Bicycling for Fun
News from MadHatterPromotions.com aka Gary MadHatter Haas
There
is something about getting out on my bicycle that kicks my endorphins
into high gear. I think it is mostly to do with the sense of freedom, of
being disconnected from agendas and leaving the day up to whimsy.
OK,
maybe not entirely to whimsy. My routes, or circuits often require me
to plan ahead so that I am not stuck many miles from home when the
weather changes or darkness falls. Even wind direction and speed is
often taken into account. Yet those things I’ve back-up plans for.
Wherever I pedal, more than a few miles, I am wearing a backpack with
tools for modest repairs, a rain poncho, extra batteries for both pairs
of lights. You get the picture. Still, when I head out, the day is
usually mine!
I’m
also not fond of retracing my route. I prefer a circuit where I will
leave my home in one direction, and return from the other direction so
that the view always changes. A short ride will take me north to Cocoa
Village along the river, then inland to Fiske Boulevard, then south to
Avenue Viera (OK, World Of Beer), then home to Lake Pointe Suntree. A
long ride will take me north or south, then over one of the causeways,
then up/down the beaches, finally back over another causeway and then
the run for the barn to home. A REALLY long ride, done only once,
took me from Suntree, through Cocoa Village, over to Cocoa Beach, then
up to Port Canaveral, then back south all the way to Wabasso (south of
Sebastian Inlet), over to US1, up to Captain Hiram’s, then home (Stopped
at Squid Lips). I’m in no shape to do that today but will try it again
eventually.
My
approach is different than the racers that frequently blow past me.
Frankly, I don’t know how they are even aware of much of the environment
that they are rolling through doing the speeds they do, other than the
road ahead. I’m sure speeds of 25 to 30 mph is common for them. For
myself, I’m riding a hybrid (half mountain bike and half beach cruiser)
and I average about 12 mph. I’m determined not to miss anything, to
enjoy all that my environment will communicate to me as I roll past. I
appreciate the fresh air, smells, sights, and exercise, though I’m not
severely straining myself most of the way. Sometimes I will kick it into
high gear. And bridges are always a challenge for a while. But I
consider exercise to be a fringe benefit.
My
usual habit is to roll about ten to twelve miles then take a break,
usually at a bar, for medicinal purposes, you understand. If the weather
is fair and obstacles are few I can cover fifty miles or more in a day
without overly straining myself.
In
recent years I have managed to compromise these events slightly but
consider the results well worth it. Group bicycle rides are fun to plan
and execute. While independence is sacrificed the added enjoyment of
bicycling with friends more than makes up for it, especially at the
stops! Essentially it becomes a party on wheels, the un-motorized kind.
While not a pub crawl in the truest sense the common ground is that
there is a party at each stop, you know most of the group already there,
and the group remixes at each stop so that you get more chances to make
new friends.
To
combine both formats, independent bicycling plus a group ride, is the
best format of all. This means riding from my home to the start of the
group ride, doing the group ride, then continuing on, on my own,
eventually returning home. This requires some planning and a long day.
What’s
next, I hear you ask? I’m in the market for a riverine kayak. The plan
is to do in a kayak down the Indian river what I do on a bicycle. And
yes, it is just a matter of time before that becomes a group adventure
too.
Friend me on Facebook at Gary MadHatter Haas and visit www.MadHatterPromotions.com for more shenanigans.
