Bizarro Ride (Long, kind of scary)

[Nanci]

Yesterday was my first "cold weather" ride of the year. I was expecting a temp at the start of about 50F, heating up to 75F by the end if I was lucky. It was hard to choose what to wear, but I settled on running knickers over Trashy Cat satin shorts, a long sleeve jersey, Early Winters fleece jacket with windblock on the fronts of the arms and the whole front, and Mountain Hardwear windblock hat instead of a helmet. (Paved trail.) Oh, and stretchy gloves instead of bike gloves.

You can't imagine how much I look forward to my long rides- hours and hours of uninterrupted Podcast listening time. I confess, I am an addict. I leave one earphone out so I can hear my surroundings, but the talk of triathlon training, wine tasting, and everything bike is so relaxing and entertaining that my riding hours fly by, as long as I have my Podcasts. There's this one Podcast, Zen and the Art of Triathlon, where the guy often talks as he rides, and it's almost like I'm there with him, riding the dusty roads of Texas.

It seemed to take forever for daylight to arrive. I got packed up, and brought my Camelback just in case, though I don't drink that much in cold weather, and thought I could survive from one little store to the next with just a single bottle. The drive to the trail is about 50 miles, and I carry my bike on a rack. When I arrived at the trail, I took my bike off the rack and immediately discovered that the left aerobar pad had fallen off somewhere along the way. How disappointing- the aerobars were only a couple months old and fairly expensive. ($40 to replace the pad, it turns out.) Oh well. I decided against the Camelback, and loaded up all my snacks into the Bento Box. Should I take my little camera? No, not enough room. Never see anything new, anyway.

I can't believe how cold the wind is! I am so glad I am wearing all the windproof stuff. I had planned on riding about 60 miles, but with gas as high as it is, and the sun coming out and heating me up without broiling me like it does in the summer, I decide to do 70 instead. Passing a little park on the left, I see a bunch of food stands and carnival rides. The smells of Kettle Korn and barbecue tempt me as I pass. What is going on? Oh yeah, Cooter Days!

My bottle of Gatorade lasts through the first 35 miles, and I plan on stopping at a little store for a refill. Road shoes are not made for walking. Especially when, like me, you insist on putting on SPD mountain bike cleats so all your shoes go with all your pedals on all your bikes. My shoes are a pair of bargain basement Sidis from Sierra Trading Post. I couldn't afford the red Sidi Dom MTB shoes, so settled on a pair of road shoes. Some things I like- they are super light, very stiff, my feet take a lot longer to get numb, and they are roomy and stretchy and comfy. Some things I HATE. Like how you can't just step on the pedal and stick there until you can click in. You have to either hit the pedal just right, or the slick road shoe sole goes skidding off the pedal, and you rack yourself with all your might on the top tube- geez that hurts!!! Or how you can't walk up the metal ramp to your shed- it's like a skating rink. Or how, walking up to the store, little dogs run in fright from the strange clacking sound of your steps. I opt for a bottle of green tea, and take off home.

But soon I notice my right foot is really float-y. Like too float-y. I think my pedal spring must be getting loose, so I stop to check. But I can't even unclip that foot. So I have to take my shoe off. I turn my bike upside down in the grass. Apparently, one of the screws holding the cleat to the shoe has come off, and the other screw is loose, allowing the shoe to spin, but not unclip. A nice kid stops to help. We bust the shoe off, but can't get the cleat out of the pedal. An older man and his wife on their tandem stop, but are baffled. I shed layer upon layer of my windproof clothing, sweating now, and marvel at how the millions of ants I have planted my bike in aren't biting. Finally, a 71 year old man stops. He manages to get the cleat out, and even has a temporary fix! Yes, if you lose a screw from your cleat, the bottle cage screws are the same size. Amazing. He tells me that at age 71, he has just done his first Century ride last week. His average speed is several mph higher than mine. I am tired of elderly people kicking my ***!

