Missed connection

[lordofthemark]

If you are the Mayor of Washington, its always fine to stop

http://dcist.com/2014/12/good_guy_mayor_gray_checks_on_cycli.php

[dkel]

@rcannon100 101806 wrote:

To me its above paying it forward. Many many people have stopped to offer me assistance. I am glad to pay it forward. I have taped a few members of this forum back together. And I have helped a lot of strangers.

It is not out of guilt or ‘a need to do something’ – feeling guilty if I cant help a person in need (when in fact I am not helping a person in need, I am just placating my own conscious). If I, as an experienced cyclist, am sitting beside the trail, with tire irons, a pump and a tube repairing a flat ~ everyone asking me if I am okay ~ well its gets damn right annoying after a while. Especially if I am trying to concentrate on whatever I am doing and not responding and the person passing offers help and then gets offended that I did not even have the common courtesy to answer.

Look. Put your white-liberal-guilt away. The compulsion to appear helpful in any given situation – ISNT HELPFUL. I was once on the side of the Custis repairing a chain, covered top to bottom in grease. Three pretty little teenagers came up and asked if they could help. And again, I was right in the middle of the repair and again would have preferred to be mindful of the flywheel which was precariously close to piercing my fingers.

But I had to respond to this one. It was too absurd. I looked up and asked “I dont know, can you? Do you know anything about bike repair?” “Well no…..” “Then why are you interrupting me?”

Saying stupid things like “I would rather do this in every situation” or whatever is exactly the point. Do you want to help?? Then lets start with the premise – helping isnt about you. Its not about what you would rather do in every situation. Its not about making you feel like a good samaritan. It is about helping.

So now – take a two second test. Does the person who you are observing indicate in any way that they need help? Are they limping across the 14th St bridge with a flat tire (that was last week). Are they on the cork screw at Roosevelt with a jammed chain, crying like a child (that was me about two years ago). Are they sitting quietly beside the trail with tire irons in hand, neatly repairing the tire? Do they have more tools out on the ground than you have in your pocket?

I stop for people a lot. I pay it forward. A good portion of the time, I can tell I am just interrupting and I dont say anything. A good portion of the time, I give the standard “you good?” And a good portion of the time, I am late for dinner because I am teaching someone how to repair a flat or true a wheel.

And then there are the other times. I have to get to work. I have to get home to The Kid. I have to who knows…. but I cant stop. I dont judge people for not stopping. They are not my servants. And frankly, if I have a break down that I cant repair, I am a noob who needs to learn (to carry a patch kit and a multitool). I am not going to condescendingly judge people for not stopping. I have no knowledge of their lives, their skill sets. It is beyond presumptuous for me to declare that they fail my moral standards.

What do I know? Trail culture is tremendous. Last Dirt Ride, I decided to see how many different ways I could break The Kid’s Plastic Bike. Two people who know far more about bikes than I, nursed me along like a complete poseur. They fixed my seat. They helped fix my chain. They were the best and they reflect trail culture.

I have been riding these trails longer than these trails have existed. And I have been picked out of ditches, helped to the hospital, helped with my chain, on and on. I have taken blood covered cyclists home (no not The Kid). I have stood in the middle of the GW to stop traffic after a car hit a cyclists. I have fixed flat tires, fixed chains, and trued wheels. It’s karma. It is an amazing place we live and it is an amazing trail culture.

My grandmother used to say, “it’s nice to be nice.” But I think I’ve got this now: it’s nice to be nice when it’s nice, but it’s nicer not to be nice when it’s not nice, which isn’t the same thing as being not-nice. But if you’re nice when it’s not nice to be nice (i.e. you’re not not-being-nice), someone might be not-nice to you, which may or may not be the same as that person not being nice to you. Yes. No chance I’ll get that wrong. :p

[baiskeli]

@dkel 101855 wrote:

My grandmother used to say, “it’s nice to be nice.” But I think I’ve got this now: it’s nice to be nice when it’s nice, but it’s nicer not to be nice when it’s not nice, which isn’t the same thing as being not-nice. But if you’re nice when it’s not nice to be nice (i.e. you’re not not-being-nice), someone might be not-nice to you, which may or may not be the same as that person not being nice to you.

Nice.

[rcannon100]

@dkel 101855 wrote:

No chance I’ll get that wrong. :p

Simple really.

