[*BCM*] Boston Bikers

[TSmith4918 at aol.com]

Just some rambling:
 
So, someone splain to me the following about Boston bikers;  why is it  so 
dang hard to get a friendly response, a nod, wave, or acknowledgement of our  
fellow bikers in the area?...could it be:
 
A.  FEAR: People are too preoccupied avoiding becoming hood ornaments  that 
they are oblivious to other bikers.
 
B.  CULTURE: People in this area never look you in the eye even  when walking 
to driving...why should biking be any different? c'mon,  It's not like we're 
in santa monica or anything:  this is  serious!
 
C.  CLASS:  Unless you're wearing the latest in lycra/spandex  day-glo clingy 
fashion (personally I've gravitated to cotton, yeah, I know,  sweat and all) 
why should they waste their time on a recreational biker.
 
D.  SNOBBERY:  ok, so my bike is 20 years old with cracked  fenders and dirty 
rims (comes from commuting 12 months out of the year), does  this make anyone 
unworthy of a nod?
 
E.  AGEISM:  ok, so I am almost 50, it's not like I am hitting on  anyone 
from being friendly, especially if we're whizzing past each other at a  
cumulative 30 miles an hours.
 
F.  LACK OF GOOD BREEDING:  don't need to say much on this.
 
G.  URBAN/SUBURBAN CLASH:  I do bike thru Chestnut Hill to get to  work...do 
I look to urban-scary-like? c'mon I'm almost 50 (see E)! and I wear  baggy 
clothes (see C)...
 
H.  THE MYTH OF BIKER UNITY:  maybe I am expecting too much,  rather than see 
the bikers I encounter as brothers and sisters in the struggle  for 
liberation from petroleum products, maybe we're just individualists doing  our own 
thang with little in common.  Haven't we all felt a little twinge  of "hmm, I know 
I'm probably just a little faster than that biker up the  road..."?
 
I.  NO REASON AT ALL:  that's just the way it is.
 
It's not that hard to acknowledge each other:  critical mass does a  great 
job once a month;  here's hoping for a little more nods and waves out  on the 
roadway.  It's a good way to recognize what we're doing as a biking  community 
for fun and for meaning.
 
Old guy.
 
 
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