I think my lack of time in the saddle is catching up with me and causing me to make some poor decisions.
Today’s ride included a crossing of Hwy 12 west of the Maple Plain – a normally busy road. I stopped properly at a stop sign and was waiting for the traffic to move through from the left. I did a quick check to my right and mentally noted that it was open – but there were still a few mores cars coming from my left before I would have a chance to cross. Finally, the cars from the left cleared and I entered the intersection to cross the road. It was only after I was in the opposite lane that I realized I never looked to my right again – just to verify it was still open.
Fortunately, I was lucky and the road was clear. But, decisions like that are not healthy and may cut my time on this earth short.
The ride itself wasn’t great. My spring has been too sporadic to have a good base in my legs. Nothing could be done to coax some power out of them and I felt sluggish and slow. Throw some wind into the mix and it was mediocre – at best.
One thing I am focussing on this year is my position on my bike, I have a bad habit of locking my elbows when I ride, It’s a “lazy” position on the bike and does a couple of things to affect my performance – like increasing my profile to the headwind and limiting my control of the bike. But it’s easy to fall back into it once my arms and back get a little tired.
Thus, I have to keep reminding myself to bend my elbows and position my torso a little lower on the bike. This is the correct position (and ultimately more comfortable), but I have such an old habit of locking my elbows that I need to keep reminding myself.
Its small things like this that keep my mind occupied during nearly two hours on the bike. Any sort of distraction is something I need to ensure goes to the wayside when crossing busy roads. I want to live to ride another day.
