I'm in the USA at the moment. In Florida this week, I saw three bikes
all up, all old guys on clunkers on back streets. Near one university
there was a bike lane, but other than that, it looked like no fun at
all - cars rule.
Then for something completely different - I'm now in Cambridge,
Massachusetts - the part of Boston where Harvard University is. I
arrived last night in cold rain and this morning it had frozen on the
ground, with a smattering of snow. I've been out walking and seen that
this is a cycling town. Hundreds of bikes everywhere, locked up to
racks outside the dorms. Early at around 9.30, I saw one rider go
around a corner and have to put his foot down as his back wheel slewed
on ice. At around 12 I saw the Harvard cycling team come in for a
coffee. I had a chat and they don't have a problem with the ice. It
seems they go out late enough for it to have melted, and the local
council puts salt and sand on all the icy spots. You would really want
a winter bike here, and steel might not be the best choice! I asked
them where a bike shop was and they started squabbling over which one
was better, cheaper, more politically favoured - sound familiar? I'm
going to catch a bus out there tomorrow and look at an Eno hub, but
I'll probably walk out with a bag full of souvenirs.
Next week I'll be in Minnesota and North Dakota (OK, you can laugh -
everyone else does). I read a newspaper article about some folk in
Minneapolis who grade a cross track out of the snow lying on a frozen
lake. They use studded tires and race on it. Hitting hard ice can't be
worse than hitting bitumen, but it's no fun I'll bet!
Well, enjoy the warmth! I haven't done any exercise bar walking for a
week and I've two more weeks here. Abby, I hope you haven't got off
the couch yet, as I'll be joining you in the LardArse stakes!
Donga