You'd think it would be more comfortable along the paved bike paths where there are no vehicles driving dangerously close that you need to look out for.
You'd think that being on the smoothly paved pathway with the flowers and the trees and the birds and the joggers and the walkers and your fellow riders, you'd be able to take things lightly and easily.
Because, hey, it is the PCN.
There are no cement mixers or trucks a la Jalan Buroh that drive so tightly on the lane that they're inches away from your face- and which blow up dust into your eyes as they zoom past by. There are no taxi drivers honking at you to get out of the way cos' you're taking up space even though you're already ON the double yellow line. Heck, you don't even have a concrete drain that you have to watch out for.
So it should be a relaxed, easy ride, no?
But maybe because it is because everything's so nicely laid on the paved bike paths that the difficulties stem not from the usual adversaries but your fellow riders themselves. I shan't go into detail; it's just one of those things that happen but it does get really annoying and I don't quite know who is right and who is wrong.
You'd think that being on the smoothly paved pathway with the flowers and the trees and the birds and the joggers and the walkers and your fellow riders, you'd be able to take things lightly and easily.
Because, hey, it is the PCN.
There are no cement mixers or trucks a la Jalan Buroh that drive so tightly on the lane that they're inches away from your face- and which blow up dust into your eyes as they zoom past by. There are no taxi drivers honking at you to get out of the way cos' you're taking up space even though you're already ON the double yellow line. Heck, you don't even have a concrete drain that you have to watch out for.
So it should be a relaxed, easy ride, no?
But maybe because it is because everything's so nicely laid on the paved bike paths that the difficulties stem not from the usual adversaries but your fellow riders themselves. I shan't go into detail; it's just one of those things that happen but it does get really annoying and I don't quite know who is right and who is wrong.
Maybe he was just that Someone who will get annoyed with you for all kinds of reasons. Maybe he was the sort who would get pissed off with a bright front light- even though the other rider had already turned my bling all the way down. Whatever he was, he was that Someone who would get pissed off enough to bike dangerously close to me, goading me to a competition.
I took it on.
And I didn't lose very far behind. :) One revolution, two revolutions, perhaps.
But seriously, WHY?! Why do we do this to each other when we don't know each other and I'm obviously not up for any competition of any sort, never mind whether it be a friendly one or not? Aren't we already competing for space on the roads with everyone else? Can't we have a nice, easy, relaxed, smell the roses kind of ride where we just wave at each other and not bother about whether their lights are 'too bright' or not or whatever (which, I insist, was NOT)? Can't we just encourage each other and lend a hand and reach out and be nice and say hi with each other? Or does that make us bike buddies because we tossed our handlebars together and competed against the headwind?
It's at times like these that I feel it is better to be at places previously unexplored. With just me, myself and my fellow rider who knows better than to goad me into a competition. He invites me to one, he does not challenge me. At these places, I don't care if I look like an anomaly. I don't care if I look weird- a female rider in these locations seems to attract a fair amount of attention- and neither do I care if it is too far or too ulu a place to be.
There's so much more to see out in the boondocks.
In the north I’ve seen farms and smelled goat manure, I’ve biked amongst trees and thick foliage, I’ve passed by many a gateway, I’ve gone up slopes and down slopes, I’ve seen towering structures which I don’t comprehend (all whilst trying to huff my way up a hill and keep my eyes peeled on the road).
I’ve been chased by dogs and been startled by dogs who stop and pose in the middle of the road, I’ve experienced many a curious eye, I’ve caught whiffs of delicious cocoa, I’ve gone by old railway tracks with funny towers that I don’t know what use they are, I’ve been amongst dirt tracks that open out suddenly to a park, I’ve seen a couple of wild babies- boars! I’ve passed by an abandoned town center, I’ve seen up close towers and funnels and circular structures and I've gone as close as possible to an industrial port…
But as exploratory as these routes may be, I'd like the same exploration for the paved pathways too.
So please, if you see a female rider with her strapped backpack and cruising along at reasonable speed, do just leave me a bit of space, pass me by and let me breathe with the sea breeze, count the ships as I bike past them and squeal at the ixora flowers and the leaves.