Nature vs. Cyclist

This spring and summer have been amusing as I have had the opportunity to hear tales of random "nature" happenings to cyclists in and out of the area. Unfortunately, I've had my own nature versus cyclist incident, so I can confirm that nature really does seem ready to take on (take out?) cyclists. Random reports of quick and vicious downpours of hail or rain seem somewhat common, and of course in early spring, ice/snow can sometimes become an issue (depending on the cyclist and/or his/her gear), but the incidents reported here have nothing to do with weather anomalies.

Nature has become the bicycle
*Image here

The first incident shared with me came from an acquaintance who was out for a leisurely ride. She's not normally one to ride a bike, but was experimenting with a newly acquired ride when out of nowhere a dog came running towards her. Her immediate reaction was to scream (because the dog scared her, and because he, as reported, was "like Cujo on steroids"). She began to pedal faster, attempting to get away, but the dog gained on her quickly. While she managed to get away unharmed (what worked in this case was actually stopping the bike - though I've heard from others this doesn't always do the trick), she is now horribly afraid to ride again in neighborhoods, preferring to take her bike via car to remote areas to ride.

Another story was reported by Sam when he returned from a club ride with a local group. The group was riding along when out of nowhere, one of the cyclists let out a quick chirp and pulled over. Apparently, a wasp had managed to fly under his arm, into his loose-fitting jersey and was stinging him on the side of his abdomen. A lesson to those of us who prefer looser fitting clothing while riding: perhaps a more fitted top is in order to avoid such incidents.

I've also heard several stories about various animals appearing without warning in front of cyclists (the scariest ones taking place in the dark of night). Everything from prairie dogs and squirrels, to deer and moose, as well as birds that seem unwilling to move (geese and ducks are particularly common on trails in this area), sending cyclists careening off the road/path. Fortunately, no one who has told me their story was hurt too badly (bruises being the worst case scenario).

One cyclists' story involved nothing more than a rock in the road. I can definitely identify with his story because I, myself, have had similar experiences. He was riding down a well-traveled highway when in the distance he spotted what he believed to be a small(ish) rodent. Believing that the animal would move (out of fear) when he got closer, he thought little of it and looked down at his GPS device to see his current rate of travel. By the time he glanced up again, it was too late to realize that what in fact was in front of him was a fairly good sized rock, which ended up taking him to the ground. A bit of a bruised ego, I have no doubt, but he lived to ride another day.

My personal nature v. cyclist moment came just a couple of weeks ago. I don't normally run into problems with nature, so I was taken a bit off guard. I was out for a ride with Sam one weekend when I was approaching the top of a climb. Relieved that I would soon be racing down hill, I began picking up speed. About half way down the most glorious downhill, something struck me directly in the eye. I slowed and pulled off the road, wincing in pain. I couldn't open my eye at all and thought it must have been the biggest rock ever to hit someone in the face (the fact that it was able to bulls eye me was itself miraculous as I was wearing glasses and a visor on my helmet - somehow, it was able to sneak through though). When Sam reached me, he informed me that it was in fact a bee that had smacked me in the eye, and it was now stuck - partially on my eyelid, and partly on the inside of my glasses. The stinging sensation left behind - not from the actual stinger, but merely from impact - won't soon be forgot.

I'm not sure I could have this sort of thing happen again even if I planned it, but let these tales be forewarning to those on a bike. Nature is all around us... and it's ready to strike - especially when least expected.  So, how about you? Any random run-ins with nature this (or prior) cycling seasons? Feel free to share.

Investigations by Bicycle: The Listening Stone

Admittedly this spring/summer, I have been a bit obsessed with kickboxing (and I apologize to those I have bored with my periodic tales of this current fascination), and although I do ride my bike to/from class and on shorter rides around town, I haven't been riding as many longer distances because by the time I finish the hour or so of intensity in the class, I'm pretty wiped out (and I know that on several days, I'll have a second round to deal with later in the day). However, there are a few spots I've wanted to check out by bike that I still intend to get to before the weather cools again (which, honestly sounds fabulous at the moment - ahh, cool weather).

