Fun & Fitness over 50

Worm-smell road
Today I rode my bike at about 7:30AM before church. It had rained sometime previously. I don't know when but I don't think it was too long ago. Even before I saw them I could smell them. The smell of raw earthworm flesh on the road. Not too many had been squashed yet, it was Sunday morning before much traffic. I tried to dodge them as much as possible. After all, I wasn't trying to break any speed records this morning. It was just yesterday that I rode 45 miles so I needed to be taking it easy anyways. But when passing well fertilized farm-fields (which I can also identify by smell) the number of worms attempting to cross the pavement was overwhelming. I wonder what their need is that makes them do that, lemming-like? Other than that, the ride was pretty uneventful. I did my usual 10.3 miles up along Mead's Lane and back. Quiet and serene, views of the Helderberg escarpment, quiet my soul and help me sort things out.

Sidewalk riding
I was thinking about the ride yesterday. 45 miles from my house in Delmar to the Mohawk-Hudson trail. About half that ride was along city streets. I usually avoid city riding and last year rode the sidewalks as much as possible when riding to work. In fact, one of the reasons I stopped riding for so many years was my dislike of traffic (and loose dogs). When I took up biking again after many years it was with a mountain bike, hence the moniker "mtbman1".
In most cities it is technically illegal to bike ride on sidewalks unless they're designated as bike paths although I have never been bothered by the police about it. And the prevailing wisdom from experienced cyclists is that it's really a bad idea ... not safe and pedestrians in the way besides. On yesterday's ride, I tried riding the roads and staying off the sidewalks. I guess what triggered this was last week's ride with my friend Charles. He didn't ride the sidewalks so I just decided it was time for me to stop doing it. I rather enjoyed it. For one thing, in most cases, the quality of the pavement is much better than the sidewalks. Also, I was able to keep rolling more without having to be careful about people pulling out of driveways or side streets. I guess I feel more confident now, like I belong on the road, an equal citizen with the motorized vehicles. Of course you still have to keep your wits about you. Defensive riding is even more critical than defensive driving. You have to look way ahead and keep an eye out behind too. Unfortunately, a lot of drivers just don't know how to deal with a bicycle in a tight situation. I don't know if it's humiliating to slow down or stop for a bike or what but the biggest danger is when a car tries to squeeze past you with a row of parked cars on your right and oncoming traffic on your left. Rather than slow down or stop until it's clear some drivers will just keep going at speed pinching you between them and the parked cars. And speaking of parked cars you either have to ride with enough clearance for someone to open a door suddenly or keep an eye out for occupied cars.But I found the ride to be a lot more fun by staying off the sidewalks.