Oucheroni. I know that mixing genres can be risky business, but let's try in our mash-ups to keep an eye out for the safety of others, shall we? My brothers and sisters of the media, please let me remind you all of our social (and sacred) duty to provide the occasional PSA. The public service announcement. Things we post just because they need constant and continual placement in the eye of John and Jane Q. And perhaps more accurately, John and Jane Junior! To remind them that there are things that should be done (recycling, feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, kindness to animals, regular exercise) and things that should NOT be done (war, pollution, meanness, joining the tea party, ramming whoppers with cheese, drinking anything from Anheuser-Busch). We take no profit from these altruistic reminders. We do it for the public good. It is kinda like being a coach or teacher, "here, let me show you something."
Take a look at the pic. Then read the article. Count the errors.
I think most of the VBA know by now that I am big on indoor cycling. And music. And bikes. And fitness. I like to ride and I like to race. I like to go fast.
BUT I AM TIRED OF CRASHING. Been there and felt that.
So if you wanna ride aggressively downtown with caffeinated pop tunes blaring in your ears without a helmet, that is your choice but PLEASE don't take any innocent bystanders down with you. They most likely have their own issues to manage and don't need your sorry and inconsiderate ass causing further street carnage. If you wanna be an idiot on wheels, ride off a bridge into the bay or wheelie headlong into a dumpster, fool.
The article is from NPR. Sometimes they miss.
The PSA is from RCVman. Sometimes he does too.
But not this time.
3 comments:
yuck. NPR for news and info but not music.
Spin music anyway. They get it right on jazz, blues and baroque, but rock? Sorry, Ira.
Very funny comments from Bike Snob:
I disagree with the caption under the photo, which reads that "urban cycling is not for the faint of heart." Riding a motorcycle at 75mph with your eyes closed or wrestiling alligators naked is not for the faint of heart; riding a bicycle around your city or town is a perfectly reasonable and pleasant pursuit for the faint-hearted, and even if you're a "woosie" I recommend it wholeheartedly. Moreover, you're certainly not a "warrior," nor should you bring any "aggression" (healthy or otherwise) along with you on the way to work. Instead, save up that healthy aggression like egoists save up their earwax and bring it to a race. (Just try not to bring too much aggression, or you may go home with a fine and without your sunglasses.) Certainly, bicycle racing isn't for everybody, but I can't help thinking that if more cyclists raced their bikes they wouldn't be so compelled to ride inconsiderately around town. When you've done a really hard ride you're perfectly happy to stop at red lights, yield to other cyclists, and give pedestrians the right of way the rest of the time. In that sense, racing your bike is the equivalent of "cleaning the pipes" before a big date, and behaviors like "shoaling" are the equivalent of the "popcorn trick."
Anyway, I was even more confused when I listened to the playlist. None of it sounded like something a "warrior" would listen to while heading off to battle, nor did it make me want to grab my "fixie" and rip up some pavement--though I guess halfway through track three I did briefly consider "hitting up" the American Apparel for some thigh-highs. (Or, as they're called in Portland, cyclocross formal wear.)
Undeniably though the streets of many trendy neighborhoods are teeming with Nü-Freds who are living out iPod-fueled warrior fantasies. Everybody's in their own private "The Song Remains The Same"-esque fantasy sequence, and they're riding their IROs as awkwardly as Robert Plant rode that horse. Now, I lose myself in meditation just like any cyclist--it's one of the best parts of cycling--but warrior delusions can be dangerous. (Nobody wins a jousting match with an Entenmann's truck.) This, more than the sensory depravation, is the real danger of cycling while listening to headphones.
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