This past weekend, Longmont had a local annual happening, Rhythm on the River, during which community folks come out to participate in a festival-like event. It includes music, performances, various visual art, food, and items for sale - and of course, the duck races that I've spoken about in  prior summers.  Unfortunately, we got a late start to the ROTR, and many of the things to see had been closed up by the time we arrived Saturday evening. As we were walking the multi-use trail along the river though, I remembered one of those spots I've been wanting to visit, so it seemed an opportune time to check things out.

The group of Listening Stones

An art piece known as the Listening Stone is set up off a portion of the trail where this festival takes place, and on its opposite side has a spot to sit and, well, listen (hence its name, I would suppose). I have been told in the past that if one is to sit inside this spot, it sounds like the ocean. Intrigued by this bit of information (and being a displaced beach bum myself), I had to see if it was true. Could a babbling river sound like the ocean while sitting inside this special area?

Side view of the Listening Stones

I wandered just off the trail to the rock, as Sam and his friend who had accompanied us wondered what in the world I was doing. As I explained my sudden veering off, I took a seat in the rock. We all took turns sitting inside the giant stone in fact, and unfortunately, I was a bit sad to discover, that it definitely does not sound like the crashing waves of the ocean, but rather sounds like... you guessed it, a river babbling. Turns out, that its purpose has absolutely nothing to do with sounding like the ocean, but is rather set up as an amplification of the nearby river. It's intended to focus the viewer/participants' senses on the environment, which actually made far more sense to me, rather than it sounding like an ocean.

Sitting spot in the Listening Stone

If you live locally and have yet to discover this spot (though I may be the only one who's taken so long to experience this art piece), I think it's worth checking out. It's incredibly peaceful, and I can see how it would be easy to get lost in the environment, as is the intention of the work. If you aren't local, have you discovered or investigated a spot in your area that is of interest?

Discount/Sale on Po Campo Products {July 5 - July 12 ONLY} through Planetgear.com

In this day and age, it sometimes feels as though we get overwhelmed by advertisers and their advertisements. Somewhat frequently, I receive requests to post information about a product, service, or website, and I'm not always entirely comfortable with the idea (which is why I generally don't do this). While I don't consider myself a role model for others to follow, I would hate to guide someone to something that I am not on board with supporting.

**Image from planetgear.com materials

That said, recently I was contacted by planetgear.com (the company is owned/operated by women, and based out of Salt Lake City). If you haven't heard of the company, basically they have a website that features products for use in outdoor activities at discounted prices, for a limited length of time. I was a bit skeptical initially because when you arrive at the home page, you must sign up for "membership" with them prior to seeing what the site has to offer. It was explained to me in this manner: "Membership is free and I know it sounds like a pain, but it is SOOO much more convenient than all the other sites like us. You don't have to sit around and wait for an invitation or go get a confirmation email. You just have to create a password--membership keeps track of the credit you have on planetgear.com, your orders progress, and it gives you a weekly email letting you know what the new sale is (which you can unsubscribe to when you want)."

**Image from planetgear.com materials

Fair enough. I love that the company was founded with two core values: "giving discounts and giving back." My favorite part about it is that for every purchase made on planetgear.com, buyers help to fund local non-profits for the environment through the 1% for the planet organization. It doesn't hurt either that you could potentially save up to 50% off prices through their limited time offers. Another benefit to purchasers is that the "invite/referral policy is great; it's to make it NOT annoying but VERY helpful to friends that you invite. It gives your friends an automatic $10 credit to use on their first purchase of $50 or more, and gives you a $10 credit when they do."

**Image from planetgear.com materials

Why now? Well, I am personally in love with Po Campo products, and when I heard that planetgear.com would be featuring these products during the week of July 5 - July 12, I had to pass on the news to others who would perhaps benefit from this as well. I know I'll be checking it out, and hopefully others will do the same. If you've been waiting to buy a bag/accessory for your bike, this could be a good time to take a look.  And, lest the guys feel like they are being left out, planetgear.com will be featuring a Club Ride sale for men, the following week (things like vintage inspired biking shirts are planned to be part of that week). Sounds like a potentially good deal to me: buy something you need/want, and save some money!

**Disclaimer: I am not being paid in any form to post this information, but simply thought others might benefit from the potential savings - both now and down the line. I have no personal relationship with planetgear.com, nor do I benefit in any way by having people visit their website.**