what was that? is that all there is? who is this? this is it.

slicker ‘n snot on a glass doorknob

Last rainy Friday afternoon I was standing on a very crowded train watching youtube clips of Vision Quest and texting them to Timmy Jimmy when I leaned back to take a halfass load off on the accordion section of the train car near the bike hooks when the soles of my gold stripe Messi Sambas approached a 0.000 coefficient of friction in the puddles of rain water puddling and suddenly I slipped down into an awkward akimbo and said “shit” and when I stood back up upright the security dudes nearby said “you OK?” and I said “yeah, it’s slippery” and they said “very” 

just add water 

The Tuesday before that I stood on an overly overcrowded train platform watching the sign saying the next southbound train was 25 minutes away. Twenty fucking Five minutes. I thought for a moment or more like stewed in my own anger and then returned to the surface of the earth and started riding my bike home. My 27-pound 43-year-old single speed. Across the U Bridge, then under the freeway to Boylston, past Craig’s old house, Melrose, through Cool Guy, past Six Arms, up to 12th, then all the fucking way up and over and all along Beacon way way down to Othello and Renton Ave South where I rejoined my regular commute route. It seemingly took forever to get home, sweating balls.  I was cooked by Capitol Hill and I didn’t even stop for a beer. It reminded me of how much I’ve become a train rider with a bike and not a bike commuter. A heavy old single speed, giant backpack full of books and magazines and random shit, two hoodies layered upon layers, wearing a winter weight wool Double Darn cap under a bucket helmet. None of it designed for a 15 mile bike ride, all of it set up for a train ride between two little bike rides.  

sometimes you're the dog

sometimes you’re the hydrant

In other news I was staring off into space this afternoon when Robin Williams entered my brain with the recollection of the time I saw him downtown on 2nd Ave, he was alone waiting to cross the street, I was alone, a disgruntled legal messenger on a bike, and we made eye contact. I gave him a subtle messenger chin tilt what’s up, he gave me a smirk, and in that 0.67 seconds it was clear he knew that I knew that he knew what was up with bikes, cycling, cyclists, bike racing, performance enhancing drugs, Lance, messengers, commuters, sweet steel bikes as well as avoiding looking directly at life in general with whatever distraction happens to be handy. 

subtle chin tilt up

those in the know  know

7 Comments

https://www.sterba-bike.cz/item/the-bike-collection-of-robin-williams-california-usa?lang=EN

Bob Dylan gave me the subtle chin tilt up at 6th and Union years ago. With a bankers box on the bars . It was a cool moment in time. He’s a real dude that I can say for certainty.

That impromptu commute is no joke, not just because of the distance, the cargo involved, and the topography, but also the rush hour traffic you surely had to contend with. Seattle boasts about it's cycling infrastructure but in my opinion it's severely lacking when it comes to a long haul commute like yours that crosses the entire city.I'm glad I don't have to do these kinds of rides too often because my sense is that the exposure, and the risk of getting clipped/involved in some kind of accident, is so high.

Take the no car route

In an Isthmian and overcrowded city like Seattle, there is no such thing.

Noted. Thank you.

i think Cool Guy is the only car-free stretch of that 15 mile ride

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