I'm off again, planning to stop at a bike shop in about 10 miles for some replacement screws. There is a little traffic on the trail. I am coming up behind an odd-looking character. He is wearing what appears to be a floppy sombrero, long olive drab pants and a flapping, long-sleeve matching jacket. As I very slowly catch up to him, I see his bike careen off the paved trail, swerve wildly but not go down, and swerve back onto the trail. "Great save!" I plan on telling him as I pass. But my words die in my mouth as he glances back at me. His face looks like a skull surronded by long gray wispy hair. He wants to ride on the left side, but moves over to the right as I go to pass. Right as I pass, he swerves to the left, narrowly missing me. I accelerate, heart pounding, adrenaline rushing. Did he do it on purpose?

Now I am riding scared. The trail is empty except for me and Creepy Guy. But geez, he's riding a million years old Kmart mountain bike, held together with duct tape. He's about 60 years old, or maybe just looks it. Never-the-less, I decide to book out of there. I'm riding as fast as I can without collapsing- 17, 19, 21 mph. I'm breathing like a racehorse. I'm pretending I'm in a race. Then I come to a tore-up road that I have to cross. My plan to veer off to the right doesn't pan out- there is an eight-inch drop down to the gravel which I am afraid to do on a road bike. I unclip (thank God my cleat holds!) and hurry across the two-lane lime rock road, heedless of traffic. Get on, take for freaking ever to clip back in, and set off at a fast pace. And guess who passes me, glancing back with his skull-like blank expression. Creepy Guy.

Ok, I have a new plan. I will drop back, let him go on. I observe his strange passing etiquette several times. Ride on the left, move to the right to allow someone to pass, swerve suddenly back in front of the bike that just passed. Ok, maybe it's just his thing. I almost start to relax. I am wondering how women protect themselves from someone on a bike, who can out-ride them. Pepper spray? Taser? :-) Finally, civilization. Creepy Guy, who has been gradually slowing, takes a hard left down a sidewalk into town. We're right in the middle of Cooter Days. I keep going to the bike shop a block further, and turn off the trail. Creepy guy, having circled around behind me, goes careening past.

Now I am officially scared. I go into the shop, ask for a bottle cage screw. I ask if they are familiar with a strange-looking man in a floppy, wide-brimmed hat. Nope, never seen him before. I explain that he has been following me. They apparently don't want to discuss it. I drag myself out of the shop, and scan the crowd for signs of the man. I don't see him. I have 15 miles to get to my car. I worry about the last seven miles of the trail, through the woods, ending in a parking lot in the middle of nowhere, where I am almost always the last car to leave. I fantasize about asking someone for a ride to my car, maybe even offering my last $8 as payment.

But I decide to tough it out, die at the hands of a serial killer if I have to. I ride about a mile, and see the familiar sight of a sheriff's car, coming down the trail! I am filled with happiness. I stop next to him, and he continues to talk into his radio. "Yeah, they're coming now. I have the Field Service Techs waiting for them at the road crossings." Is it a gang of creepy guys, with a SWAT team preparing to intercept them? The deputy finally turns his attention to me. I describe Creepy Guy. He hasn't seen him, but will watch for him. He says "If I were you, I'd get off the trail for ten or fifteen minutes..." (but I already have, I think, at the bike shop) "...there's a cattle drive coming."

What??? Yes, now I see there are a bunch of horses across the road, on both sides of the trail. I cross to their side. 100 feet away, I see even more horses, and a milling herd of longhorn cattle. Good thing I didn't bring my camera! I edge even further into the trees on the side of the trail. The cattle ooze off the pavement to my side of the road. I cross to the other side. They are about 50 feet away. As soon as I settle in, they swarm over to my new side. Cowboys whoop at them, and a few strays trickle in and out of the trees. I cower (is that where that word comes from?) back even further into the trees. Soon the cows are even with me- big liquid eyes showing fright. This is not routine, and they definitely aren't expecting a strangely-dressed being in the woods. (I know how they feel!) I call out to them- "Hey cowies, it's ok, I won't hurt you, it's ok, go on." You can see it in their eyes, they aren't really sure I'm safe to pass, but there are men on horses and barking dogs and they have bigger things to worry about.

