I went riding yesterday. Early enough that it was still chilly and breezy, although, thankfully, the rain had gone. I don't think I met any bikes on I-71 heading out, although there were a couple on the way home. It was kind of funny; A friend and I texted each other, noting the weather, etc., neither one of us saying whether we wanted to bail on this ride. I kinda did, frankly, but I was only on my first cup of coffee. I tentatively put it out there, did he still want to ride? He did. Well, I wasn't gonna be the one to call it quits! We went, and had a great time. Halfway to his home in Wilmington, the sky cleared, and though breezy, the day was lovely.
This had me thinking about fair-weather riding, and fair-weather riders. I occasionally hear about or read about "posers" from some of my fellow riders--you know, the intrepid ones that have auxillary gas tanks, or ride until they can only ski, etc.
I don't hold to that philosophy, that fair-weather riders aren't "real riders." I think the closest I might say is that they aren't hardcore, perhaps. Even that I say unwillingly. Here's the thing:
riding is supposed to be fun. What is fun for you is your call, not anyone else's. If you enjoy challenging yourself in the elements, or long distances, or rocks out in the desert, that's great. If you love having the wind in your face on 75-degree days, and can wait quite happily until the next one comes along, that's great, too. It's just another version of riding your own ride. By all means, try new things, challenge yourself, or occasionally take yourself out of your comfort zone (that can help expand your comfort zone,or at least keep it from shrinking.) But don't fall prey to someone else's definition of a real rider. If you are a real person on a real bike, you are a real rider. Period.
All of that is a prelude to our next BSLR meeting, by the way. It will start at Dru's house on Tuesday, September 27th. She will lead us on a ride to Deer Creek, where, yes, there is ice cream nearby. If the weather is contrary, we will stay at Dru's and order pizza. If you don't want to ride because it will be dark when we leave, or because it is getting colder, that's simple: don't. Take the car. And do not let what any of the rest of us do dictate what
you will do. Even more importantly, don't let anyone dictate how you should feel about how you do it!!
Oh, and that friend of mine? He laughed at me because I was wearing my Gerbing's heated jacket and gloves when it was 50 degrees and sunny. Pffft! If he wanted me to ride, I wasn't gonna be cold doing it.
