Thursday, November 14, 2013

Smiley Face

There in fact was a cyclocross race in Colt Park this past Saturday.  Supposedly there is another cross race in Cheshire this weekend, and Doug is trying to get folks to ride out with him from Hartford.  At the Colt Park race I played a small part by walking the course and tagging hazards.  I get an out-sized amount of fulfillment from spray painting route and hazard markings.  It feels illicit, but at the same time I know I'm not going to get in trouble. Is this my inner Midwesterner getting its kicks - but safely?

A young Sam Colt watching the silly cross racers scrabble up his steps.
For giggles I put a smiley face on this dirt pile in the middle of the course.  No one ran over smiley.  Right next to on both sides but not over. This is an interesting commentary on human nature that I'm still pondering.  Are smiley faces sacred ground?  Did everyone think that smiley was a hazard in disguise?  Perhaps this smiley face made the racers, teetering on the brink of anaerobic crash, smile each time they looped the course.  I can only hope. 

Making you smile despite the blurred vision and lactic acid.
In other news, I taught my first Traffic Skills 101 course as a League Cycling Instructor, co-taught with Chris Brown.  It went well, despite the cold rain that added an extra challenge to the parking lot drills.  Doing quick stop and instant turn drills on wet pavement wasn't in the original plan, but the students will be better for it.  Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures.
 
So many people that I ended up in the cheap seats.
Bike Walk CT held their annual dinner, and besides hustling a table I managed to score a pretty cool bottle opener.  Fortunately for Bike Walk CT the dinner has grown tremendously and has started to pull in active transportation advocates from across the state - not just Hartford metro.  Unfortunately for me, that means that there are no more screaming deals to be had at the silent auction.

This week I started wearing my new winter boots.  They are amazing.  What is your go to gear for cold weather cycling?  Just got an email from the planners of Winter Bike to Work Day and I'm feeling inspired.  There will be a Hartford(ish) event on February 14th, 2014.

PS - Someone should totally hook me up with some good products to review.

2 comments:

North End Commuter said...

I'm up for the winter ride--here's hoping someone clears the Bissell Bridge path this year. After tearing my piriformis muscle (didn't even know that part of my body existed until I tore it) in June, I rode to work today for the first time in nearly six months. I'm so grateful to be riding again I might be ready to commit to shoveling the 291 bridge path myself if needed.

Tony C said...

If you find the 291 bridge blocked by snow, send a note to Kate Rattan (katherine.rattan@ct.gov) at the CT DOT. She will make sure the right folks know it's blocking traffic.

I only hit the Bissell Bridge every couple of weeks, so I'm not a reliable reporter of DOT neglect. That said - I found 3 ft of snow several weeks after the last big storm last season. If you don't squeak, you won't be heard.