Back in March of 2014, I wrote a post called Flying Solo about how I enjoyed skiing by myself especially when I would travel out to the Pacific Northwest. Check out my March 5, 2014 archives on the side of my page. Not that I did not like skiing with a group, but how therapeutic it is to spend time skiing by yourself and riding solo on a chairlift. You can look around, take in the views, think, and just enjoy the moment – by yourself.
As I get older, I am starting to enjoy riding my mountain bike by myself. Again, not that I don’t like riding with people, but when I can take the time and put on my Shokz earbuds and listen to calming music, it is a nice experience. I can ride at my own pace, I don’t have to chase or wait for anybody, and can just take in a beautiful day and a beautiful place.
I showed a friend of mine the other day my route through one of my favorite places to ride. I stressed my enjoyment of riding at my own pace or what I call PPPP – Pat’s Pleasant Park Peddling. I like the humorous bumper sticker that says ” start slow and taper off.” LOL!! When we finished the ride- I showed my friend how to end the ride- which was to go right to a park bench under a tree and hop off the bike and sit down. I tend to look around at the changes that occur with the seasons and think about the next change that will be coming. I have a chance to keep listening to my music and thinking about a lot of things. What is important in life? How I value my family. And how it feels to be entering my 7th decade. But riding keeps you in the game and you don’t let a number define you. But when you ride solo, or hike solo, or run solo, or ski solo, you have the mental time to consider a lot of things that are important and eliminate those that are not.
I have always used my bike as a therapeutic tool to relax, think about things, and unload some occasional stress that comes into all of our lives. I used to do it on a road bike, but now, it is all on the mountain bike. No cars, no honking, no chipped ham sandwiches thrown at you, and especially no issues with people texting and not paying attention to your safety. Yes- trees don’t move, but I find that I feel safer on the MTB than the road bike. Plus ,the tranquility of the woods and the trails in my collection of favorite places to ride, aids in the therapeutic process.
Whether you ride a road bike, a gravel bike, or a mountain bike, there are times when you have the opportunity to ride by yourself. If you don’t ride, you can perhaps think about starting – easy and taper off. Riding a bicycle has been one of the great joys in my life as it is good exercise and also helps with dealing with the stressors of ordinary living. Again- no offense to my riding or skiing friends, but time spent by myself is well worth the ride.
So the next time your friends bail out for one reason or another, think about going out by yourself. Most bails are due to bad weather, but if you have the right clothing, you can enjoy riding in the rain, sleet or snow. And if it is by yourself, all the better. Pull that hood up, put on your music, and get that ride in anyhow. After you get cleaned up, you will be glad you did it. I am getting smarter the older I get. And making use of solo riding time is enjoyable more and more. Thanks for reading.
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Many of the trails that are used today are multi- use. That means, hikers, equestrians, mountain bikers, and trail runners, all use them and, in some cases, there can be conflict. Typically ,things happen when a group of mountain bikers come up suddenly on a group of people on horses and startle the horses and the riders. Or maybe someone is peddling up a steep climb on a trail and another group of mountain bikers are rocketing downhill and ignore the rule about the uphill riders having the right of way. Conflict happens. Or trail runners often have a negative feeling about mountain bikers because they startle them, or they come screaming past them and expect the hikers or trail runners to move off the trail. Conflict happens again. It seems that the responsible users of any trail system really have to know the rules and, well………, just be aware of being courteous to other users. No wonder conflict happens, and it seems like I spend time on every ride trying to improve the opinions of other users. I try to be courteous and get off my bike when horses are present because I am aware that bikes spook horses.
It seems like I am always trying to make up for the few bad apples who seem to taint our reputation with their rude behavior. Can’t we all be courteous and just get along? Again, I spend a lot of time trying to improve the perception that mountain bikers are all rude, young, ignorant people who will take what they need. Some of us are older and have a little more sense and can obviously see when there is an opportunity to share the trail responsibly. That is one reason why I got a bell.
A number of years ago, I attended Dirt Fest in Big Bear, West Virginia and was walking through the expo and came upon a booth that sold Timber quick release bicycle bells. You can see mine in the photo above. A nice little bell that basically you unlock when you see someone ahead. The bell rings as you ride along the uneven trail. You don’t do anything but release the lock and the bell rings as you bounce along. Most people appreciate the bell. Some people have earbuds, and you still have to gently make your way past them. But for the most part, people tend to stand aside, let you by, and usually make a favorable comment about the bell. I tell kids that I am one of Santa’s elves and ask in the presence of their parents, if they are behaving. This usually gets a laugh and lightens the mood.
But for the most part, if you use your head and consider the other party, you can do the right thing for other users. Oftentimes, if I see the same people twice on a local ride, I will get off my bike and let them pass instead of always expecting them to move. They appreciate it. I also use the bell around corners because mountain bikers tend to move along quickly and can startle people coming at you from a blind bend in the trail. Again, they appreciate it. Sometimes you have to sell the fact that mountain bikers are not all that bad to some user groups, but the more courteous we are, the more successful we will be. An interesting statistic is that mountain bikers do the most work on trail systems. This was validated locally in a meeting with our local county officials who sang the praises of our Trail Pittsburgh organization. Most of us try to do the right thing but we seem to always be righting a wrong of a small few who ruin the reputation of those of us who care.
The bell seems to symbolize courtesy. It reminds us that we need to be kind, and helpful and respectful to others not only on multi use trails, but anywhere we go. Wouldn’t it be nice if more people thought of others instead of themselves? It seems like a lot of people seem stressed today and tend to look out for themselves. They may not think of others who may be having difficulties,, or seem to be in the way of our quest to get somewhere quickly. Maybe we need a bell with us in our daily life and not just on the trails? The multi- use trail systems are really like a pathway of life. We all are following that pathway together. Let’s watch out for each other. Thanks for reading.
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