very upright seating position) wander around all over the road. He asked me a few same questions about the trike that almost everyone asks and wished me a good day. And that was it my first incident with the law on my trike.

My GPS data is HERE

1 comment:

Jen said...

Wow, what a strange thing! I've ridden with you and you don't block traffic. And, I think the law states we can ride in the lane anywhere we want to, right?

I can't understand why a few people decide to hate us cyclists. Do we make them feel bad for being lazy or something? lol