The road less cycled

I’ve been writing all day for impersonal reasons; the Cascade Newspaper, e-mails, and U-PASS advocacy. It’s time to write something for myself for a change, now. There is so much I could write on; economic concerns are front and center, of course, as is the U-PASS and my thoughts about the majority vs. minority issue, and appreciating the bigger picture. I think I just want to focus on the awesomeness that was my bike ride today.

I didn’t really need to be anywhere in particular, but needed to get out and get some exercise so I decided to cycle over to the gym. I could have simply gone to the MRC which is only 5 minutes by bike from my house, but instead I chose to go all the way across town to the UFV gym where I can workout for free. This way, by cycling, I’m all warmed up by the time I get there, so I can get right to the workout without a warm-up session. It’s getting quite chilly these days, and since my Apollo Club Tourist has an abundance of metal parts, the warmth gets sucked out of my hands real quick. I don’t really bother wearing gloves  just yet though; not quite cold enough for that.

The University is about the furthest destination I could have within Abbotsford, short of Sumas Mountain or the residential on the far east side. Yet on my bike I can get there in 25 minutes and not have to worry about parking at all; it saves me gas $ so I can go on long midnight drives and still break even financially and emissions wise. Please don’t judge me for that; it’s a sanity retention tactic the necessity of which I regret.

By the time I get to the University today, the gym has just closed. Damn. Should have checked the hours today. I don’t really mind however; the main thing was getting my cardio, and by now I’m breathing hard and breaking a sweat. I always feel that somehow my day’s been unsatisfying when I go the entire day without getting any significant physical activity. I’m not on the level of a Randonneur yet; Randonneurs go for long 100, 500, 1000 km. rides, sometimes lasting for several days, but I’m getting there, and a few modifications to my posture on the bike and I should be able to attempt that.

Meanwhile, on my ride through Abbotsford, I realize how much I really do love this city. The more time I spend elsewhere, the more I realize how many ways Abbotsford comes up short, but the city’s coming along. There are still so many interesting nooks and crannies that give it some character; have you seen the medieval architecture on Langdon Avenue? Or the specialty bakery dealing in wheat, sugar, and gluten free products across the street from it?

I’m really enthused by the growing coffee shop music culture. Nearly every weekend you can drop in at a coffeeshop and come across some live entertainment, usually just a local performer or group trying to spread their reputation a little bit. Sometimes, like today at Seven Blends, just a group of friends showing support for each other; sometimes a destination event drawing a sizeable crowd. Ethical Addictions is perhaps the pacesetter in terms of being a place for young people to hang-out and enjoy some live shows. It’s become the east-side place to be if that’s what you’re looking for. City Blends Mt. Lehmann is coming to fill that function on the west-side, hosting live shows almost every Friday. I see these shows as a great warm-up if you’re planning to spend the evening at one of the local pubs, of which the Duke of Dublin is certainly the star attraction in this city, though the Bull ‘n Raven has great location and atmosphere as well.

If the outdoors is your thing, well, Abbotsford continues to expand and develop, but if you know where to look, you can still find some great places to go for a quiet walk. There’s been some controversy over it, but the Discovery Trail will be a great recreation corridor for the city, going through some of Abbotsford’s best parks – Fishtrap Creek, Douglas Taylor, Downes Bowl, Horn Creek, Willband Creek, over Sumas Mountain, and then McKay Creek as well. On it you will be able to avoid the monotony and sterility of the farmland and dykes, and if you choose, go cross-town in one shot.

On the way back from UFV today, I stop in at Lifecycles to make some enquiries, and then, spying a rare sight -a fellow cyclist – I opt to follow him down King Road instead of going through town like I normally would. He doesn’t set an insane pace, but he’s obviously just a little better equipped and I do have to push to keep up. He’s one of those “true cyclists” – dressed in skin tight aerodynamic clothing. I’ve never been a fan – sure, it’ll give you some added efficiency, but I dislike the hassle of putting it on and taking it off every time I get on and off my bike. Moreso, I love the casual appearance of cycling in my street clothes; it combats the impression of cycling as an exclusive transportation method that only a few people are equipped for; I’ll ride in whatever I happen to be wearing and pack along some raingear, and slap on an ankle-ring to keep my pants out of my sprockets. In Europe you won’t catch people in cycling tights; cycling is just how people get around and you don’t need much special gear.

So I end up going north on Clearbrook where I hog the one lane in the overpass so some impatient driver doesn’t try to squeeze through the narrow space between me and the centre line. Some guy in a huge truck guns it as he roars past me when the one-lane becomes two; from his acceleration rate he seems angry, and I can’t help it; I give him the finger. Probably he wasn’t even overly pissed, that’s just what his car sounds like, but it still gets under my skin. I haven’t had any accidents yet, but I’m still fairly jumpy on the road. Not like some – my buddy Trevor’s had two recent accidents, and I once came across him on his bike while I was driving, and I heckled him a little, and before he saw it was me he’d growled at me to “back-off, buddy.” Justifiably, he’s on pins and needles when cycling in Abby; between us and the other cyclists, we’re educating Abby’s drivers one at a time. Perilous.

So instead of heading straight down Clearbrook, I detour down Langdon, stopping in at the aforementioned bakery and the library where I take home an armload of books, a number on raw food diets, a book on the future of real estate by Garth Turner, and some others, most of them for my sister. It’s amazing how much you can accomplish on a bike with some planning ahead; I always feel like I come out ahead because of cycling instead of driving, and I dream of the day when South Fraser Way is clogged with cyclists, the Discovery Trail is packed with people, the coffeeshops and basements sport a thriving underground music culture, and development is contained within the current urban boundary, supported by a robust transit network and increasingly densified residential development. I can see myself living here for a long time, working towards that vision. There are many forward-thinking, progressive people  here; more than you’d think. However, I can just as realistically see myself travelling for quite a while and perhaps settling down halfway round the world, should I find someplace or somebody I especially like.

By now it’s dark, and I turn on my lights. My Apollo that was bought used came with this really great retro generator; a headlight and tailight hooked up to a little wheel that runs on the tire’s kinetic motion. As long as you’re pedalling it’ll stay lit. I plan to spend the evening at a coffeeshop, but in the meantime I’ve had a great ride, more convinced than ever that in this city, probably half of all trips or more could be accomplished on a bike by anybody who’s reasonably fit. If we really used our bicycles, cars could very well become the exception rather than the norm, only used for the odd trip to conduct an errand that a bike simply couldn’t handle.

Imagine where our automobile industry would be then. And you know what? Cry me a river. Humans are smart; we’re adaptable; we’d find a way to make the economy work. I’ve no confidence in the consumption based, manufactured obselescence economy, but I’ve every confidence in the power of human ingenuity.