Be present in the moment. Act if the person needs help; dont act if they dont. Act because they need help; not because you need to be a helpful person. If you act, make sure you actions help.

Simple. Mindfulness (Buddhist)

[mstone]

Yeah, people are hard. My advice is to not get upset when people who aren’t harming anyone don’t behave the way you expect them to.

[cyclingfool]

@dkel 101855 wrote:

My grandmother used to say, “it’s nice to be nice.” But I think I’ve got this now: it’s nice to be nice when it’s nice, but it’s nicer not to be nice when it’s not nice, which isn’t the same thing as being not-nice. But if you’re nice when it’s not nice to be nice (i.e. you’re not not-being-nice), someone might be not-nice to you, which may or may not be the same as that person not being nice to you. Yes. No chance I’ll get that wrong. :p

Say that three times fast…

[mstone]

You: guy running barefoot on the W&OD this afternoon

Me: the guy with cold feet

Not sure whether to say “WTF” or “run on, dear hobbit!”

[dkel]

@mstone 101901 wrote:

You: guy running barefoot on the W&OD this afternoon

Me: the guy with cold feet

Not sure whether to say “WTF” or “run on, dear hobbit!”

My friend Kerry runs barefoot out on the W&OD. He’s also gluten free and works as an environmental consultant. I don’t make fun of him, though, for anything, because he’s ex-military and can certainly kick my ass. Plus he’s a super nice guy. Not a hobbit, either.

[mstone]

I can’t get past how cold my feet were while actually wearing shoes.

[PotomacCyclist]

Overheard in a locker room: Older guy ranting about bicyclists taking over road infrastructure with all their bike lanes and cycletracks. (I don’t think he used the precise terms, but he was definitely upset about bike infrastructure.)

He told his friend that the traffic was terrible on M Street, on a Sunday, because of the bike lanes. There used to be three car lanes and now there is only ONE!

Yes, you heard it here first. Adding a cycletrack magically makes two entire car lanes disappear, just like that.

The other guy was trying to explain that one lane was closed because of construction (which has nothing to do with the evil all-powerful bike lobby, unless that construction is a capricious act on the part of that lobby, to slow down drivers just for the fun of it), although he wasn’t exactly defending multimodal transportation.

I briefly considered saying something, but I thought better of it. I don’t need to get into arguments, especially with someone who is not dealing in facts. Hopefully more and more people will base their views about transportation on more than just personal biases.

[Terpfan]

Dear Woman Driving a Silver Mercedes on GW Northbound last night,

I appreciate your belief in my cat-like reflexes, but seriously next time you chose to turn right into a condominium complex in front of me (Portovecchio off MVT) please DO NOT STOP AND STARE AT ME LIKE A DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS WHILE YOU BLOCK THE PATH. I have zero idea why you waited to turn and then turned right in front of me. I have even less understanding of why turning into the complex you just came to a complete stop. I hope you’re alright because all I can imagine is some sort of temporary medical ailment to make you do something so stupid.

Sincerely,
Cat-like Reflexes Rider.

[americancyclo]

You: behind me for the length of the Key Bridge. Once we got to M St, you jumped out in the far left lane, ran the light at Wisconsin, and then rode in the oncoming traffic lane from 28th across the bridge until you ran the red at 25th to turn on to the L St bike lane.

Me: Moderating my speed to match the light changes on M St and arriving at 25th the same time as you did. Why so frantic????

[OneEighth]

It’s those intimidating calves.

[baiskeli]

@OneEighth 102356 wrote:

intimidating calves.

[bobco85]

@americancyclo 102331 wrote:

You: behind me for the length of the Key Bridge. Once we got to M St, you jumped out in the far left lane, ran the light at Wisconsin, and then rode in the oncoming traffic lane from 28th across the bridge until you ran the red at 25th to turn on to the L St bike lane.

Me: Moderating my speed to match the light changes on M St and arriving at 25th the same time as you did. Why so frantic????

Looks like you had a Dickie moment: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?2783-Forum-Dictionary&p=70244#post70244

Dickie moment (n) – a situation where you see a person breaking the law in front of you to get ahead and yet you are still able to pass that person while being a PAL without any extra effort. Some examples of people you pass would be people who run red lights, blow through stop signs, and make dangerous passes on trails. During a Dickie moment, you can think/say, “Go ahead and break the law. I’ll still catch you and pass you!”

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