I can’t say for certain where it came from, or when, but somewhere along my amazing journey as a writer and a rider I learned to rely heavily on my gut instincts, my heart and soul, if you will.
I can’t think of a moment that my instincts have ever let me down. As a reporter specializing in the world of sports, I know full well there is a first time for everything. I’m still waiting ….
When it comes to rolling out on my bike, I’m especially dialed into my gut.
When we first moved to Eugene, Oregon, I learned that the Lorane Highway and Territorial Highway out to Lorane was a very popular route for cyclists.
I took a drive on that route before spinning it, and decided, hell, no way I’m riding on this. It’s too dangerous.
However, I did have a reader invite me to ride with him on what he called the greatest commuter route ever. I had to ride to his house via the Territorial Highway.
Suffice to say it scared the living shit out of me. My gut screamed to pull the plug. Call my wife. Get picked up. But I endured and kept my mouth shut.
That stretch of that highway made headlines not soon after that, with the death of a cyclist who got sucked under a logging truck. It sparked a raging debate from all sorts of perspectives on the issues of how bikes and motor vehicles should and could share the road.
I’m not a big advocate of demanding that I get my share of the road. If it doesn’t feel safe for bikes, I skip it. That’s just me.
Not much later, as I continued to explore Eugene, I rode around the shopping mall to take a new route out to the countryside. That area is well equipped with bike lanes. But the traffic?
Again, I feared for my life. The next day my wife said she was going to ride there. I barked NO WAY! It’s not safe. She listened.
A week later, another cyclist was killed on that very road.
This week’s question, do you listen to your gut when it comes to safe routes?