The passing of the herd has lightened my mood. I forge on, kind of fast, but saving some reserve speed just in case. Not that it would do any good. Lance Armstrong can catch me any time he wants. Out in the middle of nowhere, I glance behind me, and have quite a shock before my brain can compute that the quickly-approaching rider is actually another one of those elderly speedsters in a bright yellow and black jersey, not a flapping swerving creepy guy. I try to keep up with him the last five miles, but can't quite do it. Still, through extreme effort, I keep him in sight until the last mile. I wonder how far a human scream will carry.

Then finally I am back safe in the parking lot, and Yellow Man is packing up his bike, and Nice Mom and Kid are trying out roller blades. I am safe at last.

Nanci

[DeniseGoldberg]

Wow. I'm glad you escaped the bizarro character. I really wonder why the folks in the bike shop wouldn't comment...

Of course, being the helmet nut that I am (mine saved my life last year...), I was not happy to see your comment that you wore a hat instead of your helmet. Crashes happen when you least expect them, on smooth roads and paths as well as bumpy ones.

For cold weather rides, I wear a Pearl Izumi Microsensor Skull Cap under my helmet. If it is really, really cold I often add earbags (http://www.earbags.com) to add some more warmth for my ears. There are also companies that make helmet covers.

--- Denise

[Nanci]

Denise, I know...I go psycho when BF doesn't wear a helmet. Be assured it's a very infrequent occurance.

Nanci

[Selkie]

Nanci - Thank goodness you got back safe and sound. You certainly had an adventure!! I bought one of those London Bobby whistles---loud as all get out. I wear it around my neck when I ride, and I also carry pepper spray and my cellphone.
At the risk of sounding like your mom, always wear your helmet

[rn2binca]

What a scary ride......

I'm just now getting into cycling and have a great bike trail within minutes of my house. 35 miles long so easy to get a 70 miles ride in...IF i ever get to that point.

Anyhow I will most often ride alone and I plan on carrying my pepper spray. My husband is a police officer and he says that will likely bide me enough time to get away from someone. But still it's a fear of mine, won't stop me, but does make me think.

I wish that us women didnt have to worry about these things.

Tracy

[Trekhawk]

Nanci - that really is creepy. Glad to hear it all worked out ok. I love the part about the cows.

My husband said he heard a report on the radio the other day about woman safety. It was pretty long but he said the main point for cycling ladies on the road is always hang on to your bike. Its a lot harder for someone to get you into there car if a bike is attached. In shopping carparks if you have a trolley alway keep yourself between your car and the trolley when unloading.

I know this wont help those mountain bike ladies but its something to keep in mind.

[Nanci]

You know what, I had another scary incident last week, that resulted in me not riding for almost a whole week. Someone, while we were at work, tried to break into our house. There were pry marks all around both locks on the front, and the back door had actually been bent out, and the metal deal around the deadbolt was loose. luckily, the deadbolt held. Now, I've lived here for maybe three years, and always felt safe, and not worried about leaving the doors unlocked while we were out riding, etc. But I spent the week making wooden sticks for my windows, and buying motion detectors for inside and outside, and a big cable and lock for the gate, which was never previously closed. So when I leave, I leave more lights on, and a radio on, and the motion detectors with sirens are set, and I lock the gate, and I still worry all day. After BF leaves for work in the morning, I don't feel safe. I feel scared walking out to my car. We're out in the country on five acre lots, so neighbors are close, but not that close.

A few days later, I'm admonishing BF to be sure to lock the deadbolt, or something, and he says "It's over, get over it." Well, for a 6'4" 230 pound guy, it's probably easy to get over. He's never had to fear for his life. If someone breaks in and sees him, they're going to sh*t their pants. If they see me, that's another story.

And it carries over into biking. Sooner or later, if you ride the same trail long enough, you're going to have a scary incident. And, for me, I never feel truly safe there again. It's happened on three paved trails and a couple mountain biking trails. And it's because I don't have a sure means of defending myself, or a sure means of escape. If you are a man, and have a potentially menacing presence, you don't need anything else. They are so lucky. I don't want to carry a gun. I am considering pepper spray. But I don't want some chintzy kind that only enrages my attacker, be it man or dog. So I don't know what to do. I'm sure riding with a buddy would help, but I like to ride by myself a lot, and don't want to not be able to ride 'cause I can't find a friend.

