Seeing the future

Cascade Bicycle Club has been going through some changes in the last few months.  A new executive director at the helm, and many popular staffers either let go, or resigning.  The facebook forums are in an uproar over perceived secrecy. Many question the club's official stance favoring what is viewed by many as unsafe infrastructure.

Tonight there was an event planned by the Cascade Advocacy Dept where they would ride from Cascade Bicycle Club headquarters in Magnuson Park about 7 miles to the Fremont neighborhood for a little adult refreshment and some good bikey conversation.  As an attempt at outreach, it was an event open to the public.

That was enough of an invitation for me.

Late in the afternoon I put on my UMCA 500 Mile TT Champion jersey and went for a little preride.  I rode my fixie, so that I had a foot in both worlds...........urban hipster, and decorated ultracyclist. (though I am really in neither)

I got 21 miles in before returning to join the others.

We started pedaling and I noted that the others were in blue jeans, skirts with leggings, and other urban style riding attire, along with nut case helmets.

Riding a fixed gear was not enough to make up for my lycra and TT champion jersey.

....but they did say the public was welcome.

Okay, one of the reasons I wanted to attend tonight was to provide a counterpoint to all those drinking the koolaid.  I didn't have to say a thing to show that I didn't fit in.

The Executive Director was there, along with a whole slew of Department Directors, managers,  and other staff.  Others were there as well, the parking lot was packed with bicycles.  They all fit the mold of urban cyclists.  There was not much bike politics bantered.  I suspect that they saw no need, they were already on the same page.  I did get into a short discussion with one of the advocates for protected bike lanes.  On the face of it, a protected bike lane sounds like a good thing.  Who wouldn't want to be protected as they ride?   But there are big issues with these that even the promoters don't have answers for. I am of the thought that all the millions of dollars spent on protected bike lanes could for the most part be better spent on education.  Education of drivers, cyclists, police, and district attorneys.

In the interest of civility, I didn't have a lot to say to most of them.

After a few hours I thanked the ride leader for leading us out, and rode back into the darkness. Over the last few years we greying and balding old folks sit around at rest breaks during rides and wonder why we don't see younger folks riding.  We wonder aloud why "we" ride, but our parents didn't, and our kids don't.  We wondered how we could get the younger folks to ride more.

Perhaps they are riding, and just pushed us old folks out of the way.

I had seen the future, it doesn't look like me.

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