Hi Ben, So I also had an existential biking experience this past summer, and it resulted in me making big changes, including getting a Riv. I was riding on a fairly crowded bike path (no cars) on my carbon road bike, keeping up with some other riders that were going fast, drafting a bit and having others draft off me. I've done this many times before on that path and never had a problem. Anyway, I had a rider come up beside me to pass, and as she went by, I assumed she'd keep going and also pass the folks in front of me, so I looked back to see if there were other riders behind her. When I looked back ahead of me, what I saw was the wheel of her bike 3 feet in front of me, pretty much stopped. Apparently the 2 folks that I had been behind stopped suddenly in front of her, and because she tucked in in front of me, the little margin I had was gone. I hit her back wheel at pretty much full speed and went flying. In all, there were 4 bikes involved and it was the worst bike accident not involving a car I have been in or seen. I slammed/scraped everything along the left side of my body (knee, hip, elbow, hand) and I thought my leg was broken. It wasn't, but 7 months later I still don't have full mobility, despite stretching pretty much every day. Fortunately the others only had very minor scrapes.
The point of all this is that when I finally got home and had a chance to think about it, I couldn't believe I had done something so foolish and pointless. What was I trying to prove? Why did I put myself at such risk, and even worse, why did I put others at risk? It's not like I was in a race. A few months after that I read the New Yorker article about Grant and Rivendell, and it all made so much sense. The point is to have fun, and you should aways try to be the nicest person on the bike path, not the one trying to aggressively pass people. I decided to get a Riv, and settled on a Homer because even though I knew most of my riding would be road riding, I wanted a bike that was a little more relaxed, so I intentionally steered away from the Roadini (though it sounds fantastic!). I am absolutely not the same bike rider that i was back in July, though I'm riding as much as I ever did and I've never enjoyed it more. I ride fast some times, but I only do that if it feels like what I want to do, and I pick spots where I'm not putting myself or others at risk. I stop more often to enjoy things along the way, and I try to say "hi" to all the people I am sharing paths with. It's so much better! regards, Chris Young On Monday, March 3, 2025 at 3:59:31 PM UTC-7 [email protected] wrote: > Ben, I began to ask myself your question - "Why am I riding?" - at some > point in my mid 50s (I'm now in my 70s). The how and why I ride has evolved > with the passing of time. Today I ride purely for the pleasure of being in > motion in the great outdoors. I stop to gaze at streams and vistas and > sometimes I take a picture. I wave at every rider who passes me. No Garmin, > no Komoot, no computer, just me and the bicycle. I call it "Slow Riding" > and I plan to keep at it until I no longer can. > > Steve in AVL > > On Monday, March 3, 2025 at 11:05:28 AM UTC-5 Ben Adrian wrote: > >> I was doing a very difficult gravel ride on my carbon gravel bike >> yesterday (March 2nd, 2025). I was near the end of my ride and was very >> exhausted; debating my life's choices. >> >> Right at the area where Linda Vista Ave turns into Highland Drive, north >> of the Rose Bowl and close to Devil's gate, I was passed in the opposite >> direction by the most beautiful, green Rivendell. If it wasn't a Riv, it >> was something very much in the style of Riv. >> >> It gave me a bit of an existential crisis. Why am I riding? Do I want to >> kick my own a$s on a carbon bike on truck trails that are in bad shape? Do >> I enjoy trying to keep up with other riders who are much better than me? >> Or, would I rather just explore in style on a beautiful bike at my own pace? >> >> Anyway, all of that aside, if the rider of that bike is in this group, >> that bike is spectacular! >> >> Cheers! >> Ben Adrian >> Echo Park >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/3397765e-309a-4cfd-bfab-5e6ebfabd914n%40googlegroups.com.