Well, at least my helmet fits over my hat.

Nanci

[Trekhawk]

You know what, I had another scary incident last week, that resulted in me not riding for almost a whole week. Someone, while we were at work, tried to break into our house. There were pry marks all around both locks on the front, and the back door had actually been bent out, and the metal deal around the deadbolt was loose. luckily, the deadbolt held. Now, I've lived here for maybe three years, and always felt safe, and not worried about leaving the doors unlocked while we were out riding, etc. But I spent the week making wooden sticks for my windows, and buying motion detectors for inside and outside, and a big cable and lock for the gate, which was never previously closed. So when I leave, I leave more lights on, and a radio on, and the motion detectors with sirens are set, and I lock the gate, and I still worry all day. After BF leaves for work in the morning, I don't feel safe. I feel scared walking out to my car. We're out in the country on five acre lots, so neighbors are close, but not that close.

A few days later, I'm admonishing BF to be sure to lock the deadbolt, or something, and he says "It's over, get over it." Well, for a 6'4" 230 pound guy, it's probably easy to get over. He's never had to fear for his life. If someone breaks in and sees him, they're going to sh*t their pants. If they see me, that's another story.

And it carries over into biking. Sooner or later, if you ride the same trail long enough, you're going to have a scary incident. And, for me, I never feel truly safe there again. It's happened on three paved trails and a couple mountain biking trails. And it's because I don't have a sure means of defending myself, or a sure means of escape. If you are a man, and have a potentially menacing presence, you don't need anything else. They are so lucky. I don't want to carry a gun. I am considering pepper spray. But I don't want some chintzy kind that only enrages my attacker, be it man or dog. So I don't know what to do. I'm sure riding with a buddy would help, but I like to ride by myself a lot, and don't want to not be able to ride 'cause I can't find a friend.
Well, at least my helmet fits over my hat.
Nanci

Nanci - I can understand the whole thing freaking you out. I would be scared too. I think guys find it a bit harder to understand when like you said they are larger and maybe could scare someone off just by their presence. I ride alone all the time and it does peeve me off that I have to think about the safety thing. A few of the really nice long roads around here are in a gorgeous area but very isolated. I have decided to err on the side of caution and not ride these routes until I have someone to ride them with. I dont carry any sort of protection either and Im not really sure if I carried anything I would be better off as Im a bit of a clutz and I might end up using them on myself.

[doc]

Nanci,
Wow, on so many levels. Wow about the cows, wow about someone almost breaking into your home, and wow-yikes about creepy guy.

Men will never understand the fear with which women live their lives. The statistics vary but somewhere between 4-7 out of 10 women will be sexually assaulted during their lifetime. That includes children, but it doesn't include non-sexually related assault like a mugging. So, if you're going to ride alone you need a plan. Life isn't fair. But that doesn't mean stay home. It means plan differently than your towering, hulking, scary sized (but no doubt wonderful) BF.

My plan wouldn't work for you. I never ride alone and I always ride with some men. But there are other plans. Some people on this board mentioned carrying guns!! Also not my choice but...

You sound amazing, riding 50-70 miles alone regularly? Whew, don't ever give it up.

[pkq]

Sure am glad Creepy Guy didn't follow you the rest of the ride. That is pretty creepy. There are some crazy people in the world.

I used my hand pump in a similar situation once. A man in a van kept making loops around me in an odd way. I stopped at a busier intersection, put the bike between me and the road, grabbed my hand pump, and slapped it in my hand repeatedly as he drove by. That was his last drive by. He got the point that I was not going to be an easy target, if that was, indeed, what he sought. Ever since then, I have made it a point to carry my pump and is one reason I do not want a cartridge system. Hand pumps are weapons, in my book.

