Ride Your Bike, Save Fuel and Make the World Safer for Cyclists

My five readers are aware that I recently got into cycling. I did not get into it to be "more green"or to save gas money. I got into it for exercise and recreation. However, since I began riding more, I have taken to riding my old comfort bike to and from work and on little errands around town. While my "commute" to work can barely be called that as it is probably a mile round trip, taking my bike to meetings, the library, grocery store etc. has been good. I have saved some gas, made my carbon footprint a little bit smaller, and gotten more exercise in the process. (Unfortunately, my knee is not yet fully healed and thus my riding for exercise and recreation has been severely limited- but I won't whine about that now.)

Not too long ago I was talking to a friend who mentioned she was about 10 miles from work. I encouraged her to explore the option of biking. The cost of good commuter bike will be easily made up in gas savings in a short time, not to mention the health benefits. Obviously there can be obstacles to doing this. Not everyone has a shower facility available to them at their place of work. (Articles I've read suggest baby wipes. I tried this recently. I road my bike to a park for a cookout with friends. I freshened up in the park bathroom with baby wipes and it wasn't too bad.) Winter weather can be tough, but with proper attire, riding in 20 degree weather is do-able.

People occasionally ask me about riding on the road and specifically about the dangers of it. The recently deceased blog, Dave Moulton's Bike Blog, often covered this subject and covered it well. In general, I find that if I follow the rules of the road, ride predictably and communicate well with motorists (signaling turns, signaling braking, giving a "thank you" wave etc.) things generally go pretty smoothly. Still, you need to be aware at all times and take unaware motorists in stride. (I'm not always good at that.) There are many books and articles that can get you up to speed on the rights and responsibilities you have as a cyclist on the road. In a short time you can become confident on the road. (Confidence should not be confused with carelessness.)

Here's the thing though...the more people that ride the safer it becomes. Check out this article that Brad Boydston linked to on his blog, "Bike Accidents Decline as Ridership Rises." Here's a quote: The researchers say studies in several countries have shown the incidence of motorists colliding with cyclists or pedestrians actually declines as more people ride or walk. The reason, they say, is simple -- the more cyclists motorists see, the more aware they are of cyclists in general and more safely they drive. Rising cycling rates mean motorists are more likely to be cyclists, and therefore be more conscious of, and sympathetic towards, cyclists.

If you have ever thought about commuting on a bike, whether to work or just for errands around town, I'd encourage you to go for it. You'll make your carbon footprint smaller, save some gas and become a little healthier in the process.

Guess Who's Back? Lance is Back...

Lance Armstrong has announced his intention return to professional cycling. The complete details are to be revealed on September 24 at an event in New York. See his website for more.

The goal, it is reported, is to ( among other things) win an 8th Tour de France. Why would Lance do this? What can he gain? Joe Lindsay has some interesting thoughts. Some have said it would be impossible for Lance to win the TDF at age 37.

Yeah, impossible is not a word I'd use when talking of Lance and winning a bike race. Still, 34 is considered "over the hill" for the Tour and Lance is 37. I'm not counting him out though...would you?

I'm looking forward to hearing what Lance has to say on the 24th. This should be interesting.

Dan

I remember being fresh out of college in a new role as youth pastor at my church. At the time, I thought the mere fact of my presence meant that I would have a steady stream of students coming to me looking for a listening ear, prayer, advice, counsel or some combination thereof. Well, it didn't (and probably doesn't) work that way. It takes time to establish relationships and trust.

Dan was the first student to confide in me. He was a senior in high school. We had lunch at McDonald's and he shared some struggles- doubts mostly, he was having with his faith. He had also been making some bad decisions that are not all that uncommon amongst teens. I left that conversation very concerned for Dan and wondering if and how God might intervene in his life.

Fast forward 11 years and a few months back. Dan, now married and the father of 3, and I have lunch at a small Mexican restaurant. We talk about our children, our wives and our faith. We talk about how our faith has grown over the years. We talk about books that have been helpful to us and agree that we ought to do a book exchange. I'm blown away by the contrast of the conversations and so pleased to see where Dan is at now.

The bill arrives and I take it and pull out my credit card. "Sorry, cash only." I have maybe $3 cash on me. Dan picks up the tab and I say, "Well, next time it's on me, and I'll make sure I bring cash." We go our separate ways.

I got a call a couple weeks ago on a Friday morning. Dan died, cause of death was unknown.

I guess you know it's always a possibility that you'll be doing a funeral for a student or former student, but it's certainly not something you expect to do. Inevitably a tragic situation like this raises a host of difficult questions. Most of them begin with "why," and, well, end there too.

Words always seem inadequate in a situation like this because they are. Hope is real though and I've continued to hang on to hope in the weeks since. At his funeral I shared about these two conversations and how they were a picture of God's faithfulness to Dan throughout his life- even, and perhaps especially, when Dan would have admitted that he himself had been less than faithful to God. God's presence in Dan's life was real and thus that presence in a reality in death as well.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39