Monday Morning

Riding in to work this morning, I did a manuver I like to preform every now and again. Coming down the Broadway Bridge, I can see if a train is going to block my route to work. If there is a train, there's a set of stairs just before I get off the bridge, that I can take to avoid the train. Sometimes (like today) there is a crowd of bikers right behind me, so a sudden stop on a narrow bridge is not advised. What I like to do is wait until the last second, feather my brakes just enough that I can kick my rear wheel around and to the left. At this point I'm almost facing the entrance to the stair and its just a matter of taking whatever momentum I have left, and sliding into this space, in front the stairs that is just big enough for the bike. I'm out of everyone's way without much fuss.

After I did this today however, I was walking down the stairs thinking how close those bikes behind me were and how much I must have scared the shit out of them. At first I kind of felt good about it, like "yeah I'm a bad-ass". But, the more I thought about it the more it seems like a stupid move. First off, the pavement was slick with rain, and whipping my rear tire around like that could easily cause me to slide out. Second, any of the cyclists behind me could have plowed over me and taken us both out. Third, If I don't stop in time, I'm basically going down three flights of stairs.

Now, it may not be that dangerous, especially compared to what a lot of other people try to do on bikes these days. But, for me it seems a bit sketchy. I think that tells me a lot about myself. Gone are the reckless days of doing anything without a second thought. It's almost like the older you get the more you realize how fragile life is, or maybe you realize how long it's going to take to heal.