Many years ago, I rode with a handgun in my jersey for a bit, after an incident. A guy passed me and had stopped in the middle of an isolated road, walked to the back of his car, popped the trunk, turned around, dropped his pants, and started you know what. So I would carry a handgun again, if I felt the need. Some men just don't get how violating a woman is almost as bad as murder. Murder is the ultimate theft, stealing someone's life. Rape is theft, too, of a woman's soul or mind and sometimes her physical health.

As illustrations of how men do not get it sometimes, two men threatened me on different occasions with rape because they had taken me for an evening out. One actually didn't but was trying to capitalize on his friends and business partners, who were married, who took everyone out. They threatened to the point I threatened them with that being the last time they would ever perform that act, after my family finished with them. They weren't afraid of my brother and cousins. Both had to hear that my dad had friends in the mafia. One almost didn't believe it until I told him Dad had childhood friends who were part of the Irish mob in Dallas, which is where the incident occurred. One ended up going to my hometown church, since his hometown wasn't far away. You wouldn't believe the way people, the women, oo'd and ah'd over him, "he is so nice and so nice looking, too." It was disgusting!

If it is my life and health or theirs, I will choose mine every time. They have made their decision and are forcing one on me I do not want but will make. Life isn't fair but we all have free will and the right to protect ourselves. I will protect my happiness.

[bikerchick68]

nanci... yikes, that is scary...

anytime someone threatens your safety you will no doubt feel violated whether they actually hurt you or not. yes, you should look into gettting pepper spray and carrying it. Just make sure you understand the laws in your area for it... you can use it for self defense, anytime you fear for your safety... not your life, your safety. I am divorced from a cop and still with the dept myself in a volunteer capacity so pretty familiar with it's usage etc. You should be able to buy the same spray that officers carry...most likely at a gun shop. Get the larger sized can and replace it yearly. Out here it costs $14. When you buy it ask the shop owners about it's usage, safety etc. My ex was insistent that I take the first can out back and spray it so I would understand EXACTLY how it works... how far it sprays and how wide a path... a very good idea.

I still carry it if I ride alone especially. And I have a can in my vehicle... WHEN I feel threatened I take it out and make sure the threatening person knows that I have it... if they mean no harm and they're offended, tough luck. I go with my gut instinct.

I'm sure the BF doesn't fear for his safety the same way you fear for yours. And you would legally be able to use pepper spray in some instances where he might not... if a guy who's 5'9" and 170lbs makes a grab for you, you could certainly say you feared for your safety after hosing him down with spray... the BF most likely wouldn't be able to use that same defense...

I'm sorry you've had bad experiences... I've had ONE where I had my can up at spray level and actually confronted a guy. I was out walking and told the guy if he didn't get the F away from me I was going to spray the entire can on him... he just stood there with a weird half smile... never said a word. I am 100% sure that the can of pepper spray helped insure my safety that day.

and remember, it is meant to give you a short head start... from there, you need to scream your head off and attract attention!!!

I have never considered carrying a gun as I am not proficient enough to be safe with it... I can't imagine if I shot at someone and hurt someone else accidentally... if you do consider that route, PLEASE take safety classes and keep current by practicing at the range... hugs...

[MomOnBike]

Egad, what an icky experience.

You know, most of us carry around another pretty good weapon in our bike locks/cables. If I'm confronted, I'm going to start swinging my big heavy bike cable. That thing will HURT if I connect with someone's tender parts.

I also like the idea of standing in an intersection smacking a bike pump into your hand. That's the way to NOT act like prey.

I own a gun, and know how to use it, but I'm not thrilled with carrying one on a bike. Just too many things can go far too wrong with guns.

[alpinerabbit]

Pepper spray? Gun in my jersey?

Thank Goddess I do not live out in the middle of nowhere in the States. My pity upon you all.

No need for a gun in my life. I even go jogging after dark.

[bikerHen]

Pepper Spray is my weapon of choice. I keep a can velcroed to my handlebar stem for quick reach be it dogs or weirdo guys. I've been lucky so far. Maybe being old and fat is a good thing. I limit my solo riding to populated areas for saftey reasons. It kinda sucks, but better safe than sorry. BikerHen