This Commuter Challenge Blog Post is from Jonathan over at Inner Circle Media.
One thing that I feel is often under-appreciated about bike commuting is how personal it is. You experience (for better or worse —) the road, the breeze, the sun, and the people around you. The last few weeks, I’ve had a number of conversations with fellow commuters, all of which have made my morning that much brighter:
- Ann Arbor Chronicle reporter extraordinaire Dave Askins on northbound Fourth at Huron. I first met Dave when he covered the Ann Arbor Track Club workout. Simple “hellos” and “hey, I remember yous” were all we had time for before the light changed and we were on our respective ways.
- The fellow I passed near Wells on north-ishbound Packard, who caught up to me at the insanity that passes for an intersection at Packard & Hill. “Thanks for the draft!” was all we covered before traffic started moving again.
- A gentleman from Swedish Engineering on a fixie who followed me through the harrowing left onto Independence from Packard. Turned out he lived only a few blocks from me, and we had time to discuss the finer points of frame selection, single-speed v. fixed, disc brakes v. skid-braking, and what constitutes “fun” when riding in the snow.
- The cycle-garbed woman who watched a truck back out of a driveway on Packard *all the way across* the road and into our bike lane in front of me, who suggested as we approached Packard & Hill “You should have given him a little tap on the cab!” When I found out she rides in from Ypsi every morning, I asked her opinion on the Border 2 Border trail. “It’s much prettier, but Packard is way faster.” And with that, the light turned and we parted.
Nothing Earth-shattering, just brief moments to remind me that there actually are other people out there, and not just giant honking rollcages. I kind of wish I’d signed up to be a Commuter Challenge Ambassador, so I could track these people down and give them prizes.
